Some Cherished Christmas Memories

When I was young, Christmas was so magical and exciting! I remember once in the summer watching a TV special with my family, I was probably 8 or so, and there was someone in the show that had died. I, at the time thought it was so sad that the person would not be able to celebrate another Christmas...

It wasn't even all about the presents for me, but more about how my family celebrated it. Here are some of my fondest memories...

- My mom always did a Mexican Christmas party early in December with enchiladas and a pinate full of goodies. (Just another excuse to get together with extended family and play cards and games!)

- A few times we celebrated German Christmas early in December. We would leave our shoes out and in the morning there would be little treats in them.

- Decorating the house was a BIG deal. My dad would dig all our Christmas boxes out from the back of the storage room. We would get excited to see all the books, movies and CD's that had been stored away. We would all help with the tree and putting the other decor around the house. We usually did this right after American Thanksgiving.

- For me, Oranges are such a reminder of Christmas, I love that citrus smell. Many years we would end up with a whole box full of Navel oranges under our tree on Christmas morning.

- We always did so much in December; The Christmas Tree Festival, Driving around Provo looking at every ones lights - especially on Osmond Lane, Going to the Christmas house in Provo, The Temple Square Trip, Waiting to see Santa on Mary Pulley's Hill (Mary Pulley had a house just south of where Mt. Timpanogus Temple is, the house is on probably 10 acres of land. There are HUGE trees that she would have lit up and then she would hire a guy to dress as Santa and stand on her path by the street and give treats to the kids that came. Every year there was a LARGE line-up of cars!)

- When we were really young my 3 siblings and I would zip two sleeping bags together and sleep in it downstairs. We would then get up at 3 AM, go tell my mom and dad that they had 1 hour more to sleep. We would go get into our stocking and play games till they got up. Then we would open our gifts around 4 AM. My dad often times had to work around 6 AM or so on Christmas Day. I remember those early hours together more than I remember what was under the tree!

-One very memorable year, me and my sister (2 yrs younger than me) received a life size, handmade, wooden Barbie house. Every other gift we opened that day ended up being sets to go inside (bedroom, kitchen, living room etc... It was pretty amazing for us! But it meant more when a few years later I learned that my mom really couldn't afford to buy all that for us, so my big brother (only three years older than me) gave her a lot of his paper route money so she could get us all that stuff.

-One year my mom sent us of a scavenger hunt where we eventually came upon a Trampoline in the driveway. As soon as it was a little light out, we all went out in the snow and built it together.

- We always watched lots of Christmas movies in December. My favorites when I was young were Scrooge (Albert Finney version), Smokey Mountain Christmas, Nora's Christmas Gift and Mr. Kreugers Christmas. I also love the Charlie Brown Christmas cartoon, Garfield Christmas and Christmas on Seseme Street.

- My extended family has done a Christmas game every year since I can remember, everyone searches all year for the perfect "GAME GIFT." It's always really fun with some funny gifts, some sweet gifts, some functional gifts and sentimental gifts (Like the Christmas Afghan that my Grandma made and put in the game the Christmas before she died.)

- My favorite Christmas memory is this...

One Christmas eve night, I had to have been in my late teens, We decided to jump in my brother in laws truck and drive over the point of the mountain (off road style). Most cars can't make it! It was so special to be in that warm truck together, listening to Christmas music, looking at all the beautiful untouched snow at the top of that mountain being lit up by our headlights. My mom was quite scared the whole time and when we finally came down on the other side in Salt Lake, my mom got out of the truck and actually kissed the ground. So funny!