what do you remember as a child about Christmas?

The one thing that sticks out in my memory is coming into the dark room just hoping so bad that those gifts are there, and there they are!!!! Its kind of a scary, excited feeling....kind of like the feeling I have meeting Rick. lol

I remember one Christmas so well though, my sister and I wanted a red wagon. We begged every day for it, prayed for it, you know....anyway we got up at like 3 a.m. and ran to the living room and there it was !!!!!!!! We got in it and started pulling each other around the small house we lived in, woke every one up, they were laughing at us, and we had to go back to bed!!! :(

My brother, sister and I were remembering this one a year or two before my dad died. When we were children, Santa always stopped over in other states and even in other parts of the world and brought us goodies from all over the place -- oranges from Florida, apples from Washington, coconuts and pineapples from Hawaii. My brother pointed out, however, that it never occurred to any of us back then that they all came in a brown paper sack that said "A&P" on the side of it. haha... Well after reminiscing about this one, the very next Christmas, after all the gifts had been handed out to all of us there was something in the back of the tree.... Dad told us to just leave that for now and we'd get it later. After everyone had opened all of their presents, Dad pulled out a large brown paper sack from the back of the tree and what was in it? Oranges, apples, pineapples, coconuts -- even nuts and candies. It brought back SO many memories!

We used to spend every Christmas eve at my grandparent's house. They lived in the foothills overlooking the Santa Clara Valley (way back before it was called Silicon Valley).

At that time, my grandparents had 5 children (3 just about as young as their oldest grandchild so really there were 6 'kids') and 3 grandchildren. After dinner, we all used to head out to the 'porch' that overlooked the entire valley to search for Santa and his reindeer as they arrived with presents. Even back then, the airport was pretty busy so there were lots of false alerts (while friends of the family were installing gifts and goodies in the den under the tree). Funny how those flashing red lights on planes look JUST like Rudolph! We were always SO certain that 'THAT' one was Santa for sure!

Then suddenly, Santa's sleighbells would be ringing in the den and we would all tear lickety-split down the hallway to catch him!

Of COURSE, the cookies and milk were gone. Of COURSE, Santa was gone. But, dang, didn't he leave us some good stuff!

I remember one xmas we were in tears because my mother told my brother and I that Santa would not be coming that year. I was 8 and my brother 6 and we couldn't understand why we were being passed by.

Up to that age we had always called my mother by her first name and my dad, dad...so she told us that unless we called her mommie Santa would not come.

At first to call her mommie was wierd, like its was aganist some cosmic law...but we wanted our xmas present like everyone else and from that day forward we called her mommie. Don't know how we got into the habit of calling her by her first name. oh well, who knows with kids.

Paris

WHen I think of Xmas from when I was a kid, I think of the apartment my family lived in from when I was 8 til I was 14. It was the world's smallest 5 room apartment - fifth floor in a walk up - and it still burned coal for fuel, so we got a lot of soot in the place. We always had a huge live tree - with big twinkling lights, tons of ornamnets, and lots of tinsel.

all that - and we always had a tray of mixed nuts in the house at Xmas. I still find that I do that, though not every year.

When I was in college one of my best friends/roommates was Jewish (she still is, and we are still friends).

She loved to come to my parents' to see all our decorations and get some of that out of her system by getting me Xmas ornaments at the holidays --- all the fun of shopping with none of the guilt of using them herself!

That's cool, girlengr.

We use to all go with my folks on Christmas Eve to my Aunts house and gather with all the Aunts and Uncles and cousins, drink some egg nog, sing carols on the front porch (they got bad... what, with the egg nog and all :D ), take the customary family picture in front of the tree with the fireplace sort of off to the side and then open all our presents. As the adults got a bit more tipsy from their real egg nog, they'd eventually tell stories about Christmas to the kids. Good times. Those were some of the real bonding moments.

By the time we got home, we were exhausted and crashed. One year, my brother woke me up at like 5am and we both snuck into our sisters room and woke her up. Tiptoed down the stairs and Santa brought some cool stuff. Mostly, I remember my brothers amazing brand new 10 speed bike in bright atomic orange, just like he (Devo fan he was) wanted. Maybe it stands out both because it was both of our favorite color and it also got stolen two weeks later to much dismay.

Christmas Day dinners were with the other Aunts and cousins and parents from my Dads side at my parents house for a feast almost identical to Thanksgiving.
~phos

OK...I was 11 years old. And even at that young age, I KNEW what I wanted to be when I grew up...AN ENTERTAINER, I wanted to sing and play music.

So, I made out my Christmas list...and the ONLY thing I wrote down was a Guitar. That is all I wanted !!!

Christmas morning, I almost broke my neck running down the stairs to see what was under the tree. And sure enough, there was a rather large present and it had my name on it. I picked it up, and it felt kinda heavy, heavy enough to possibly be a Guitar?

I was so excited...I ripped the paper off, and opened it up, and there before me was a 120 bass Accordian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dang!

I was so dissappointed...but I didn't want to hurt my mom and dads feelings, so, after a long pause, and a deep sigh, I said, thanks...???

After all the presents were opened, I lugged the large and awkward 'instrument from hell' up stairs to my room, and spent the rest of the day trying to see its beauty from a little boys tear stained eyes...

For the next three months, my mom made me practice, but I spent most of my time trying to find a way to break it. I hated that thing!!!

