Thanksgiving is over and Christmas just around the corner. The years sure do seem to be flying by. I can still remember some of my childhood Christmases like they were yesterday.
I also remember the Christmases when my kids were little. Back then, the school Christmas play was a huge production, with elaborate costumes and speaking parts to be learned.
When my oldest was in Kindergarten, he and a few of his friends were designated as grasshoppers. This meant that the moms had to get together and come up with a costume design and then make the costumes. So, wire hangers became wings covered with green netting, and white tights and turtlenecks were died green to (sort of) match the green track shorts that went on top. Green pipe cleaners became antennae. My son was grasshopper number three. I can't remember his part, but he had a few words to say. What a great group of grasshoppers they were!
Then one year my daughter was a bluebird. Brown paper grocery bags were transformed into colorful birds when covered with crepe paper feathers. I must have cut out several hundred blue and orange feathers to cover my little bluebird. There was also a hood complete with a yellow bill. It was lots of hard work, but we did anything for our kids.
Next was a Raggedy Ann costume. And then a shepherd and a caroler and an ice skater. Those last two were pretty easy.
The first program was held in the Carl Gym, but the later ones were held in the high school auditorium and, trust me, the place was always packed. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all came to see their pride and joy perform. Even those who didn't have speaking parts were in the chorus, and the songs brought smiles to everyone's faces! It seemed like the whole town turned out to see the yearly holiday program.
I don't remember when the Christmas programs ceased to be, but I kind of miss them -- especially now since I am a grandmother and would be able to sit back and watch my kids do all the work! But, alas, it's not to be. But we have a lot of good memories from those programs.
Another good memory from Christmases past is the great smell a real Christmas tree brings to the house. My dad and I always went out and cut a cedar tree, and we continued this tradition when my kids were little. But at some point, the cedars ran out and we had to resort to buying a tree from a tree farm or the grocery store. They didn't smell quite as good as the old cedar trees did, but pretty close. Then, about a dozen years ago, I bought an artificial tree and have used it every year since. But somehow some of the magic is just lost by not having a real tree. So this year, I have resolved to buy a real tree again. I wanted to get a real one last year but was too impatient and went ahead and put up the artificial one again. That is one of the drawbacks to a real tree. You just can't leave them up as long. I plan to wait until about two weeks before Christmas to put mine up. I may go ahead and buy it and keep it in water on the porch for a while.
Something else I've always wanted to do is to go with a theme for my decorations. You know, like all natural ornaments, a beach theme or all silver. But every year there are all those handmade ornaments from years past that I just have to use and, before I know it, my tree is a hodgepodge of popsicle stick Santas, clothespin reindeers and clay gingerbread men, all with the name of one of my kids written on the back. So there goes the theme tree!
Some day, I will put up two trees, one with all my treasured keepsake ornaments and one with a theme -- but probably not this year. I can't wait to get out the ornament box and take that walk down memory lane.
So, no matter what kind of tree you have, make sure you decorate it with lots of memories, and garland it with love! And if you don't have a real tree, buy a can of evergreen scented air freshener! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas, everyone!
Tamela Weeks is a freelance writer in the Gentry area. She may be reached by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 12/17/2014