Five For Friday, Vol. 13: Christmas Story Edition
As we flip the calendar to December, I pause to indulge my most vivid Christmas memories from my youth. Way back in the 1970s and early 1980s, I walked uphill both ways through snow and ice just to get to my presents on Christmas morning. Fortunately, the year I got a Red Ryder BB gun from Santa, I did not put my eye out.
And sure, there are great memories of family and fun and all the traditional stuff...but here's are the things that really stayed with me.
Here, through the gauzy vision of my selective memory, are some vivid Christmas time memories from the youth of JP:
1. Tornado - On Dec. 23, 1982, a tornado struck my hometown of Malvern on an unseasonably warm and humid December day. I was 11. The storm knocked down a couple of trees in our yard - included one on the extreme corner of the house causing minor damage. I spent the storm in the bathroom, taking cover with Mom and Grandma. Dad was out shopping when it hit. Was two hours before he was able to make it home. We were without power for 3 days. Mom cooked Christmas dinner in the fireplace. And wouldn't you know it...after wanting it so badly, I finally got an Atari 2600 video game system, but had no power to play it for almost two days.
2. Tree Hunting - Back in the day, we always used real trees for Christmas. So for a few years, me and Dad would trek into the wilds of Dallas County, near Grandma and Grandpa's house and find us a tree. I remember one year in particular - but can't remember which year it was - there was a light snow while we searched. It was pretty and quite in the woods. And we found our tree.
3. Sneaky sneaky - When I was old enough and brave enough, I sneaked into the den Christmas night to check out what Santa had brought me. Though there were two possible routes, I always chose the danger...crawling through my parents' bedroom...opening the door to the den as quietly as possible...and WOW, I got a 10-speed bicycle!!! It was tough, but I always managed to seem surprised in the morning when I got my first "real" look at my loot.
4. Chipmunks! - So I had a couple of Chipmunks Christmas records that I really loved. All the seasonal classics, Chipmunk style. The family rule was that I couldn't start listening to them until Santa appeared at the end of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. So there I was, needle poised over the record on Thanksgiving morning, ready to listen to the Chipmunks sing "The 12 Days of Christmas."
5. It's a Nice Day for a White Christmas - One year after the tornado, there was a foot of snow on the ground for Christmas. It was one of the few white Christmases I've experienced in my life.
And sure, there are great memories of family and fun and all the traditional stuff...but here's are the things that really stayed with me.
Here, through the gauzy vision of my selective memory, are some vivid Christmas time memories from the youth of JP:
1. Tornado - On Dec. 23, 1982, a tornado struck my hometown of Malvern on an unseasonably warm and humid December day. I was 11. The storm knocked down a couple of trees in our yard - included one on the extreme corner of the house causing minor damage. I spent the storm in the bathroom, taking cover with Mom and Grandma. Dad was out shopping when it hit. Was two hours before he was able to make it home. We were without power for 3 days. Mom cooked Christmas dinner in the fireplace. And wouldn't you know it...after wanting it so badly, I finally got an Atari 2600 video game system, but had no power to play it for almost two days.
2. Tree Hunting - Back in the day, we always used real trees for Christmas. So for a few years, me and Dad would trek into the wilds of Dallas County, near Grandma and Grandpa's house and find us a tree. I remember one year in particular - but can't remember which year it was - there was a light snow while we searched. It was pretty and quite in the woods. And we found our tree.
3. Sneaky sneaky - When I was old enough and brave enough, I sneaked into the den Christmas night to check out what Santa had brought me. Though there were two possible routes, I always chose the danger...crawling through my parents' bedroom...opening the door to the den as quietly as possible...and WOW, I got a 10-speed bicycle!!! It was tough, but I always managed to seem surprised in the morning when I got my first "real" look at my loot.
4. Chipmunks! - So I had a couple of Chipmunks Christmas records that I really loved. All the seasonal classics, Chipmunk style. The family rule was that I couldn't start listening to them until Santa appeared at the end of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. So there I was, needle poised over the record on Thanksgiving morning, ready to listen to the Chipmunks sing "The 12 Days of Christmas."
5. It's a Nice Day for a White Christmas - One year after the tornado, there was a foot of snow on the ground for Christmas. It was one of the few white Christmases I've experienced in my life.
posted by JP at 9:37 PM
1 Comments:
Jon may get a lump of coal this year now that I know he sneaked a peak all those years.
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