At work today, my boss asked each of us to send him a favorite holiday moment or tradition. This is what I sent.
I have several traditions that I adore at Christmastime, but some of my fondest memories are of course as a child. It's true what they say about children not remembering the presents but the memories created.
This is kind of a personal story, but I'm sure we've all had "hard times". It's amazing to me how as a child those "hard times" were oblivious to me.
My mom was a single parent - living on welfare in California.
Every year we would gather around the gas fireplace with the blue flames, bundled up in our blankets because it was a freezing 60 degrees and my mom would tape record us kids. We would talk about Christmas stories and why Christmas is important, sing Christmas carols (which is always hilarious to hear a child's version of classic Christmas songs!) and of course talk about what we wanted for Christmas. These tapes were lost over the years during our several moves, but we found a single one a few years back! It was the most hilarious thing!
I was about five, making my brother (RJ) 6 and sister (Jennifer) 3.
Mom started out with the magic Christmas candy. She'd pass around that awful Christmas hard candy that no body really likes but is pretty. She told us that if you make a wish when you eat the magic Christmas candy you're wish will come true. Then you can hear her lecturing me because I put my piece back. "It was peppermint! I don't like peppermint."
My mom then asked each of us what we wanted from Santa Claus. My brother and I really REALLY wanted Hungry Hungry Hippos. My little sister got to make her Christmas wish first, so you could hear us whispering to her in the background, "Say Hungry Hungry Hippos!".
When it was my turn you could hear my little sister whispering, "Say coffee!" LOL She loved coffee.
Suddenly you can hear my brother complaining that he got a wet piece of candy! LOL Seems it was my peppermint!
That year our Christmas wish came true. Santa brought Hungry Hungry Hippos. It wasn't until I was an adult reminiscing with my family that I was told that wish was granted because of my uncle.
On a side note: To this day, Jennifer loves coffee!
3 comments:
My lovely sister just reminded me of another favorite memory.
Again, when we were little after our bath my mother would wrap us up in our towels and we would conga around the house singing Feliz Navidad!
Those were some good times!
I love it! I can so see your mom doing that!!
It was a lot of fun!
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