Christmas for me as a kid

I often long for the days to go back to when all Christmas meant was a school Christmas play that took us away from classes, time away from school, seeing my cousins, and lots of gifts. I didn't quite grasp all the hard work that went into it.

I remember my mom would always hang a December calendar with pockets on the door between our kitchen & living room. There was a mouse that you would move from day to day to count down until Christmas. Every morning we would wake up and race downstairs to be the first person to move that mouse. Your first step out of bed would be a leap across the room, followed by shoving people out of the way and sliding across the floor to grab that mouse. Then IF by chance someone else had done it my OCD made me move it back and re-move it forward again.

I clearly remember Santa coming to my third grade classroom to visit with all the kids. I don't remember what he exactly did there - but I do recall realizing it was my grandfather in a Santa suit. I went home and demanded answers and was told that my grandfather was actually one of Santa's helpers (he had a wood shop and lived up north) and that he was filling in for Santa because he was so busy & I actually bought that.

Yup, that's me on Grandpa Santa's lap

It wasn't until one Christmas when my aunt came to visit and her & dad got drinking and started playing with my brother's remote control truck in the house a little too early in the night. The next morning it was 'from Santa' - I remember being crushed. I wish I could remember how old I was? Maybe 10? We had cousins that would often tell us there was no Santa prior to that and we'd choose to ignore them because that would mean giving up the gifts.

Every year we would put up the decorations with my mom in November the week my dad went hunting. It was always exciting because we thought it would be a surprise for him when he got home. When in reality he is the one who actually had to go up to the attic to get them down before he left. The same week when I was older I'd have one night of watching my brother & sister while my mom & aunt started their Christmas shopping. I remember one year we decided to burglar-proof the house like in Home Alone and used buckets of water to ice everything cement leading to the house. My aunt pulled in the driveway and nearly slid right into the garage doors.

One thing that stands out is that my mother would do all the Christmas shopping so on Christmas morning she would know what gift to hand to each person and how to 'run the show'. My dad more often than not would go out and buy a special gift (usually something to do with technology) and place it under the tree that my mom would have no clue about. That surprise was always the best.

I am very grateful to have memories like these. I only hope that my kids 30 years from now remember the fun aspects of the holidays I'm trying to create for them.

You know those random questions you get once in awhile about if you could go back in life and re-live one day, which would it be? I'd have to say one of those Christmas' from my childhood would be a top contender.

Christmas morning I'm thinking 1988