Holiday Memories

Hubby asked me something kind of funny today (it had to do with a segment we saw on the Today show on Friday morning), but his question was: "What is your favorite holiday memory?" I was sitting here tonight downloading some Christmas music and trying to find that little spark inside me somewhere that use to get excited and giddy about this time of year. I thought back on a few funny things that happened over the years and the thing I loved best about this time of year. You know it was the anticipation of everything about the season. My family always celebrated my birthday by putting the Christmas tree up on my birthday. That made it even more special to me. Not everyone gets to put of a beautiful tree with sparking lights and tinsel and ornaments on their birthday. That ended the year I was 13 and I was the only one in the livingroom putting up the tree. I had to call my guy friend who lived about a quarter of a mile from our house (I grew up in the country) and he came down to help me figure the damn thing out. I still have the yearbook somewhere that he told me the next time I put up a tree to read the directions LOL. Thank God he was so good about coming down the road to help me out.

I remember sneaking out of my bedroom at 1 or 2 in the morning to go through my stocking while everyone else slept. I was so careful about how I took things out of my stocking too. I made sure everything went back in the way I took it out. I couldn't have anyone finding out I had been into things in the middle of the night. That time in the middle of the night when there was no noise and I got to quietly sit in the light of the Christmas tree looking at the special things Santa had brought me were the best moments of the whole season for me.

I remember my great grandfather telling me that he had kidnapped Santa and was having reindeer stew for dinner when we were all together at my grandmother's house on Christmas eve. He always had this little sparkle in his eye when he would spin the tale of how he had trapped the man in the red suit. I remember great grandma telling him over and over not to upset the children. He would laugh and wink at me and I just knew it was how things were suppose to be.

I have many more memories tucked away and I think sometimes it is those memories that I miss so much. I think there was a time when my family made it look like we had this wonderful Norman Rockwellish type family. I miss that so much. At least I have the memories.