1. Every year at Christmas we would all line up in birth order from youngest (that put me 2nd) to run down the stairs and open our presents. My dad always went down first to "make sure Santa came." He would then yell up "Okay he came, you can come down now." I never realized until after I was an adult, he was turning the Christmas tree on so that when we came down it would be sparkling.
2. Every year my dad would take us kids (4 of us) in the car to see the Christmas lights. He loved it! But now that we kids are all grown, my dad still takes each of us, with our own kids, to go look at all the Christmas lights with him. He still loves it.
3. One year I asked for a Barbie Styling Head for Christmas. On Christmas morning my younger sister opened...you guessed it...a Barbie Styling Head. My parents love to tell the story of the look on my face. I still had one wrapped in my stack, I just didn't know they'd gotten her one too.
4. One Christmas I was sure the fellow I was dating was going to give me a ring. We'd been together a long while. After opening all my gifts, I did a good job of hiding my disappointment. No ring. Then he said "I do have one more gift. It's out in the car; I didn't have a chance to wrap it." "That's okay!" I responded (Why wrap a velvet box, right?) I don't remember what the last gift was...maybe a pair of gloves or a scarf or something. But I vividly remember the disappointment. Within the next few months I realized he wasn't serious about the relationship, so I told him I was going to start dating other people and he said that was fine. I started dating another fellow who was really quite wonderful. Within in a couple months, the first boyfriend asked me to marry him. I said no (too little, too late). I now happen to be married to the other fellow, 12 years and counting. Merry Christmas to me!
5. Every year for Christmas my kids get to open 1 gift on Christmas eve. It always just happens to be new PJs. They look so cute in the pictures on Christmas morning in their new PJs.
6. My dad always makes the holiday dinners, including candied yams. One year at Thanksgiving I made a new recipe, Sweet Potato Casserole. Everyone loved it and asked me to bring it for Christmas. I think my dad was miffed that everyone liked the casserole more than his yams. So he always asks me "Are you going to bring that marshmallow thing again this year?" The funny thing is my Casserole doesn't have marshmallows on it and never has. Last year, I put one miniature marshmallow in the middle of it as a joke, since he always says I am bringing that casserole with the marshmallows.
7. My favorite Christmas memory. My husband and I wanted to have children right away in our marriage, but it didn't happen right away. After 2 years, I was very disappointed. The week between Christmas '98 and New Years I found out I was expecting our oldest daughter. That was the best Christmas present I've ever gotten.
**
I have to say it was SO HARD thinking up 7 memories! So you can share you favorite memory in the comments, or join the meme, or just have yourself a merry little Christmas!
19 comments:
Okay, I am crying. I'm such a softie. LOL. These are great memories. You are the second person in a week that I've heard about the pj's on Christmas Eve.
Due to a rough childhood, I don't really have too many Christmas memories. But, the truth of my story is I serve a restorative God who gave me a Prince Charming and his parents have become my surrogate parents and every Christmas we discover new and wonderful traditions to start with the kids. Each is greater then the last and I'm so thankful for it. Be blessed.
What wonderful memories. We used to open one gift on Christmas eve and it was always new pjs too. :)
You've really made me think...
I guess my favourite Christmas tradition is that we are always at the beach on Christmas day so we try to give the kids something water sport related so they can use it at the beach.
I enjoyed your 7!
One of my favorite memories is traveling to my Mamaw and Papaw's house for Christmas. Some years it was a 3000 mile trip! You can imagine the excitement when we finally arrived in their small southern town to see their little house all lit up with lights!
Love your Christmas memories. We give our kids new PJs on Christmas eve too! It's one of their favorite things.
Thanks for turning my thoughts to some wonderful memories from my own Christmasses past.
Of course many of my memories are yours. I had forgotten how magical your #1 was. "Thanks For The Memories..."
#2. I'll have the pics from our trip on my next post. They REALLY REALLY don't do the houses justice though.
#3.aw..
#4. What a huge disappointment at the time. And Thank Goodness!! There's a song about thanking God for "Unanswered Prayers...".
