Christmas Lore--Day 24

Today's post is purely a selfish one.  Perhaps I am feeling a bit down since all of my family are now gone.  Perhaps it is because I love history, looking at the past, and reminiscing.  This post is full of photos from my childhood Christmases plus a few stories. In putting this post together, I realized that I do not have one single photo of my Dad at Christmas time.  He was always the one taking the photos.

Merry Christmas and many thanks to my Mom, Dad, and grandparents for providing me with a wonderful childhood and many special Christmas memories.

1964--1st Christmas
Looking a tad unsure about that dolly!

1964--1st Christmas
"GIVE ME THE PACKAGE!!"

1965--2nd Christmas
Grandma Burnette reading to me

1965--2nd Christmas
Santa, I PROMISE I have been good!

1965--2nd Christmas
Grandpa Burnette, my cousin Barry, & me

1965--2nd Christmas
Cousin Barry, Mom & Me

1965--2nd Christmas
Can you tell that I am the daughter of a trucker in this photo?

1969--Mom, me and my kitty
Notice the doctor kit on the right?
That kitty would let me "operate" on him for hours!
Doesn't Mom look glamorous?!

1970--Cowgirl Kimberly
I LOVED that outfit!
That Christmas I got so many presents that I just loved.
dollhouse, Lite-Brite, Singer sewing machine, not to mention
the Cowgirl outfit!  Check out my penny loafers!

Me and Betty Ballerina
The year that I got Betty, mom & dad forgot to get any batteries
The only batteries that we had in the entire house were two "C"
batteries in our flashlight.  Back then, EVERY store was closed
on Christmas.  Thankfully, my Grandpa who lived across the road,
had a flashlight that used "D" batteries and he gave them to me.

@1975
Brandi doll with growing hair, Barbie, Geronimo & his horse
Breyer horses, and two cool hippy-looking pocketbooks!
(I still have Geronimo, his gear and the horses)

1977--Grandpa & Grandma Burnette
I remember we walked the hills around home
searching and searching for this little tree!

1977
I still have that skateboard and jewelry box.
(I tried to ride the skateboard a couple of years ago. . .
we just won't talk about that!)

1965
I think that this photo was probably taken at Christmas, but I just
had to include a photo of me and Daddy together!

I used to drive Mom & Dad crazy begging them to let me open JUST one present on Christmas Eve.  Eventually they gave in and it became a tradition. I would usually try to pick something that I already had a pretty good idea what was in the package because then, all of my surprises would be for Christmas morning.

I was always really bad to go poking and digging around trying to find where my Christmas gifts were hidden and I was pretty good at finding them too! I will never forget Christmas 1979. My mom wrapped everything up as soon as she got it. Drat. And there was a huge pile of packages under the tree for me and I had NO idea what any of it was! So, I waited for Mom to go into work one night. While Daddy was watching TV in the living room, I snuck into the family room where the tree and presents were located.  I carefully slit the tape on EVERY SINGLE PACKAGE that had my name on it.  One of the gifts was an album that I took out and listened to all night!  Another was a book of piano music to Peter Criss' solo album, which I took to the piano and started playing.  After I was done "playing" with all of my gifts, I carefully wrapped them back up.  Christmas morning arrived.  I will never forget the horribly disappointed feeling that I had because I knew what everything was and I had already used all of it. I was SO sad. I had ruined Christmas and I had no one to blame but myself.

After breakfast, Mom said that she had to go to our neighbor's house, just up the road, for something. I thought that was a bit weird since we were not close friends with these particular neighbors. When she came back she had a STEREO for me!!!!  Tuner, turntable, 8-TRACK TAPE PLAYER, speakers.....oooo--wee!  I thought that it was the greatest present in the whole world. My mom KNEW that I would find the stereo so she hid it at the neighbor's house where I would never be snooping around!

I vowed right then and there to NEVER snoop again looking for gifts and I have stuck to that vow to this day.  My husband always thinks that I am going to try to find what he is giving me, but I always remember that terrible feeling of thinking that I was not going to have any surprises. It is not worth it. That anticipation is part of what makes it all so fun!!!!

I hope that you are having a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!


On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree.