Christmas Past

The other day my mom and I went on a trip down memory lane. It was a nice little trip with plenty of good memories... So sit back and come with me down the road to Christmas past.....
My fondest Christmas memories are of Christmas Eve.......
One of my most memorable Christmas's was when I was around 6 or 7. I was just learning to read and I remember Grandpa T. placing his HUGE Bible into my lap (Hey, I was only 6 or 7 EVERYTHING was huge back then). I remember I couldn't read the big words, so grandma would quietly tell me what they were, and I'd say them out loud as though I really did know them all along.

Then of course the time that Aaron, Carrie, Jeremy, and I all took turns reading the Christmas story. One would read a verse or two and pass it on down the line. I don't know about other family members, but I found being picked to read the Christmas story to be a great honor. To see grandpa looking quickly around to see who he'd pick, and I'd always be hoping it would be me. Then again, it would be selfish if I read it every year. The honor should've and was passed equally around.

Then the presents..... Oh the presents. I could always count on Aunt Ida giving me a new dress. She always gave me such pretty dresses... Then there was the year of the "mixed up Christmas gift." Grandma T gave Carrie and I "My Little Pony's". HOWEVER she accidentally switched them, and I remember when we switched back Carrie said "But that's the one I really wanted." I felt HORRIBLE about that. Carrie, I would have traded you, but I was so afraid of hurting Grandma's feelings. Now that I'm grown, I realize she wouldn't have minded if we had switched back. At the time, I just didn't want to see her hurt. But I always had felt bad about that. Still do in a way.

Then there's the "missing baby Jesus" memory. Ashley was 20 months old. She had been sick with a fever her first Christmas, and so her first Christmas Eve was actually her second Christmas. She was an adorable girl who had a dreadful pacifier addiction. Anyway, Grandma and Grandpa T. had a good size, plastic, lit up nativity scene inside their house. It was just Mary, Joseph, and a "detachable" baby Jesus. Once Ashley realized that Baby Jesus could be taken out of the manager, she held onto it for dear life. When we would try to take it away, she'd cry and scream. If I'm not mistaken there's a picture in Grandma's hallway of Ashley sitting on someone's lap (Mine? mom's?) sucking on her pacifier, and holding baby Jesus. It was like pulling teeth to get it away from her.

Then there's a few memories that aren't Christmas Eve related.....
We moved when I was 10. We had just gotten our new house, and wasn't even moved in yet. The only thing in the house was our Christmas tree. On Christmas Eve. Mom, Dad, Aaron, and I all slept in sleeping bags on the dining room floor.

That was the same year that the cabbage patch dolls came out, and I wanted one. I remember seeing on TV people fighting over them. I remember clearly a man on TV holding two dolls saying "I got two of them, I got two of them." I turned to mom and said "That's kind of selfish don't you think? He should only take one, and give the other to another dad that wants one for his little girl."
I wanted one so badly, but I knew there was NO WAY I'd get one. My dad JUST got back to work after being laid off for four years, and money was still tight. We went over to Grandma and Grandpa M's for Christmas day. When it came time to open presents, there was a big gift for me from my Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Rick. It was a Cabbage Patch doll. I don't think I've EVER hugged anyone so much in my life. I was truly a very happy girl.

There are so many memories, but these are just the one's that stick out..... If you need something to warm your heart, or to put you in the Christmas mood, here you go..........

A couple years ago, my Aunt Rebecca took her granddaughter Chelsea (Who was about 7 or 8 at the time) to see Santa. Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas.
Chelsea said "I want everyone in the world that doesn't have a good job to get a good job. And I want everybody in the world that doesn't have enough food, to get enough food."
Santa said: "That's nice but what do YOU want?"
She said: "I want everyone that has to live on the cold streets to have a nice warm bed and a warm house to live in."
Santa: That's wonderful, but what do YOU want?
Chelsea thought for a min, and said: There's a little girl in my class that's poor. Her clothes are old, and she doesn't have a coat. She shivers when she walks into our classroom. I want you to bring her a new coat and some warm clothes, so she won't be cold anymore.
She then climbed off his lap, and Santa called her back. He gave her a HUGE hug and said "God bless you Chelsea." She was so happy that she went running to Rebecca and said "Santa hugged me and said "God Bless you, isn't that the neatest?"

Putt putt, Chuck E Cheese, and one EXHAUSTED teacher OH MY!!!

I wanted to do something special for my Sunday school class for Christmas. Since I only have two kids ages 10 and 11, I thought they were old enough to enjoy a "field trip."
I had planned this trip a month ago, and kept my fingers crossed that I would not be forced to work the planned Sat. Since I knew the ladies of L.I.F.T. (Ladies In Fellowship Together) group from my church was planning a Christmas Party at a local resteraunt this evening, I thought it would just be easier to throw in a Sunday School party the morning of the party. I figured it would be easier to get one Sat off than to try to get two.....
So..... Rewind to yesterday (Friday). I worked a 12 hour shift, and halfway through my shift I was really craving homemade chili. (Chris gave me a great SPICY chili recipe. Can't wait to try it).. SO... After work (mind you I'd been up since 9 AM, which is extremely early for me and pulled a 12 hour shift to boot.) I headed to Walmart and bought the "fixins" to make chili. Amongst other things..... Didn't leave Walmart until a quarter after 1 AM, and FINALLY went to bed at 5 AM. (Forgot I had laundry to dry, and I don't sleep with a dryer on. I also had to wrap some gifts for my SS kids.)
I had told the kids we would leave the church at 10 AM. So, I dragged myself out of bed at 9 AM, left at 9:30 and both kids were waiting for me at the church.
We got to this indoor, glow in the dark putt putt at 10:30, was supposed to open at 10, but the employee didn't show up until 11. Not only that but this other family was already there, and had reservations for a birthday party at 10. To say they weren't very happy was a gross understatement.

She finally opened the doors to let us in, and I found out that this putt putt place is AMAZING!!!! If you have kids, do yourself a favor and take them. It's very reasonable.... $6 for kids 12 and under, and $8 for adults, and you can get glow in the dark necklaces for the whole group for only a buck. It's in the old Lazurus store in the Markland mall. When you walk in it looks VERY small, and I honestly thought that there were MAYBE 9 holes. However after about the fifth hole, you turn the corner, and go behind the wall, and you'll discover it seems to go on forever. There's 40 holes of endless golfing (we counted). Okay so there's no windmills, nor fountains, and there's not even any water, but hey, EVERYTHING glows in the dark. The only lights in this place are the black lights, so if you go wear white. It's awesome. It's really amazing....
We started playing at 11, and we didn't finish until noon. After "golfing" we headed over to Chuck E Cheese, which one of my kids had never been there before. We spent about 2 hours eating and playing games.. Well.... so they played games, I just carried on an interesting one sided conversation with Chuck the mouse.... Yeah, I was a little bored. LOL.

I got the kids home around 2:30, went home, grabbed a 40 min nap and went out to eat with the LIFT group and their spouses.
To say I'm about to drop is putting it lightly. I do know I AM going to bed early tonight. Might throw the ingrediants for chili in my crockpot before church in the morning....MIGHT be done by the time I get home...

My Christmas parties are finished for the year, and I can concentrate on family.