Sleigh bells ring.......... are you listening?
We've got spirit, yes we do, we've got spirit, how 'bout you?
Depends. OK, Ok, Ha ha, Depends. Christmas has changed, much. Or mebbe we, the names, faces, commercialism, dadgum Prime vehicles parked on darn near every road and ya worry you're gonna scrape parked cars should you attempt to roll around, through.. Much has changed. Mostly though, the mirror.
That mirror now shows grandmas and grandpas - just like we remember Christmas past. Back in the day, I remembered the name and year of graduation of virtually everyone I went to high school with. You could quiz me on the Kansas City Chief's numbers 14, 16, 45, 51, 63, 78 and in a millisec, I'd answer Podolak, Dawson, Holmes, Lynch, Lanier, Bell.
Nowadays, as we four sit around after golf, once we finish talking about knee, hip replacements, "it hurts when I do this", we go back. Back to yesteryear - when we could still run, jump, the pep was in our step. "Remember that time you and I and _______ went to Antioch?" Who? "_____, you know, lived on Fairview, just past ______'s house." No, I'm sorry, I don't remember. What class? Point being, we forget along the way.
Sleigh bells ring though, and we suddenly jump right back into our double knee denims, buzz cut hairdo, YEE-HA Christmas mode of 1950-60-something. You cannot forget that.
My City. Your City? I'd love to read any stories, memories you might have. So Victor, we surmise this is where you're gonna share yours. Uh huh, is.
The Kiwanis, or mebbe the Boy Scouts, would setup shop at a grocery store or a car lot selling Christmas trees. It was common to see folks out on ladders putting up lights. The shopkeepers of our town Square, back then our WallyWorld, Best Buy, Amazon, Kohls, Target alternative (and only alternative unless you wanted to navigate two lane roads to downtown or Antioch), - had amazing displays that made us 9 year olds wanna sneak up to the window, tug, pull on mom's coat, "Can we see, can we see?" Brownie and Girl Scout Christmas carolers were a thing on the Courthouse steps as well.
I don't remember a Mayor's Christmas Tree - but, I do remember the huge pine tree on the little triangle that sits atop Mill Street - and how annually, the Ladie's Garden Club would decorate it with HUGE bulbs, then the Firemen, and their ladder truck would come, affix a big ole star to the top of the tree. In fact, the firetrucks would drive thru neighborhoods and toss out candy to us kids at Christmas time.
Of course there was Santa's little house on the Courthouse lawn where we lined up to see Santa, tell of our wishes. One friend relates, "my three year old got on his lap.. he asked if she's been a good girl she answered 'Yes, and pew you've got stinky breath.'! Another friend "My dad was a large man. I mean, a LARGE man. Every year in Westboro (edition) on Christmas Eve, he'd put on his Santa costume, grab a bag full of candy, and one by one knock on the doors of families he knew had children. Yes, he'd ask them if they'd been good, pass out the candy, but too, remind them to go to bed early, and "Don't peek!" One year, a 9 year old rode his Schwinn around relating to all "Santa isn't real.. he's made up." So, the large dad, once again donned his suit, went to said 9 year old's house, knocked on door. I understand the kid about tinkled his pants.
Rides around town with mom and dad.. was it Ridge Street where they had the luminaries? Twas special. Simple, but really special. While it was 20+ years since Glen Miller's "In the mood", living in a smalltown back then, one couldn't help but be in the Christmas mood.
Remember the silver aluminum Christmas trees? And, those little fan loooking color wheel light things that would spin and cast three different colors on them? We always got a real tree - but, my favorite memory of trees was Grandpa's annual trek to a friend's acreage in the country to chop down a nice cedar tree to take home, decorate. Can still smell it.
As urchins, we got to help decorate. Well, we did once Grandma had the liquid bulbs (my fav) around the tree and plugged in. Then it was the ornaments, candy canes (sometimes they'd later disappear!) and then the strings of popcorn the ladies, lady cousins had made, of course, finally, strands and strands of tinsel. (My grandparents had three daughters, who in turn married, and each had two children.) As our families arrived (and that in and of itself was a special moment.. Liberty, Jeff City, Fulton, MO merge again as one).. the gifts would pile up and pile up beneath the tree.
Today, we buy large bags and hopefully minimally tissue paper as we economize, toss in mebbe 4 gifts to a child. Nuh uh, back then. Remember? Each, every present was wrapped with love, a ribbon, a bow, and a special Christmas to/from tag. Personalized. Special. Silly Putty was fun - Etch A Sketch the rage, Play Doh had these huge kits with all kinds of colors and plans where you could make a plane, a boat or a train.
I remember Granny had pies awaiting us atop the heater in the living room, FUDGE! DIVINITY! heaven as a child - and the closer ya got to the kitchen, yum, honey baked ham. I really can't believe they had enough chairs for us all at dinner time. The noise, coupled with grandpa's hearing aids, kinda bugged him, so, he'd take them out at dinner time. Then, he would toot. "I can't hear it, neither can they" he assuredly thought. GIGGLES from us grands said otherwise. The Best. Christmas was the best.
One cousin of mine, had to have had ESP. He was a few years older - but he could pickup a present labeled his, feel of it for a short, and perfectly guess exactly what it was. Of course we had a selfish itch to get the gifts we wanted, but too, we wanted our cousins to be happy with what we got them (thanks to mom and dad's bucks.)
Hard candy was in a glass bowl in virtually every household, as was a snow globe on the end table, and mebbe sadly, a fruitcake. Christmas cards were the way, not the exception. Taped to the mantle, a door facing, even simply on the wall. In the background, we heard Andy Williams, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby... Sinatra, Martin. Yum.
Snowmen with corn cob pipes, carrots.. sledding.. forts.. all followed by hot chocolate. Who even has snap up galoshes nowadays! Remember them well. There were no movies yet about Ralphie, Kevin, Chevy Chase, or even Cousin Eddie - but we all did watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, and, that Grinch guy.
The oldest cousins passed out the gifts. Mark set go was said - and in a flurry - our already big eyeballs got bigger. We had things to do, stuff to play with for the year. In time, our folks and our grandparents who lived The Depression, folded and salvaged virtually every possible piece of wrapping paper, bows, ribbons they could - and put it away until next year.
Hugs happened. It was over, but, "It'll be like this forever, right?"
Sadly no, but it's forever etched. We may be old, but we're always young at Christmas time.
Sleigh Bells Ring... are you listening?
Love, Victurd
No comments:
Post a Comment