Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Children were nestled, all snug in their beds....

Do you remember as a child counting how many sleeps it was until Christmas? I reminded my youngest son this morning that there were only 5 more sleeps until Christmas. He replied that there were only 4 because Christmas Eve he was always so excited that he couldn't sleep.

As a young girl I can remember counting down the days until Christmas every year and not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve as well. I thought that Christmas eve might have lasted a year for it seemed an eternity waiting for daylight to open the presents that Santa had bought. I would lay in the bed and it seemed as if every creak of the house might have been Santa. I would imagine what he would bring me. I would mentally review the year to remember if I had been naughty or nice and pray that I would receive the gifts I had asked Santa for that year. I could never resist sneaking out of bed with my flashlight and taking a sneak peak into the living room and seeing presents under the tree- proof that Santa had come. After this it seemed to take forever for daylight to come!

Each year there was a doll, some sort of homemaking item like a tea set, bake set, a homemade outfit for my dolly. I wonder if little girls today receive any homemaking items?

Christmas plays at the local churches were always a Christmas tradition. After the traditional play in which most cases the children acted out the speaking parts of Mary and Joesph. The audience would sing traditional Christmas carols and then sing Joy to the World. In the 3rd verse of the song Santa would come through the wooden double doors of the church and hand out brown paper lunch bags of fruit, nuts, and hard candy, and a candy cane. This is a tradition that is still carried on at small churches in our neighborhood.

The elderly were made baskets of fruit and usually a canned ham and it was delivered by the children that attended the church, the ladies of the church baked breads and cookies to include in the baskets and they were looked forward to every year.

Christmas programs on the television were wholesome and enjoyable. None dared to make fun of Santa and most all carried the message of Jesus.

10 comments:

Julie Harward said...

Wonderful memories...I remember laying on the cold floor upstairs in the hall...looking downstairs through a metal grate, it was right over the tree, waiting to catch Santa when he came in. I think all I ever got was COLD!!! Come say hi :D

Maria said...

What great memories!
I use to wake up and sneak a peak at what Santa had done.
Oh those were the days :)

Merry Christmas to You & Yours!

HermitJim said...

How special it would be if only we could capture some of that childhood magic again as adults!

Thank you for the fond memories...

Anonymous said...

Hi Angelena, just wanted to thank you for visiting my posts! And I was really happy to hear you were from Pocahontas county!!! Were do you live there? We have a house in Slatyfork at the base of Snowshoe and just love it! We bought the house about 6years ago and go when ever we can. I love it there!! Enjoyed your photos! wow! that is a lot of snow!! I live in Scott Depot, WV which is half way between Charleston and Huntington. It's about a 3 hour drive for us to get to our Mt. house. So glad to meet you!! Have a wonderful Christmas!!...debbie

Angelena said...

We live just north of Marlinton in Huntersville- near Watoga State Park. It is a small world after all!!

Anonymous said...

Been through Huntersville many times!! Beautiful countryside up that way. Go to Marlinton every time we're up. Go to eat there at several places and frequent Glades.
Yes, it is a small world and am glad to meet someone nearby!!...debbie

Carol............. said...

Thanks for sharing your special memories! (I love the graphic at the top of the page.)

Merry Christmas

Cat said...

I agree with Carol - love the picture, and yes, I relate to a number of your memories.

And I can't imagine being snowed in!!

Merry Christmas!

Cate

sanjeet said...

We live just north of Marlinton in Huntersville- near Watoga State Park. It is a small world after all!!
Work from home India

Granny Sue said...

My memories of Christmas Eve are oyster stew, finishing the decorating and going to midnight Mass. The tree was not decorated until after Mass, and my parents did it, because after all, "Santa" brought the decorations! On Christmas morning we would line up on the stairs waiting for our parents, and tried our best to peak through the crack in the sliding double doors to the living room. The magic of those doors opening to reveal the sparkling tree with almost 1000 ornaments and all the presents! Well, with 13 children, even though we didn't get much actually, it still made an impressive pile of presents :-)