Christmas Stories

Post #1

Rhoda Hollander wrote on November 29, 2007 at 5:48pm

There is nothing like putting up the Christmas tree to cause you to recall Christmases past. Simple things I remember are: Red and green paper rope running from comer to comer across the living room ceiling with a sphere hanging in the middle. Inside there was a red and white Santa hanging from the top. The decorations on the tree included a gray celluloid elephant and a yellow/orange camel, which I believe Mom said belonged to Roy and Wilda. There were bright red celluloid bells with red bows and pretty bubble lights brightening up the tree.

Taking the bus to downtown Calgary to do our Christmas shopping was so exciting. We would make our way from the Bay down 8th Avenue to Batons, and hitting every 5 and dime between, like Metropolitan, Kresgies and Zellers. John would always buy a bag of fresh roasted peanuts, still in their brown skins, and share them with us. It was such fun shopping for the Family. Small items like ornaments with air plants that smelled really funny, pens and pencils and books. John and Wilda and Beth and Roy probably received many useless little things but it sure was a lot of fun. I believe we owe the memory of shopping to Aunt Flo who always saw that we had some spending money at Christmas.

Beth and Roy would have Mom and us three youngest over for a special Christmas before Christmas Day, and had presents under the tree for us.

One year Ben brought home a huge mesh stocking filled with small toys and on Christmas Eve after John, Joe and I had gone to bed. I was "sleeping" on the chesterfield and could hear Mom and Ben dividing up these toys between the three of us, all from Santa, of course.

I remember our stockings hanging by safety pins on the footrail of the big bed and John, Joe and I taking turns calling Mom on Christmas morning to have permission to get up and open our stockings. When the first one called and there was no answer, the second one would try a little louder and so on. At last we had results and gleefully emptied crayons, coloring books, candies, balloons and more and then finding the Christmas orange in the toe. I can still smell those wonderful oranges and hard candy. To this day,

when ever 1 see coloring books and crayons I get a warm feeling of nostalgia, One year there was a very tiny box wrapped in silver hanging on the tree, to Rhoda from Beth and Roy. It was a beautiful birthstone ring. My very first ring, which I still have, by the way. I also remember Joe's white plastic dump truck in which we hauled our orange "piggies" and nuts around. Boys always got such fun toys like punching bags, boxing gloves. I got a plastic tent which fit over the card table. That was great, Christmas day was the best. So exciting, preparing for John and Wilda, Beth and Roy, Grandma Cross, and Uncle Ron to arrive. My job was setting the table. All this, of course after going to Church in the morning then walking the distance, across the prairie home again, having lunch and then, at last, opening our presents. Mom did, however, allow us to open one gift before Church in the morning

Other memories are fruitcakes, which Mom had made and decorated complete with almond icing and little silver pellets on top, Turkey with sausage meat and dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and mince pies.

Cranberries and Mom's best salt and pepper shakers also adorned the table

To this day, I still don't know how Mom managed to do all this. I want to thank you all for these very precious memories of Christmases past. We haven't been able to all get together at Christmas much for many years as we have all spent time with our own Families. Thank you, I love you and I am grateful to you all.

Rhoda

Post #2

Norene Cawthorn Reaume (Calgary, AB) wrote on November 29, 2007 at 11:05pm

What a wonderful story Auntie Rhoda. I'll be sure to print it out and take it to Dad.

I remember Christmas Eve was all for giving. Mom and Dad would load us up in the station wagon with boxes of presents carefully marked for each family.

We would stop visiting for a bit at each of Dad's brothers and sisters houses, filling up on candy and oranges along the way. We'd sit with cousins under the tree shaking boxes and making guesses as to what was in each one. Our last stop was Auntie Rhoda and Uncle Willard's house with the biggest box for of course the most kids.

Finally we would make it home and hang our stockings and beg to open just one present. Of course we'd have to wait for the morning.

Irene and I shared a room and the routine was the same year after year. We'd turn off the light and jump into our beds and talk quietly before falling asleep. Irene would say "I'll tell you what I got you for Christmas if you tell me what you got me" oh so sweet and Lucy like. I being the dear and gullible Charlie Brown would answer "I got you ..." Giggling under the covers she'd make up a big fat lie and fool me every time. I'd open my gift Christmas morning and knew I'd been had!

Christmas Days are another story yet.

