Christmas memories as a kid

[Rodnok1]

So what sticks out from your childhood Christmas times?

Taking the pickup up to grandpa's cabin in the woods before Christmas to go hunting and get Christmas trees a few years. Got sick as hell the one year as it was sub zero.
Snow storm that year on the way home and we got stuck on highway overnight.

When we had a farm and the one year I was 5 or so dad's brother and family showed up cousin Eddy style sans RV. Day or two before Christmas, no money, no gifts for their kids and out of gas. My parents gave them half our gifts. I learned what right and wrong was that year I think or at least what was the right thing to do from them.
Back then and being in the country absolutely nothing was open even if they had money to get those kids gifts.
They always took gifts to kids in family we knew would get nothing.

Putting up lots of lights when we moved to the city as neighbors across the street were elderly and loved to see them.
She would sit looking at them every night I found out later. Sometimes you effect others in ways never thought of. I went back for years after moved out and put the lights up.

Years later mom would dog sit and Bandit would go spend the day with the neighbor, he kept the bunnies from eating the flowers. She kept a bowl of treats for him by the door he could have.
I only found out when she got him a winter coat one year for Christmas.
She knew his size better than I did.

Anywho what do you folks remember?

[Big bob]

Trying to get the new ****ing kitten out the damn Christmas tree good times.

[mrvette]

Single digit age, running the Lionel train around the Xmas tree, just one loop and a couple of switches for sidings.....

[Rodnok1]

Originally Posted by Big bob

Trying to get the new ****ing kitten out the damn Christmas tree good times.

Me and the dog knocked tree over so much it got nailed to the wall one year

[DJ_Critterus]

Got my ass beat on Christmas day one year with the big belt because I wouldn't eat the traditional boiled eel. Still won't eat that as an adult, either

[Big bob]

My little terrorist was in there launching ornaments and chewing lights. Finally gave up and unplugged it.

[69L46]

Getting my picture taken with Santa each year at the local department store.

Much different time to be a kid.

[Scaleman]

Originally Posted by Big bob

Trying to get the new ****ing kitten out the damn Christmas tree good times.

I feel your pain.

[Murray]

After leaving milk and cookies out for Santa, going to bed at 8:30pm looking at a tree with 3 presents under it then waking up at 6 am to a tree where you couldn’t see the floor around it, taking our stockings into my parents room and waking them up.

[Yadkin]

My dad always got too tall a tree for the 8' ceilings in our house. Instead of cutting off the bottom he'd cut the top. Many years looked like the tree had grown through the ceiling.

Those big electric lights, 7 watts each, got so hot we could only turn them on for a while for fear of catching the tree on fire. Icicles that my mother insisted on made out of some odd metal, probably tin.

Christmas dinner over at my grandmother's house. Ten of us stuffed into that little dining room. My uncle on leave from "Camp Latrine" would fill his plate starting with a wall of turkey, then heaped the fixin's about 4" high.

[69L46]

Damn cats.

[Big bob]

Yadkin

My dad always got too tall a tree for the 8' ceilings in our house. Instead of cutting off the bottom he'd cut the top. Many years looked like the tree had grown through the ceiling.

Those big electric lights, 7 watts each, got so hot we could only turn them on for a while for fear of catching the tree on fire. Icicles that my mother insisted on made out of some odd metal, probably tin. Yadkin



This explains a lot thank you.

[Taurus]

The year dad fell off the roof playing Santa when I was 4, interesting to listen to mom tell Santa what a klutz he was. I thought that was pretty bold of her at the time.

[slewfoot]

Cracking my head on the fking grand piano, every damn year!

Always had Christmas at my grandparents and she had a grand piano with the gifts under it.

They would all make bets on how long it would take until I got lost in it all and stood up and kee-racko!

Other than that, it was a good time.

[Rikki Z-06]

Strapping on the snowshoes with Grandpa and walking out to the woods to find the perfect Christmas tree.

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by Big bob

Yadkin

My dad always got too tall a tree for the 8' ceilings in our house. Instead of cutting off the bottom he'd cut the top. Many years looked like the tree had grown through the ceiling.

Those big electric lights, 7 watts each, got so hot we could only turn them on for a while for fear of catching the tree on fire. Icicles that my mother insisted on made out of some odd metal, probably tin. Yadkin



This explains a lot thank you.

Poor Big Bob can't even use the quote button.

My dad grew up during WW2- he was eleven when the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor. That generation learned to get shit done with limited resources.

[Strats-N-Vettes]

Gallons of Gumbo at my grandfather's on Christmas eve.

Men would go outside and start cooking early in the morning.
Women were inside prepping stuff, laughing and joking, catching up with the latest gossip.
Kids were fed and sent outside and out of the way or the switch would come out.
I remember my grandfather used a big boiling pot and cooked gumbo in that. (guessing 10gal.). The men tended to what was cooking outside .....lots of barley malts were consumed, Crown, Jack, Jim too.

In the back of the barn was the feathers, guts and blood because they used hens and roosters they raised, to put in the pot.
Me and other cousins would grab those chicken gut parts for bait and set trot lines in the bayou....that we had to walk about a mile down the gravel road to get to...
We were unsupervised, and, had shotguns in case wood ducks would fly or
squirrels or rabbit was seen.

Family would drop in for visits all day....eat, exchange gifts, drink, laugh, and enjoy things.....all day long.

Good times!

[LATB]

Speaking of trees…

For most of my life, dad and I (sometimes a sister) would go cut a “Christmas tree” from the vacant property next to our house. We were the last home on a dead end street.

A dirt road lead to an abandoned quarry and a farm adjoined the quarry. And dad wasn’t spending 10 bux on a tree from the shopping center parking lot.

Our Christmas tree never had any real shape. But was smothered with lights (yes those big ones) and glass balls and 100 lbs of tinsel.

[Louie Detroit]

I remember a few times the family cats knocking over the tree, running away and leaving the family bulldog holding the bag when my parents came to see what the hell was going on.

[Torqaholic]

We set a trap for Santa. Left cookies and milk on the coffee table by the tree. Right next to a big green plastic bear trap. Almost caught him! But he got away leaving only a tuft of his beard behind in the trap.