I have been thinking about Christmas lately. I guess that is because I have not put up the tree or gotten my outside decorations put up. I have been practicing one of my best traits lately – it’s called procrastination. I plan on getting ‘er done this week. In an update to my whining, my family came over to the house on Sunday and they all chipped in putting up the tree, and the granddaughters, Emma and Ava, decorated it. The adults worked on getting the outside lights up and running. This was much appreciated.
I believe that I inherited the procrastination trait from my dad. He tended to wait until the last minute before buying a tree. One year our Christmas was pretty hard because my dad had lost his job due to a medical condition. My mother kept us focused and made sure that our house was decorated nicely, just like any other Christmas. She had that magic touch when it came to making it feel like Christmas and having the spirit of the season.
Every Christmas Eve we had to go to my dad’s side of the family for Christmas Eve and then hurry to get up to the farm (which we called it) to open presents on my mother’s side. Both sides insisted on celebrating Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day.
When I was drinking my glass of cranberry juice at breakfast the other morning, I was reminded of my Uncle Lloyd. When we visited my Grandma Herfindahl’s on Christmas Eve, Lloyd would pour a glass of cranberry juice for us kids, which included me, my sister and our cousins, Delores and Beverly. This was our wine because the adults who chose to drink would drink wine. Uncle Lloyd didn’t drink alcohol, so he drank cranberry juice with us kids. It actually looked like the wine.
I liked going to the farm because they had pop and goodies, mainly Tom Moore Root Beer, ginger ale and orange flavors. I liked the root beer the best and it’s still a favorite of mine. I don’t know if Tom Moore is even in business anymore. They would hold the presents until we arrived, so we could watch my cousins open all of their great presents. Our family maybe didn’t have that much money, but my folks knew what my sister and I liked, and they always made sure it was something we would enjoy.
I can remember our house at Christmas. I can also envision the ceilings decorated with red streamers with the tinsel hung on it. There were wreaths on the doors and lighted ones in the windows. I always liked the lights on the tree with the bubbling tubes in their various colors highlighted by the tinsel. Each year after Christmas, we would save as much of the tinsel as we could for the following year.
Our small house was warm and cozy in the winter, and for an evening treat we would have Hershey’s cocoa with marshmallows. A lefse with butter and sugar was a special treat for us.
Until next time: If you get a chance to donate some money to a food shelf or buy a gift of toys or winter clothing, I can guarantee that it will give you a warm feeling to know that you are making someone’s Christmas a little better.
As I drove pasts Frank Hall Park on Sunday afternoon, I spotted a couple of ice fishermen out on the lake by the channel. They were sitting on buckets, and it looked as if there were a few fish lying on the ice next to them. This looks promising for the winter’s ice fishing.
Please show your support for the troops that are serving our country today. These servicemen and women are making that sacrifice, so that we may have the many freedoms that we enjoy today.