Continued top right

Post #3

John Cawthorne wrote on November 30, 2007 at 8:38pm

Great story Rhoda, filled with lots and lots of fond memories. I'm glad you posted it here on the Cross Roads Group. I've read it over quite a number of times and it brings back new memories with each reading.

I was thinking we were the lucky ones to have such generous older siblings, then I wondered what their Christmas's were like without having older brothers and sister like we did. I can only hope that they to had some very memorable Christmas memories in their early years. The greatest gift of all is to be part of a loving family and if that's what we got through these early experiences, I'm thankful for that.

There must be a ton of Christmas memories in our family, come-on everyone share a tiny bit of some Christmas memory that touched you. Things like gift surprises, meals, Xmas concerts, family fun time all make interesting topics.

Here is a memorable incident that our family remembers well. In Drayton Valley on Christmas Eve when our youngest was maybe 4 or 5 years old, we all attended a family gathering at one of Isabelle's brothers place a few miles out in the country. It was getting very late in the evening when we piled in the car and headed home. In the distance toward town there was a radio communication tower with a bright red light on top. And as we adults know when you are moving in a vehicle an object in the distance seems to be moving to. Pointing to the moving red light we told the kids "Look there is Santa's sleigh flying through the sky", he is heading to our house. The excitement built up to such a tempo and we had to make a bee-line to the house to get ready for the big event and make sure we were home so Santa wouldn't miss our house that night.

We must have made it home in time because Santa made his annual visit that night.

Post #4

Irene Kerr wrote on December 4, 2007 at 1:23pm

I'll just re-post the post I posted in the Memories thread:

The merry-go-round story made me realize where my Dad (Uncle Ben) got his inventive spirit from. We were so fortunate every Christmas. After we finished opening our gifts - he would get this little smile on his face and usually go outside and bring back "one more thing". It was always something that he made himself. One year it was kid-size furniture, another year - stilts. There was the beautiful shuffleboard (he even made the "rocks") and the ingenious ping pong table that actually fit over the dining room table in our small house. We also used it as a blackboard. I'm sure my siblings can remember other things. He also invented a "drink mixer" - it was an open wooden box that had a mechanism in it with a rotor attached. He didn't invent home-made root beer - but he sure made great root beer - in my Mom's wringer washer! He used to bottle it in long-neck beer bottles, and we got to help him cap it. Then we would run around the neighborhood drinking our "beer". I'm sure the neighbors must have wondered... mmmm - I can still taste it - it was SO good!

Other memories all have to do with family and friends. I too remember the Christmas Eve rounds to pick up and drop off presents. We were (are) very blessed to have so many great cousins, Aunt and Uncles.

I remember lying under our Christmas tree and looking up through the branches. It was so sparkly and beautiful with the bubble lights and tinsel. I thought that was what heaven must look like.

One of my favorie Christmas memories involves Grandma. I always tried to see her on Christmas Eve. One year she was very sick with a bad cold, and wasn't sure she wanted any company. I told her I would only stay a few minutes, and took her some hot mulled wine. We heated it up in a pot on her stove and poured ourselves a cup (in a tea cup - complete with saucer). A couple of hours and one empty pot later, she was feeling much better (and so was I). We had a great time, and she often talked about the "medicine" I brought her, and how it helped her cold.

Best wishes and Merry Christmas to all.

Love, I

p.s. Hey Norene - I'll tell you what I got you if you tell me what you got me. Honest! For sure this year.....

Post #5

John Cawthorne wrote on December 19, 2007 at 8:02am

I was waiting for Isabelle to share this story but I will write it up.

Once upon a time many years ago when our kids were young, in that 5 to 12 years old range we had a hilarious memory on Christmas morning during the annual gift opening. Isabelle had done the gift-wrapping prior to Christmas, in her efforts to get the gifts wrapped so nosy kids couldn’t figure out what the presents were by shaking and squeezing each one, she hunted for a box just the right size. That box happened to be a left over brassiere box that fit the gift just perfectly. We thought nothing of it and Grant happened to be the recipient of the gift package Christmas morning.

So the much anticipated Christmas morning came and we all went down to the family room to open presents. With bows and paper flying all over the room, Grant pulled the paper off his gift and in a loud voice exclaimed “a BRA !”

Needless to say we all broke out in laughter from the surprised look on his face when he seen the gift box. Too precious not to share 1972