Question...What is the defination of a True Gentleman?
Answer...Someone that knows how to play an Accordian, but doesn't...lol

Anyway...my dad, who was an Entertainer, and played and sang all of his life, knew of my deep desire, and the next year, he stopped by to drop off a Christmas present for me. And, you guessed it, it was a Guitar!!! I cried again, but these were tears of joy. And that guitar became my best friend, and that was the best Christmas EVER!!!

And to this day, my guitar is NEVER more than an arms length away.

And, I can't wait to play it and sing for Jannie...
14 more days....!!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone....
SlaveBoy

the one that sticks out in my mind is when i confirmed my suspicions there was no santa.

i awoke, as always on christmas morning, at 3:00 a.m.

no presents?

there were always presents by that time.

went to my daddy, who's house i was at that weekend, and tearfully told him santa hadn't come yet.

he told me to go back to bed.

10 minutes later, i was too upset to sleep, i hear a rustling.

i got up, peeked out my door......sure enough

there's my daddy in his tighty whities putting gifts under the tree.

traumatizing, completely traumatizing, on so many different levels.

The year my parents were losing my Dad's business, they had very little money for Christmas. This was horrific to my mother, who was a Christmas maniac. And there were six of us.

They went to an auction, bought a box of freight damaged toys, they picked up a couple of used bikes, and painted them. They bought a box of used dolls at that auction, Mom washed and styled hair, sewed clothes to fit the ones they could fix the best.

I got a 1000 project electronics kit. A wardrobe of clothes for my Francie doll I'd gotten for my birthday.

Mom sat and cried all Christmas Eve as we opened gifts, because she felt so awful giving us these gifts with torn and smashed boxes, and homemade and used toys.

ALL of us, when we talk about our Christmases, remember that as one of the best we ever had.

Originally posted by Nessa
I remember hating being Jewish because we couldn't have lights and stockings and a tree.


Yes... I recall this feeling quite vividly too. Back (way, way lol) when I was a kid, Hannukah was not nearly as commercialized as its become. There were no psa's wishing anyone a Happy Hannukah on television for example. It was a small, insignificant holiday for Jewish kids (as it really still is religiously) and I didn't expect much more than socks and gelt!

I have 4 kids and have experienced this Christmas dissappointment with each child. Its very difficult when they are little and gets better as they hit the 8 and older range. The thing I particularly hate is that the "public" elementary schools actually make this process more difficult for kids who don't celebrate Christian holidays. Arts and crafts, songs, writing assignments are all geared toward a holiday that we don't celebrate and they help create confusion and angst for small ones trying to fit in. I try to communicate with teachers about this and request that highly personalized activities be altered for my kids. I don't mind a coloring a picture of Santa, but a letter to him is out of the question. I don't mind singing a Christmas carole (as long as there is no reference to Jesus as our savior in it), but I am not happy with chains that count down the days to Christmas.

I am shocked that in 2004 there are still public Elementary schools that have Santa visit classrooms!

For the most part, what I remember about Christmas as a child was being alone. My father owned a florist franchise. Next to somebody dying or a wedding, Christmas is THE holiday for florists. He oversaw 8 stores total and I rarely saw him - or my mother for that matter because she was busy out socializing - from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas night.

I usually got the privilege of opening presents with the governess, which sucked, because she was usually annoyed that she didn't get the day off to be with her own family. There were one or two years we went to my grandmothers after all the deliveries were done but by that time Christmas was pretty much "over".

Because there was so much Christmas inundating him, my father never liked decorating at home. My sister would come over and help me decorate to make sure I had the tree and all that. I never had a stocking, there were no wonderful happy Christmas mornings, just a big empty house with some expensive Christmas presents that were supposed to take the place of the parents absence. It pretty much sucked.

I pretty much detested the month of December while growing up. My parents always forgot my birthday because they were so busy, others forgot it because it was so close to Christmas and then I spent Christmas pretty much by myself. It's a wonder I didn't end up hating the holiday all together. lol

Thankfully, I grew up and go out of my way to try and make Christmas wonderful for my children, basically because I never got the Christmas I so badly wanted, so I give it to them instead.

MOLLY: Im glad you changed a bad situation into a good one for your kids. My mom was very poor growing up to the point of almost starvation at times, they would go days without food, and of course Christmas rarely happened. She grew up with such bad memories that she dreaded that time of the year, she said she always felt melancholia then.

Anyway, if it wasnt for my dad, she would not have had Christmas for us past the age of 7. She disliked shopping or anything that went with it. She also did not celebrate our birthdays, no cakes, presents, nothing except once that I can remember because an older sister insisted on it. So I made sure that Christmas was a happy time in our home and also birthdays are celebrated.

I remember my mom getting so angry at me after I divorced and money was really tight and I had bought the kids some things for Christmas. She said when I was little we were poor and we didnt get anything, your kids shouldnt either!! (now my mom had enough money at the time to buy my kids Christmas, but wouldnt) I said mom, that is the reason you should WANT you kids and grandkids to have a good Christmas, cause you didn't. Dont you want your kids and grandkids to have more and do more in life they you did? I never understood how my mom could think that way, but we all have our faults I guess.

KIMMY: Yeah that wagon has never been forgotten. My sister and I ran the wheels off of it. We used it as a car, a thing to haul stuff in. we put water in it and played with that, it was everything to us. LOL