Think back on some of your earliest childhood holiday memories. What comes to your mind? I recall when my mother would pull out of the back of the closest all the holiday paraphernalia, packed away from the previous year. There were boxes of what, to a child, seemed to be a prequel to Christmas itself. I had of course seen the contents every year before but, still, that new unveiling, opening of the boxes, was like its own tradition.
In those days, we sometimes went out and bought a live tree but, as often, we had a fake tree. That, of course, had its own box. Always something of a real procedure pulling limbs and limbs and the trunk, and then finding the stand, and getting the whole thing up and ready for the next box.
The lights. This, along with pulling the heavy tree limbs out of their box, was the only real task taken on by the man of the house. Daddy would grunt and groan, and fumble and futz, but ultimately the tree would twinkle with brightly colored lights. He’d stand back, give it the eye, and pronounce it ready for decoration. Then he’d go off and leave it to Mama and us kids.
Next were all those sparkling, fascinating-to-a-child, ornaments. Some of them had special meaning to my mother, others were simply pretty little doo-dads which she had collected over the years. It was our job, as the children, to carefully take each ornament as she pulled it out of its specific boxed home, put it on a hook, and then we became tree designers finding that one specific, special spot for that particular ornament, a spot where no other ornament would do. This ritual was repeated over and over, until just about every decoration in almost every box my mother pulled out of the closet had found a temporary new home on a tree branch.
What next? In those days, days before everyone was concerned about fire prevention and what was, and wasn’t safe, tinsel was unequivocally next on the list. Silver tinsel. Nothing else would do. Each of us kids would carefully receive a handful, and we were instructed to take only a few strands at a time not big handfuls!and lightly fling those strands onto the tree branches. It was to look as if long delicate icicles precariously held on, very much in danger of falling 1000 g to the ground at any minute. This was an art, an art my mother strictly adhered to and which we, as her students, learned the finer points from her, the Master.
Last, always last for the tree, was the angel. Always an angel at the top of the treenothing else would do. No star, no Santa Claus, nothing else but an angel. And at this point Daddy would come back into the picture, since he was the tallest, place the angel on the tippy-top of the tree, and he and Mama would declare the tree officially decorated. He would again retreat, and she and us kids would stand back and admire our beautiful creation, for what seemed like hours.
It wasn’t hours, though, and we weren’t finished. The process of holiday home decoration had only just begun. The tree was simply the starter. There were still boxes filled with Christmas goodies. Out would come Santas for the mantle, ceramic trees with lighted bulbs for the hallway, thick garland for the staircase, and, of course, the mistletoe for the doorway into the kitchenalways the best place, it seemed, to catch someone unaware for a big holiday kiss!
And even amidst all the glitter and color and bright lights, all the fascinating and fun decorations with which a child could become mesmerized, there was still one last item that, every year, was a staple of our home’s Christmas decor. My mother was a dedicated sender of Christmas cards. She had a list which she religiously moved into an old card box, from year to year, crossing off who she sent to the year before and who she added to the list that next year. When the list became too old, too many names crossed out with new ones added so that she could barely read it anymore, she transcribed the names to a new list, and that one would go on and on until it, too, needed replacing.
Cards received every year became part of our decorating process, yet this piece of the process was ongoing since cards were received almost every day from roundabout December first until well after Christmas day. We received lots of holiday cards. Mama had a red-and-white, bought-at-the-store string on which new cards were hung with tiny little red plastic clothespins. Each day a new card came in, it was read, oohed-and-ahhed over, the sender was checked off on the card list, and then the card was pinned up on the string. This string had been placed above the fireplace early in the process, and it allowed for each card to be enjoyed for the duration of the holiday period. I think those holiday Christmas cards were my favorite part of the season. I loved that string and the cute little plastic clothespins. I had one of my own, when my kids were growing up.
What are your memories of holiday traditions? Do you, as an adult, carry them on now that you’re grown? Bring those fantastic recollections into your child’s life they’ll thank you for it, and love being able to continue them as part of their family ritual.
By: LJ Alexander
LJ Alexander enjoyed the entertainment scene of the ‘seventies. After doing the hustle, watching the Mod Squad, and listening to the Monkees and the Herman’s Hermits on her Duster’s car radio, El Jay grew up to interview and write about the people who engaged her imagination . . . those entertainers. These days, she sometimes does the entertaining herself through her own writing. A good print company is essential for her business, and El Jay uses 123print.com . El Jay appreciates all the reprints, as long as this bio box is included.
Organize Your Christmas Calendar
Watch A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, Christmas Vacation, or The Nativity Story; address and mail Christmas cards to close friends and family; drive around and look at Christmas lights; make and decorate cookies with your kids … Reflect on your childhood holiday memories.
Personalized Gifts For Christmas
Homemade Christmas card. Here is another one that uses kids’ cuteness to your advantage. Take a piece of paper and have your kids leave hand prints (just use a little paint for them to dip their hands into). Position the prints in such a way … Buy a favorite book or movie from someone’s childhood. To make the gift extra special ask their dad to read the book to them. Perhaps with a favorite movie recreate the atmosphere they used to describe when they watched the movie.
These straightforward to make Christmas crafts are a delightful way to brighten your vacation table, use for place card holders and share pictures from vacations gone by. Gather The Memories Of Christmas By Gathering The Childhood.
“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.” – Charles Schultz. “Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime. Get suggestions for writing Christmas poems for friends, as well as ideas on quotes you can include in cards and on gift tags. Christmas Poems for Kids Get tips on creating Christmas.