Remembering Christmas Time!

This is something I have been working on for awhile!

As I sat at work today, all my work was done, just waiting for time to pass by and also, for people to come in and get their mail. Saturday’s are slow! But I began to look at December 2006’s Memory Makers. Mainly I take my older magazines and keep them. I have a HUGE pile that is stacked high of older magazines. Well anyway, I was looking it just to see different ideas. I came across some layouts that featured kids at Christmas time. I kind of got teary eyed thinking of how times where when I was a child and all our holiday fun we had. Boy now day’s kids don’t do that. We used to go to my grandparents land where my Uncle who passed away the same year I was born and pick out our tree. That was always fun, after we did that we would come back to Granny and Grandpa’s and of course they would have Hot Chocolate (or coffee for the adults) to drink. Our family is very close and always has been. (On my mothers side that is) We have many things we did as a family. We still draw names for Christmas. It used to be that the couples drew names of other couples. And all the kids’ names were put into a bowl and we each got to draw out another child’s name. It was so fun. Now we are ALL put into a bowl and pick out anybody we want. And some of our family doesn’t participate which saddens me at times. I know my Cousin Christi and her family don’t feel like they should. They hardly come over for holidays, well hardly at all. They live over by Elma, Washington. As she is a Ag Teacher there. I have so many fond memories as a child and Christmas time has always meant so much to me. And any of you that know me very well, know that Christmas is a big deal to me. Of course I have had a tough couple of years as I lost Ben and it was hard to deal with. But I think this year will be MUCH better for me… I hope. He meant so much to me and when we got together the second time around our first “meeting” was on Christmas Day of 2004. He even called me Christmas Eve that year to wish me a merry Christmas and he was so excited to see me the next day. I strongly remember what he was wearing, the car ride from the Casino (my mom took me that far and met up with him and his parents and I went with them to their house from there) to his house. What we talked about and more… Actually I stayed up there for about 4 days just being with him and his family. We spent every moment together. We went for walks in the snow that were marvelous because it was with him. And I remember everything about most Christmas through out my life. What always makes me laugh is Christmas Eve, we have done the same thing all of my 28 years. We go to Granny’s and eat and then get ready to go to church and the deal always was and is now even is that you must go to church to open your gifts. So when my cousin Derek was ill with the Chicken Pox on Christmas it was like rock, paper, scissors to see who was going to stay home cause we all wanted to stay home, but yet we wanted to open gifts as well. After my cousin Stacey and I would open gifts. Cause it would go from youngest to oldest. And when we were kids there weren’t too many before us. We would pick up all our presents and take them to my grandparent’s office and marvel at what we both got. It was fun. And of course funny now that I look back on it!! Kids, I swear!! Now I am an adult and it just doesn’t seem as fun at times. “The real World” sucks at times! But at Christmas time I tend to want to become this kid again!! I wish so hard that one day I will have a family of my own that I can show how fun Holiday’s are and all the fun things we can do as a family, like we used to do when I was young. I want to be able to establish good holiday traditions in my children. But of course I need to have them before I can do that. Maybe one day right?? Ha-Ha! As I sat and watched a few shows this weekend I was reminded of Snow, which will happen before we realize, we already have frost!! But I was watching Old Grumpy Men and the scene where they are making Snow Angels in the snow reminded me of when my cousin Stacey would come down and we would create Tunnels, make snowmen and just play outside for hours. Nowadays, kids don’t like going outside unless they are pushed out! We used to be outside and the perk was coming in and mom would make us some Hot Chocolate!! Oh the Good ol' Days!!!!