I think the biggest disappointment of “growing up” was the loss of childhood feelings about Christmas. Maybe you can relate? Remembering Christmas as a child comes with lots of fun and happy memories. In retrospect, I am very grateful that I grew up with gifts at Christmas. Gifts that I truly enjoyed and got a great deal of playtime with. Some of my favorite gifts were:
Memorable gifts
Man, I played and played with the Holly Hobbie set. Selling stuff and putting products on the shelf. Changing her dresses and bonnets. What fun and imagination that was made. Kids today have all that “work” of imagination and play taken away from them with mostly worthless junk!
I remember playing with the Holly Hobbie Old Fashioned General Store well past the age limit. Somewhere in the rush of moving my mom it got lost or tossed. I sure wished I had it.
My Baby Alive was the only gift I ever “snooped” for. I remember my Grandma warning us NOT look in her bedroom. But look I did! Not all of my enjoyment came from Christmas gifts. A great deal of enjoyment came from singing hymns and carols.
Angels We Have Heard on High
My mother is a beautiful singer. She went to college and studied music at UW Euclaire after graduating from her two-year teaching degree at County Normal Teachers College. At UW Euclaire, she majored in music and was looking forward to a singing career as a Mezzo-Soprano in operas.
Upon graduation, my mother’s college music professor told her to never stoop so low as to ruin her voice by singing Country music. That was the lowest form of singing one could do. The reality of a money-generating opera singing life gave way to a teaching career in West Bend, Wisconsin.
My mom kept her voice in tune by singing at weddings and solo’s in church. Once her children required less tending she joined the Church choir. My dad preferred his parenting role to be one of light supervision.
One of my favorite hymns to hear my mom sing was “Angels We Have Heard on High”. The “Gloria” part was my favorite part to sing with her. She would be washing dishes and we’d only have to start humming a song and she’d take off with singing.
Go Tell It on the Mountain
“Go Tell It on the Mountain” was another favorite hymn to sing. I loved to belt that out and remember performing that song in the East Friesland, Randolph Christian School. We sang from the hallway and the parents sat in the sunken gym.
You might be scratching your head thinking “What in the world?” The gym sat lower and had sliding wood doors that could open and close. It felt like a Hollywood production. Teachers shushing kids as the program was ready to start and the drama of the wooden doors opening and the kids singing their little hearts out! We were known for our excellent singing and VOLUME!
-Sidebar- Shout out to Faith DeKam and many others (you have written that through Dutch Bingo, you’ve figured out who I was) who attended school there or know what I am talking about. The East Friesland School is gone and a house sits there now. Some of the playground equipment remains.
Christmas Food
What would Christmas be like as a kid without all the food? My mother made a great deal of Christmas treats. Fudge, chocolate-covered peanuts, almond bark, chocolate-covered pretzels, Christmas cookies, hot cocoa, slush… the list goes on!
I believe my brother and I packed as many Christmas cookies as humanly possible into our stomachs after school. Plus we stuffed our pockets for nourishment while sledding on the Cheese Factory Hill. I’m sure the cookies were in crumbs, but they taste good with a scoop of snow.
I’m sure you have some wonderful memories of your childhood Christmas. I hope these memories play over and over as you celebrate the Christmas season. I know I fondly remember the gifts, the singing, and the food. These help me to appreciate Christmas as an adult.
Till next time. Here is to good memories of people, places, and foods we love, wrapped up in the gift of Christmas.
Michele Bruxvoort is sure to draw you in with her delightful sense of humor and love for living life. She enjoys reading, repurposing, as well as remodeling the family home with her husband. Drawing from her life experience as wife, mom, and follower of Jesus, Michele brings you a very honest and real perspective on life. When you don’t find her writing, you can find her mowing lawns, stocking shelves, taking care of her grandbaby and tackling her latest life adventure.
Wisconsin native and empty-nester, she now makes her home with her husband of 27 years in the South West Prairie plains of Minnesota.