10 GREAT Christmas Memories

Christmas time is a great time, especially for children, and as we are growing up many of the special things that occur at this time of the year will form our treasured memories of days and occasions that are destined to remain an important part of our lives. I have many such memories, forged over the years, some of them nostalgic, some of them funny and some of them --- well, not exactly what I would have chosen, but nevertheless, still part of the rich tapestry of my existence! I thought I'd make a list of the FIRST TEN that come to mind. I chose to use the first 10 because I guess that they are the most vivid, and that's why they come to the foreground in my memory.

1. Number ONE has to be the very traditional Christmas Tree that we woke up to find beautifully decorated on Christmas morning when we went down to the lounge. my mother and her friend used to decorate the tree after 9 o'clock when all of us 'littlies' were asleep in our beds, dreaming of Santa's visit. The tree usually reached up to the ceiling and sometimes had to be made a little shorter to fit because our ceilings were quite low in the lounge.

2. Number TWO is the memory of the wonder of coming downstairs one Christmas morning to find that my mother had transformed our lounge with decorative branches smothered in tiny pink crepe-paper flowers. There were strands of silver hanging from the branches, and reflecting the string of Christmas lights that twinkled through them. How well I remember the pleasure of that Christmas morning!

3. Number THREE in my list of memories goes to the Christmas Stocking. In reality we didn't use a fancy one like the picture shows here, but simply hung up one of socks at the end of the bed for Santa to fill with goodies. That usually meant a tangerine (easy to peel for a child), a few nuts (impossible to get into!), maybe a twist of paper with a few sweets in, a colouring book and a small toy.
Looking back it wasn't very much really, but it was so exciting to find, and it was usually still dark when we awoke to rummage through the stocking's contents!

4. Number FOUR is the smell of the Christmas Dinner cooking, especially the lovely smell of roasting turkey!
5. Number FIVE is food-related too! Because there were so many of us sitting down for Christmas meals i used to have a small table set in front of the window seat, and this was something very special to me 'cos it made me feel quite grown up.
The meal was beautifully cooked and recalling it still has the ability to make my mouth water at the memory!

6. Number SIX is this Rupert Annual which a small 6-year old boy woke to find amongst his presents on Christmas Day way back in 1949! Always a favourite for children, the tales of the little bear kept that little boy entranced and quiet for many an hour!

7. Number SEVEN is a different sort of memory altogether! I was just 17-years old, and had newly passed my driving test, when I bought one of my father's delivery vans which he planned to make redundant. It was Christmas Day, and I decided that I would take it out for a run before Christmas dinner. I hadn't paid him for it at that point, but was going to pay him so much a week until it was paid for. I seem to recall that the price was about £30, and that I would pay him £1 per week until it was finished.
Well, that was the intention anyway! The reality was that whilst I was out, driving carefully along a country lane, the van went into a four-wheel skid on a very sharp bend and then mounted the bank before turning over and coming to rest on its roof!!! The whole thing happened in a flash, although it seemed to be slow-motion to me as the cushion that I was sitting on slid round and suddenly I found myself looking down out of the window onto the ground. I was unhurt but the van had to be written off! I never did get to pay for it, and the subject became a rapidly closed book!
8. Number EIGHT is about a present. Not one that I received, but one that I gave. I was just fifteen, and had saved for quite a long time in order to buy my mother an electric kettle for her Christmas present. When I gave it to her the look on her face made all the saving worthwhile, and I still get pleasure from remembering that look today.
9. Number NINE in my list is the great feeling of coming home from school in the dark on the school-bus, and walking round to the house past all the shops which were brightly lit and decorated for Christmas. There was something quite magical about it all that I loved!
10. Number TEN was gathering with the whole family in the lounge to watch the Queen's Christmas Speech to the Nation on our newly acquired television. It was about 1957 I think, and we had a cabinet model with a 15" screen. It doesn't seem possible now that TVs had such small screens then, especially when you see the 42" monster screens that people often have today.

Yes, Christmas has changed in so many ways. In those days it was centred around our faith mingled in with all the business of exchanging gifts and eating something different and special --- something you didn't eat the rest of the year. Nowadays, with turkey a regular part of the menu for many people throughout the year, it's all different. Not better, but different. No longer is the joy of giving the important thing, rather the pleasure of receiving has taken over in this materialistic society. We live in an age of ME! ME! ME! and that's not only sad, but it's boring too.
What do you treasure in your own memory about Christmas' when you were growing up?