Christmas Memories continued

Sharrin Roberts: Our troops had been deployed to Kosovo where the fighting had been heated for sometime.  My son was in the 82nd Airborne @ the ripe old age of 19.  I had rec'd calls from him, his voice trembling at times from fighting that had previously occurred, he knew Mom would listen (no tears allowed on the phone).  This is a common thing since soldiers don't really talk to each other, not wanting any thoughts of weakness, so their families are their out for those few moments.  Christmas came that year and I knew I would be sitting in the Christmas service alone.  I thought the music would help, but at times with thoughts of my son it was so difficult, so I mostly listened.  The church filled as it usually was for the Christmas service.  As I sat at the end of the pew, a shadow came over from the window, I turned to the window and there stood my son in full dress uniform.  I screamed, jumped up, tears flowing, it seemed like I hugged him forever.  The congregation was tearful and later told me that this was the best Christmas......It was.

Mike Norwood: We have a pretty large family and somehow always manage to spend it together so there are tons of great Christmas memories for me.  Now having said that, the first thing that springs to mind when Christmas is mentioned, my grandmother’s cornbread dressing.

Donna Shenesky: One of my more recent memories involves my grandson, CJ. A couple years ago he wanted a race car (the kind you ride in). Of course we bought it for him, but put it next to the tree under a sheet with all the other presents in front and on top of it. After we opened everything, we could tell he was disappointed. My son then asked him what was the sheet doing next to the tree and what was under it. CJ had no clue, but pulled the sheet off and there was the bright yellow car. He was really surprised. It took until the weather warmed, though, for him to learn how to drive it.

Natalie J. Becker: Growing up my siblings Joe, Carole and I always had two Christmas'.  My Mother is Catholic and my Father was Russian Orthodox.  We would celebrate December 25 with all my Mom's relatives.  Then we would celebrate January 7 with all my Dad's relatives.  We always received presents for both Christmas'.    I kept this tradition going when my children were young.  Santa came in December and St. Nicholas came  in January.  The meals and traditions were so different and looking back on it I realize how truly blessed I was to be a part of such a large extended family.

Darlene Brancaccio: All I talked about and wrote Santa about one year was to receive Wyatt Earp's Buntline Special. FORGET  dolls!!  Mom finally gave up and gave in letting Santa give me the GOOD toys....like the Buntline Special, Zorro's outfit, and a Dragnet kit.  I'm dating myself, but those were the good days and toys!!!

Sylvia Wilkins: My family has always had a rich tradition in celebrating Christmas Day.  When I was growing up all of my family, my aunts, uncles, and cousins would gather at my Grandmother’s house.  We all had a huge lunch because everyone brought home cooked foods including pies and cakes.  My Grandmother, my Mom, and all my aunts were great cooks!  Christmas morning we would get up early and go look under the Christmas tree to see if we got what we asked for.  My parents would never admit there wasn’t a Santa Claus and my younger brother would search the entire house trying to find his gifts before Christmas morning.  That tradition carried over when my son, Shane, asked me if there was a Santa Claus.  I told him yes, there was but the children who didn’t believe didn’t receive near as much as the believers.  We had to go to great lengths to hide his gifts!  Now my Mother comes from Tennessee to stay at my house for two weeks during Christmas.  It is a joy to put gifts under the Christmas tree for her to open on Christmas morning.  She is so easy to please and she loves all of the gifts she receives.  Then on Christmas Day we go to Stuart’s house to exchange gifts and to see what the grandchildren received for Christmas.  All of us feel truly blessed at Christmas!

Elaine Perkins: Every Christmas is a wonderful memory, spending it with our children and grandchildrens.  But the most memorable one was when Joe and I spent  our first Chirstmas with  our granddaughter Morgan  who was born with Spina Bifida When she was born the physicians treating her did not feel she would ever walk or be able to do a lot.  She has overcome so many obstacles, she is a very smart determined young eight year old who is walking and doing most anything she wants to do.  You know that prayers are answered and every Christmas we have is a blessing. Enjoy and spend time with your family.

Barbara Saunier: One year I went home to visit my mom and dad in October and my dad was upset because he felt worthless because he had emphysema and couldn't do anything.  All he could do was sit in the house.  He was upset because when the grass would need cutting he would have to wait for one of the kids to have some free time to do the yard work.  He was telling my mom next year he was going to get a riding lawn mower, he didn't care if they could afford it or not.  My mom and dad were on a fixed income and didn't have a lot left over once medical and prescriptions were paid.  

 When my husband picked me up at the airport he asked me how my visit went and I started crying, I told him how upset dad was because he felt useless that he couldn't do the littlest things anymore.   My husband told me to go ahead and buy the riding lawn mower for him for Christmas if I thought it would help him.  I called my brother in-law and asked him to pick me out one that turned on with a key and would turn on a dime, cut along a fence and took no effort to work.

That Christmas eve they took it to my dad's house and told my dad my present to him was out side.  He looked out the window and started yelling and ran down the stairs with just his socks on and went out side to look at it.  My family was all crying because they said he acted like a little kid that had just got the only thing he had ever wanted.  He called all of his brothers to tell them what he got.  When he called me he was so excited, I knew it was the best Christmas I would ever have knowing it made him so happy.   He was able to go out and cut the grass for the next 3 years.

Melissa M. Covert: The best memory is when we would decorate the tree and see all the ugly ornaments that my Mom kept that us three kids had made.  She would just smile and laugh as we each took them out to put on the tree and remember when we had made them.  We would sit around the dining room table and make ornaments for the tree every year until my brother and sister got too old to do that.  Me and Mom continued the tradition until she passed away.  I remember when me, my sister and brother would open all our gifts on Christmas Eve from Mom and then we would all pile into a twin bed to sleep to await Santa's gifts.  We would wake up about five in the morning to see our gifts that Santa left for us in the living room around the Christmas Tree.  My best Santa's gift was when I received a pink Huffy bike with pink streamers and a Baby Alive sitting on the seat.