There are a 1000 stories to be told in the Memory Called Christmas...and this is only one.
I had two younger siblings...10 months apart...a brother and a sister. They were about 1 year old and almost 2 1/2 years old--crawling--barely walking. The decorated 3' tree was set UP UP UP high on the lace covered sewing machine stand in the living room. Presents wrapped, ribboned and labelled were under the tree.
They were left alone for not even 15 minutes in the living room while the rest of the family were busy preparing supper in the kitchen. My mom wandered down the hall to see what was up when she heard something tinkle, and let out a gasp and a scream as she scooped up the two babies and shooed the rest of the family back down the hallway.
The sewing machine was no longer covered, the tree was on the floor, and the blinking of the Christmas lights highlighted the shine of of the ribbons and sparkly paper strewed around the room. Every present had been opened , inspected, licked, shook and finally ignored and ultimately spread around the living room. Socks, jewellery, toys, games, baby dolls, puzzles -- all were exposed to the pre Christmas air.
The general family population was banned from the living room for the remainder of the evening as Mom spent the time rewrapping and relabelling.
I think THAT was the year that I received my first bottle of Evening in Paris Perfume and my 12 year old sister received a volume of the Bobbsey Twin Books that interested her not in the least.
I had two younger siblings...10 months apart...a brother and a sister. They were about 1 year old and almost 2 1/2 years old--crawling--barely walking. The decorated 3' tree was set UP UP UP high on the lace covered sewing machine stand in the living room. Presents wrapped, ribboned and labelled were under the tree.
They were left alone for not even 15 minutes in the living room while the rest of the family were busy preparing supper in the kitchen. My mom wandered down the hall to see what was up when she heard something tinkle, and let out a gasp and a scream as she scooped up the two babies and shooed the rest of the family back down the hallway.
The sewing machine was no longer covered, the tree was on the floor, and the blinking of the Christmas lights highlighted the shine of of the ribbons and sparkly paper strewed around the room. Every present had been opened , inspected, licked, shook and finally ignored and ultimately spread around the living room. Socks, jewellery, toys, games, baby dolls, puzzles -- all were exposed to the pre Christmas air.
The general family population was banned from the living room for the remainder of the evening as Mom spent the time rewrapping and relabelling.
I think THAT was the year that I received my first bottle of Evening in Paris Perfume and my 12 year old sister received a volume of the Bobbsey Twin Books that interested her not in the least.
I can smell it just seeing the bottle.
I do not recall what we had for supper that night.
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