Christmas Past-

There was never a more special time when I was a child. Christmas was a magical time. The anticipation. The Advent Calendar. The Picture with Santa. The Christmas Concert at School. Then there were the TV specials: Rudolph, Frosty, The Year without a Santa Clause, The Sound of Music, White Christmas, The Bells of Saint Mary's, and of course, It's a Wonderful Life. Everywhere I went, the magic was there. It was truly a special time in my life.

Every Christmas was celebrated at my parents' house. The festivities always began with the Children's Mass. We sang Happy Birthday to baby Jesus. Then it was onto my grandparents who lived right next door. From there it was home and to bed. My two brothers and I would sleep on the floor in my parents' bedroom. We would whisper and speculate. Would we hear Santa's sleigh? Would we get to see him this year?

You see, the most magical thing about Christmas was in the wee hours of the morning. My dad was always up really early. So, on Christmas morning he would always get up and look out all of our windows and- he would see Santa. That's right, Santa. Apparently, Santa would usually make our house one of his last stops. Oh, and he usually parked his sleigh in the back woods somewhere. We would see him walking towards the woods with his sack over his shoulder. We would yell out to him, and he would stop, turn and wave. Some years he would walk down the road instead. Some years, we would only hear the jingle of the bells from his sleigh. But, we would know that he was there. There was nothing like it.

Can you imagine how it was for us to be able to tell our friends? After Santa was gone, we would remember- THE PRESENTS! We always had lots and lots of presents. We were truly fortunate. My parents and grandparents made sure that we had a good Christmas. But, my mother would always tell us to be mindful of those who were not as fortunate. It was good for us to celebrate, but we should always keep others in mind. Christmas day was fun filled with family and games. It was always the same. Great food, great fun and great family.

I have tried over the years to duplicate the nostalgia of those long ago days. I was never successful. I thought that I would be able to recapture it when I had my kids. Still, it wasn't the same. I learned several years ago that it never will be. That was a beautiful time in my life. Something to be cherished and remembered, but it will never be the same. So, I have tried to make Christmas just as wonderful for my children. I believe that I have had a small amount of success. They don't get to see Santa every year. In fact, they stopped believing at a very early age. I have done the best that I can for them.

Last year was a memorable one. It started with a Christmas poem that I wrote for them. Then, they looked under the tree and saw the lack of gifts. There were just a few. Then I pointed out a small box to them. It was the first clue to a scavenger hunt. They went from room to room. Eventually, they ended up in the basement playroom and found their brand new Xbox 360. They screamed in delight. That is another Christmas memory that I will cherish, but will not be able to duplicate.I hope that someday they will look back at the Christmases of their childhood, and be filled with warm and fuzzy feelings.

Thanks for sharing some of my recollections of my past Christmases. Oh, and Christmas cookies for whoever can guess who my childhood Santa was. Hopefully, I will get to do a Christmas Present blog, too. Happy Holidays everyone!