Christmas Traditions

When I was but a boy, like all children, I and my sister Margie looked forward to Christmas and the coming of Santa Claus bearing gifts. In our family, gifts were opened on the night of Christmas Eve. This meant that I and Margie were required to go to bed early in anticipation of a long night. After a nap with mom’s supervision, and dreams of Santa and his sleigh and reindeer on the roof, and after dad slammed the door and shouted “Ho! Ho! Ho!” (we had no fireplace) we were called downstairs to the most beautiful of holiday sights.

From the bottom of the stairs, and looking across the foyer and living room, we spotted warm sparkling Christmas colors shining from our tree, aunts and uncles and other family awaiting our arrival, and a tidal wave of brightly packaged gifts spilling from under the Christmas tree out across the floor. What a sight! And what a night of ripping open our many and delightful gifts.

Now, truth be known, as the years evolved, we learned to fake our sleep and listen for the family’s arrival. And, when we thought no one was watching, we snuck our way to the top of the stairs and identified the hats, scarves and purses of the individual family members set on the lamp table and chair at the bottom of the stairs in the foyer, snickering in anticipation.

What wonderful and delightful memories of a childhood and a time that seems so simple, loving and magnificent now. I only wish that future generations also have such warm memories of their own.

Bats & Bowling Balls

One Tuesday evening dad came home at nearly midnight from bowling with his church league to find the family all waiting for his arrival on the front porch. Confused over this unusual setting at such a late hour, he discovered that mom and their four children had abandoned the house because a bat had somehow found its way in. Not thrilled with the prospects of having to hunt down and dispose of this creature, but knowing his duty and responsibility as head of the house, dad disappeared in search of the elusive creature. After not hearing from him over a period of time we went in search of our dad --- to find him traipsing through the rooms of the house swinging our sister Carol’s tennis racket over his head.

His Angel Serenaded

Having begun losing her hearing due to spinal meningitis as a toddler, our aunt Agatha mentioned to her parents that she couldn't hear her favorite musical record playing on the phonograph and asked them to turn up the volume. This was the first indication that her parents knew of Agatha's loss of hearing.

Later, at her wedding to Wm.J.Rickard III, {who, by the way, was also deaf since the age of 16} her groom had that same record played at the ceremony. Many years after that, at her funeral, WJR III had this song played once again in her memory.

The song: "Angel Serenade".

Grandpa's First Impression

My daughter, Kristi, was first beginning to talk when we had visited her grandparents in Hyde Park. Having, up to this point, only spoken a few individual words I was surprised when she spoke her first complete sentence. On our way home, after receiving some affectionate teasing from her grandfather, she said “Grandpa, he aggravates me!”