#6. I LOVE your Marshmallow Thing! But I love dad's too! You won't catch ME taking sides!!
#7. Merry Christmas!!!!
(P.S. Don't you love His Princess's comment. The beach on Christmas...lol)
Love this post. You mean to tell me ADHD ME wanted a Barbie styling Head? Thanks for sharing. I'm going to plan to do this meme too.
Beverly - ADHD is my OLDER SISTER!!! A
ttention all, she is OLDER than I am. My other sister, ET, is the younger sister.
OK, did there used to be a Christmas-parenting manual that said you had to keep the kids upstairs and tell them you were "going to see if Santa came"? Because my mom and dad did the exact same thing as yours!!!
Regarding dinner, thanks for reminding me I need to find a couple recipes to make and take to my mom's!
Thanks for sharing your memories with us. *grin*
What amazing memories, Kelly! I loved reading about each one.
I think that barbie head was the hottest gift. I listed it as my favorite childhood gift! LOL!!
I love that your dad still takes you all out to look at Christmas lights. So sweet. :)
Love you!
Your Friend,
Sonya
What a beautiful picture of the family!!
You have such wonderful Christmas memories.
I love going to look at lights too but never have anyone to go with. drat.
Did Adhd-Jo ever actually play with her Barbie Styling Head?
I love your #4. Isn't it awesome the way God arranges things?
How funny that your kids always seem to get PJ's on Christmas Eve every year. LOL! Have they ever noticed that before?
Rich Christmas Blessings to you my friend.
I love the PJ tradition! How fun! The barbie head is funny! And all the things your sweet Daddy did and still does! What a blessing! I am going to do the meme (?)
That sounds like so many great memories.
Hi Sis..
I loved the Barbie head too lol!! What treasured and cherished memories, thanks for sharing them with us.
Hugz Lorie
I loved reading of your 7 memories. I have no memory of my dad and I know your dad has complications, but I especially enjoyed his active part of wanting to be sure your Christmas was special to you.
My children are having a most difficult time with the holidays because my husband and I never grew up about Christmas and together we did some outlandish things for our kids through the years.
I had planned to do a 12 days of Christmas project for my adult children. I had some funny gifts and some genuine ones planned around the song 12 days of Christmas. I was going to drop off the presents each morning around 6 AM. My daughter shared with me last week how much she wished all the decorations, songs and holiday stuff would just go away because the pain of remembering her Dad and he wouldn't be with us at Christmas was so painful.
I told her what my plan had been. WE both broke out laughing thinking of my "good" idea and how horrific it could have been for her in this intense grief. I'll do it another year, but I was hit with how we need to make sure our "great ideas" line up with where our loved ones are in their lives.
The gifts and all the trappings are not about us; but for the ones we love and what they desire and what will be good for them.
Every time I get another "snapshot" of you Kelly ... you are even more delightful and beautiful.
Enjoy your family as you celebrate Jesus Christ Son of Man; Son of God.
Those were great Kelly. Thanks so much for playing along. Sorry I am a little under the weather and have had some important business so it took me a while to make it back. I am here now though. :)
That Barbie head must have been THE Christmas gift that year. I told Sonya that it was all great until we came up with some new "makeup," and then she never had the same face again.
Very difficult to deal with the engagement disappointment, but what a great lesson for you in that God had something better.
We had dated for 6 years, so when Christmas rolled around that year, if it wasn't happening, I was making some changes. But, it happened! Celebrating our 19th engagement this month--woo! Call the sitter!!
What GRRREAT memories!
This year, we did actually buy pj's for our WHOLE family though! AND I HAVE TO TELL YALL-- TARGET has THEE cutest PINK CHRISTMAS FLANNEL PJ'S WITH SOCK MONKEYS DOING CUTE THINGS ALL OVER THEM! I SAID OUTLOUD: MONKEYS ARE FUNNY!* heehee
Anyhow, I loved reading your SEVEN memories, and so happy you had good ones!!
CHEERS to the *MARSHMALLOW* CASSEROLE. ;)
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