On Christmas Eve: T'was the third day of Christmas

1970


Every family has its holiday traditions. We pick and choose from our parents' traditions and create some new ones of our own. One of our traditions was to open presents at night after we came home from church. When you two got bigger, we'd have Christmas as a family, and then we'd often tuck you both into bed and we'd slip over to the 11:00 candlelight service.

Church was a big deal for us as a family. More often than not, I was involved as the organist or choir director, and sometimes the children's programs, and you two always had something to do in the children's program. Those were fun (and sometimes hectic years), but they are among the best memories I have of our young family.


Christmas morning meant getting up to chop and dice onions, celery, and other vegetables, mix the stuffing, and get our turkey in the oven. All the while, you and Den - and often your other playmate, Dad - were in the living room testing out all the new toys. Dad was the biggest kid of all and he loved those toys.


I remember the year we got an Atari pong game. He played late nights, after you two went to bed, for weeks before Christmas. He did the same thing with our first Nintendo. It's a wonder most of the toys weren't worn out before you two got to open them at Christmas. I think we have a Fisher-Price garage in the picture here.

Remember when we used to go to the mall on Friday nights? We'd go to the pet store and the toy store there. I think we all always enjoyed toys. I still find myself migrating to a toy store if I see one. We used to have one here in Poway, up until it closed a couple years ago, I visited there every few months.

We certainly enjoyed the pet store. We got our precious little Scampi at the pet store over at the mall during one of our Friday night excursions. (You'll see her when I post 1971 pictures.) Did Dad bowl on Friday nights and that's why he didn't go with us? Or was he traveling? In any case, he never wanted pets in the house, but after Scampi, we always had at least one - and guess who they liked best! Dad!!


Even though the new toys didn't get worn out before Christmas, sometimes kids did. It seemed that Den could drop to sleep wherever he was. We always got a kick out of the places we found him napping. Neither of these pictures was taken at Christmas, but as I was browsing through our albums, I spied them and couldn't resist including them. The one on the left was in 1970, and the one on the right was in 1971.

And then this one is my all-time favorite! Usually it was Den climbing in bed with you at night, but this time, i think there was a storm going on, and I came in to check you two before I went to bed. It was all I could do to suppress my laughter. It still brings a chuckle to me.

It's Christmas eve for us now. I've been sewing all day, making some shopping bags for Satos and for Steph & Scott. I finished Satos, and I made huge progress on Steph & Scott's. I'll be able to finish them tomorrow so I can give it to them if they can get down this week or stick them in the mail if they don't.

Dad and I will be having supper shortly and then getting ready for church. We're going to go to Mt. Olive's 7:00 and then to Hope Methodist for 9:00. Church is still meaningful to us on Christmas. Children grow, parents and grandparents age and pass into history, but church is our constant now. It's a good thing!

It's Christmas day for you and your family. I hope it's a blessed time as you're together. I know you miss Stephie and Scott, just as I miss you all; and I know Erica brings you a new kind of joy!

Love,

Mom and Dad!