Do you remember all the Christmas presents you received as a
child?
While some do stick out for me, I honestly can't remember even
half of them.
The Christmas memories of my childhood are more in themes or
events that took place. There was the Purple Whacko year when
everything my grandmother gave me was purple, and the year of
wrapped boxes with little slips of paper that had, "I owe you's"
written on them.
But easily my most fond memories are of our trip to get our
Christmas tree.
The day after Thanksgiving we would all pile in the station
wagon and head to a Choose and Cut farm in Santa Paula to cut down
our tree. We always got a Monterey pine. Boy, did those needles
smart when they poked you.
When we arrived at the farm we would pick up a saw and head out
to find our tree. All of us kids would scatter looking for the
perfect tree, hollering to our parents when we found it. Mom and
Dad would scrutinize each tree… too tall, too fat, too many holes.
Inevitably, we would settle on one tree.
My dad would let each child help cut the tree down. Every year I
thought I would be the one to cut it all the way through, but I
never lasted more than one or two cuts before the lure of playing
would distract me. My dad would finish the job while the kids ran
around in the forest of trees.
We would haul the tree to the front to pay and then tie it to
the top of the car before heading home. Some years we would even
get to pick out a new ornament. My favorite was a set of pink
reindeer and one year my brother picked one that chirped like a
bird.
When we got home my dad would haul the tree into the house, it's
the only time I ever remember us opening the double doors all year.
After the tree was in the stand and had water, my dad would string
the lights and the family would decorate the tree.
Still to this day I love lying under the tree with the lights
on... flooded with memories.
What are you doing this year to create memories for your
family?