I have so many memories of Christmas. The poem above reflects on when I was about six-seven years old. There were only four children then in our little four room house that Daddy built. Later on, there were three more children. In looking back, it must have been very hard on my parents to ensure that all of their children got something special for Christmas. We never got toys at any other time during the year, when I was a child. I guess that's why we really appreciated it at Christmas. One tradition that Mom passed down from her mother.....Christmas was the one time of year that we could eat all the candy, fruit, nuts, etc. that we wanted. Mom would buy chocolate creme drops, hard ribbon candies, chocolate covered cherries, oranges, tangerines, apples, nuts and various other treats and store them all in boxes under their bed. She always made sure she got a couple of fresh coconuts, also. When Christmas Eve night came, she would pull the boxes from under the bed. We kids would dive in! <grin> We wouldn't know what to eat first! For that one special time of year, we could have as much as we wanted. Never did Mom ask, "Don't you think you've had enough?" But, we always got our tummies full, and there would still be plenty left over for after Christmas. Mom also baked pies and cakes.

Our tree.......Well, we could hardly wait until Daddy would go find and cut down our tree!! It would usually be a cedar tree. Mom would drag out the box that held the ornaments. There would be pretty big glass balls of red, blue, green, silver and gold. Daddy would have to untangle the lights and check to see if all the bulbs worked. My siblings and I made paper chains to put on there. When we got the tree all decorated, we would turn out the lights & then just turn the tree lights on. That's the best way to see how beautiful it is! <grin> We thought it the most beautiful tree that ever was, even though it most probably was "lop-sided" and never leaning straight! <laugh> Oh, but it was grand in our eyes!

Christmas Dinner......Mom always fixed special desserts for Christmas. She would make a 3-4 layer coconut cake, and she always decorated it with those little red cinnamon candies. In a six year old child's eyes, that was the most beautiful cake ever! She also made a Jam Cake. And sometimes, she would make an old fashioned Apple Stack Cake. There were years that we didn't have a turkey. Mom would roast a big hen. She said they weren't as dry and they tasted better! Of course, she made her yummy cornbread dressing to go with the chicken & the gravy. Sometimes, instead of her canned green beans, she would cook a pot of dried "shuck beans". No matter what kind of beans, you can bet there was always a big chunk of salt pork cooked in it to season it! We had never heard of cholesterol back then! LOL Most of the dinner was
"home-grown". We even raised the chickens and the pork! <grin> There were other dishes she made for Christmas dinner, but I'll stop here.

Many Christmases have come and gone since then. This year, I will have been blessed to spend forty-seven Christmases with my mom and dad. The first year that I was married, my husband and I spent Christmas Eve night with his mother and grandmother. I woke early on Christmas morning and looked outside. There was snow everywhere and lots of it. I started crying, thinking that I wouldn't make it to my parents for Christmas. <grin> Hey! I was only sixteen and had never been away from home for Christmas!!! Well....my sweet hubby told me he would get me there for sure! We left, with my brother-in-law following us, just in case we slid in a ditch. We finally made it to my parent's driveway. Then after getting about half-way up the drive, we went in the ditch! LOL No matter! We could walk the rest of the way! I made it home for Christmas!!!

Last Christmas Eve, Daddy was put into ICU. We didn't think he was going to pull through. Mom and all seven children, plus sons and daughters-in law all spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in ICU waiting room, but we were together. Daddy spent a month in the hospital and finally got to come home. So, we have a lot to be thankful for this year of 2000. I hope you have enjoyed reading a few of my memories. Thank you for visiting Granny's World. May the True Meaning of Christmas abide with you and yours this holiday season.
~Bobbie~