Fond holiday memories

[addy]

I thought it might be nice for each of us to tell a happy holiday memory. I'll go first:

When our youngest granddaughter was five we took the train to Chicago to see the Christmas parade on the Magnificent Mile. We found a small hotel to spend the night. The parade was wonderful and the throngs of people were amazing. The next day at the hotel we went down to the lobby to participate in holiday festivities. Our granddaughter went off to decorate cookies, hubby was sitting on a sofa, drinking hot cider and talking with other visitors. There was a huge tree decorated beautifully and carolers were singing from the balcony. It was the perfect, Currier and Ives moment for me and I remember standing there with happy tears in my eyes. I am a hopeless romantic who reads to many novels

What is a fond holiday memory for you?

love,
addy

[Squirt's Mom]

When my daughter was 2 years old, I was so broke at Christmas I couldn't afford gifts, even for her. So I took some of my clothes, cut them up, and made a purse, a pillow and a girly snake out of them. My mom and friends donated buttons, rickrack, lace and assorted other decorations for them and I added some paint. There was no wrapping paper for the gifts so I painted some cardboard boxes with snow men, trees, reindeer and so on.

Christmas morning came and I was sick with guilt that my baby girl was going to be short-changed.

She came out of her room all sleepy eyed and saw the tree, lights blazing, with the painted boxes underneath. Her beautiful eyes grew huge, lit up with excitement, and she ran to the boxes. I expected her to open them to get the gifts out but nooooo. She wasn't the least bit interested in those things but the boxes??? Oh my word! You would have thought they were the most desired toy in the whole world and she was the only child who got it. She drug those boxes, unopened, around the house for months; stacking them, unstacking them, shaking them and listening to the soft sounds from inside, arranging them around her and some toys while she played with them or set toys on them like a stage, she wanted her meals served on the largest of the boxes, and would line them up beside her bed at nite.

When the boxes finally began to wear out, the gifts inside were exposed. Gia kept each gift in its own box unless she was playing with them and the boxes continued to be arranged around her bed at nite. None of her other toys received this care and attention - they could lay on the floor for years for all she cared but these three toys had a place.

Years later, when Gia had grown up and moved out of the house, I cleaned her room. In the closet, buried under years of priceless junk, I found those three boxes. The paint was faded almost to nothing, the cardboard was flimsy with age. The gifts inside were long gone but those amazing boxes remained, tucked away safe and sound.

It occurred to me then that a little child, my beautiful little child, had taught me the true meaning of Christmas.

Not a Season goes by that I don't remember those painted boxes and the pure, simple joy they brought to a little girl.

[Jenny & Judi in MN]

When my niece was 3 she still believed in Santa. We were at the mall shopping and she kept tiptoeing around the water fountain looking at Santa's area even though he wasn't there yet.

She was so cute, happy and impish as she told me all about Santa that she had every single person resting at the fountain smiling at her.

I love kids and Christmas

[Bailey's Mom]

I think one of my favorite memories of Christmas is actually a photo of Ryan, at two years old. He was standing at the side of the tree and was in awe of all of the lights. He has this look on his face that every child should have at one time in their lives.

It was a rough Christmas due to family issues. Instead of focusing on that, we focused all of our attention on Ryan and to making Christmas magical for him.

I LOVE the bubble lights.