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

The children were nestled, all snug in their beds..., originally uploaded by Estelle and Ivy.

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.