All I want for Christmas is...

I thought I would share a little "blast from the past"...this was originally posted way back in 2010, but the message is still the same today.  I hope you enjoy these little Christmas memories from my childhood.

"And please, Santa, could you send me my two front teeth this year for Christmas?...and a tiny tears doll that drinks and wets and cries real tears..."

When I was two years old I climbed up on our upright piano and fell back down, hitting my two front teeth on the keyboard cover. They were pushed up into my gums, requiring emergency surgery at the dentist's office to pull them back out.  It is a trauma that I have never forgotten, even though I was only two at the time.  However,  the up side of that is that every year after that until I turned seven years old I would sing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth, yes my two front teeth!"  Everyone just thought I was soooooo cute! (Isn't that right, Doris?)  As you can see above, I was quite the angelic little child...at least in this picture! Ha!

My early Christmas memories are very happy, as my parents always went overboard to make our celebrations special and memorable.  Our family always went to church as far back as I can remember, so of course we learned early on about the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of the little Baby Jesus who would grow up to be our Savior.  But we also enjoyed the traditional fun side of Christmas, writing our letters to Santa and listing the things we hoped he would bring us in his big pack of toys when he landed on our rooftop in his sleigh. After we each had hung our stockings on the fireplace mantel, we always left a nice plate full of cookies and a glass of milk, along with some carrots for the reindeer.  I love the fact that Santa always wrote a note back, thanking us for the cookies.    As a matter of fact, I happen to still have a copy of the last letter I wrote to Santa while still living at home with my parents. It was written when I was 18 years old and this is what it says,

"Dear Santa Claus,

Merry Christmas again!!! Gee~I don't know how to say this , but, you see, Santa, we have a mouse in the house.  Therefore~ I do not think it would be wise for me to leave some cookies in the usual place, as he would be able to get them. (The usual place was on the hearth of the fireplace, so Santa wouldn't have to go too far to find them when he came down the chimney.)  So, in order to keep the tradition going, you will find some cookies for you on the dining room table, and there is a glass of milk for you in the refrigerator.   Give my love to the reindeer and Mrs. Santa Claus.  I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, and the Happiest of all New Years!!  See ya next Christmas!!  Love Always, Pam"

At the bottom of the page was written in Santa's familiar handwriting, "Over..."  So I turned the page over, and what do I see?  A letter written right back to me from Santa! This is what he said:

"Hi Pam - and all you believers!"  By the looks of the "clean" cookie plate I think the "mouse in the house" managed to get up on the table via the table cloth.  Well, on this great day we wouldn't begrudge one of God's little creatures a crumb from our table, would we?  We can kill him later! (I think I heard him say, Ho! Ho! Ho! when he wrote that last phrase!)   I'll nose around in refrigerator and maybe I can find something else.  I'm glad you, Pam, are still interested in traditions.  So many young people want to do away with old foolish ideas these days and live in a "Mod, Mod World" (which was a common slang back then in the late 60's), but you have to have faith in something, and after all, Santa Claus has been around here a good many years and hasn't let you down yet.  He even wears a "beard". (Again, a reference to "style" of the late 60's...Santa was very hip with the times). 

Well until another year, May you enjoy this one coming up and to all your Great Family, Especially your DAD, (he's the greatest!)....Cheerio, PipPip and AWAY!"     Santa...

Hooray for Santa!  I got the Doctor kit I wanted!!! This was our first
Christmas in our "new house" in Tavares in 1957.  Daddy built this house,
and we moved in while the floors were still bare concrete (cold) and the only
heat we had was the fireplace...but we were sure happy! Can you tell?

Yes, Our family had a lot of fun with Christmas...one of the other memories is how we had to wait before we could go out into the living room on Christmas morning to open our gifts....that was almost like torture to us kids.  My mother would make us be sure to make our beds, wash our faces and brush our teeth, and then we had to wait for Mom and Dad to get up and ready before we could go out.  Then we would all line up in the hallway, from the youngest (me!) to the oldest, and we would sing Jingle Bells as the curtain was pulled away from the door and we would scramble under the tree to find our little stack of presents.

Although our family did not go overboard on the presents, everyone was always very pleased and excited with the surprises that were left for us under the tree.  It was indeed a magical time for us.

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that
St. Nicholaus soon would be there..."
L to R: Me, My sister Doris, My brother Russell, and my brother Clifford

Although I am not crazy about the materialistic way that people celebrate Christmas today, the important thing is that we do celebrate Christmas!  If I could make a Christmas wish, it would be that people everywhere will stop and take the time sometime during this frantic season of shopping, partying, traveling, spending and overspending to sit down and focus on the whole purpose of this celebration...Celebrate the joy of this Good News..."Jesus Christ is born!" 

Read Luke 2:8-14......verse 10-14 says, 

"Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, 

who is Christ the Lord.  

And this will be the sign to you: 

You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 

lying in a manger."  

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 

goodwill toward men!"

Hallelujah!  Our Messiah has come! Spread the Good News to everyone!!! And have a Merry merry Christmas...and the happiest of New Years!  And yes, let there be peace on earth...

So, what do YOU want for Christmas this year?

P.S.  I had decided to post this particular post last night because I didn't have any new photos to share for today, but this morning I looked outside as I was getting my morning cup of tea and saw that we were being visited by some of Santa's Reindeer: (the pictures are a little blurry because it is still early dawn, and these were taken from inside the house through the window...)

There were five of them in total. Sorry I couldn't get clearer pictures, but they were on the move! Getting ready for Christmas, I guess!

Have a blessed day, my friends!!