With Burning HOT Needles and Hooks!: Christmas time....

Well. I read a blog post yesterday.. that got me thinking about Christmas. Christmas' past and Christmas now. Got me thinking about those who are here, and those who are gone. I had a major rush in of memories, Childhood, teenage, young adult and where I am now. With those memories came a giant rush of emotion. I teared up remembering. The post, which you can read by clicking on my tittle, was very well written, and made me want to write about all my Christmas past and present, maybe even what I hope for the future.
For any of you reading via FB or otherwise where you can't just click the tittle - http://goldengrainfarm.blogspot.com/p/what-does-j-say.html

Gwyn's very first Christmas

Ok, so I haven't a clue really where to start... all these things come rushing in. I remember growing up, we always had a Christmas eve present. Now, mom did not ever let on that, this is what it was. We would beg to open a present early and mom would hold off... and hold off.. until it was late. I think she was trying to make sure we opened it and it settled us enough to go to sleep. It would always, without fail. Be new Pj's. This was whether you needed them or not. We got new jammies on Christmas eve. We would open it up, and run to put them on! Then we would settle in and lay in wait for Santa Claus to come... LOL So many sleepless night with a giant day to follow. I don't know how Santa snuck in all those years. When we lived on King street, we hung stockings right outside my door and I never heard or saw him... must have come and put them there when I was sleeping that 5 minutes!! I remember my kindergarten teacher telling us there was no such thing as Santa. I was very upset, but held it in. I snuck out to the bathroom after I was supposed to be in bed and the stockings were gone.. well then there was a crying out pour. Mom came with the stockings in hand and asked what was the matter. I told her about our teacher and what she had told us and how it must have been true. Mom said she was just wiping the stockings down as they looked a little dusty. So we hung them again and off to bed I went with renewed faith. Christmas morning would be stockings. But! We had to wait for mom and dad to get up. I because I was the youngest of us 2 would sneak into mom and dad's room then jump on the bed and say "Come see what Santa brought!!!" LOL Mom and dad would be so sleep deprived I don't know how they made it through those Christmas'. Course.. I know they knew how deprived of sleep they were.. as it was only a few years and then they made the rule the clock must say 5am before we woke them.. then a little longer and it had to be 8am. I don't blame them one bit!! So, in our stockings were always the neatest little treats, toys, hair thing's and neat little things of the sort. In the toe of the stocking, a mandarin orange. That orange used to taste better than any other of the season.. I don't know if it is because it spent the night in the toe of the stocking and had some magic in it or what.. but it did. Then we would open our gifts. On the early, early Christmas' mom and dad would go back to bed and we would have to play with what came out of our stockings and whatever Santa brought us. Which suited us just fine. We would play with our new toys for that time... Then when mom and dad got up we would have breakfast and empty the bottom of the tree. After that, we would get dressed and head off. We would have Christmas lunch in one grandparents home, and Christmas supper in the other set. 2 turkey dinners in one day.. oh my... that was a lot to take. Mind you that was the time of year we saw all our cousins at once and had great fun playing. In our teen years we moved to the coast and for 4 of the 5 years we were there had quiet Christmas' at home. We would have a whole day to ourselves and would have some family friends over for supper. I remember feeding the ducks at Davis bay on Christmas day. Only thing missing about Christmas in BC was the Grandparents and other family. Coming back to Saskatchewan after 5 years on the coast... we had Christmas' at home. We had a few large family Christmas' and then they turned to us with Grandparents. Now, Mom and dad are the grandparents. We travel into the city, we have a visit and we have Christmas morning with Gwyn and grandparents, and Auntie Wendy and Uncle D. For supper sometimes we will have Great Grandma. But Christmas has been fairly quiet the last few years. I am betting though.. this year.. will be a whole lot noisier!! With Gwyn about! She will have a stocking along side the rest of us. And will be ready to rip into the pressie's under the tree! She fills a house with love and joy.... and that.. is what Christmas is all about.