CHRISTMAS WITH FAMILY

 

My Mom emerging from a bedroom on Christmas Eve with all her Christmas presents wrapped in 1967.

Eldest daughter (left) was home from UMASS for the holidays and arranged to have lobsters flown to us from Boston for Christmas Eve dinner! Yummy, yummy!!!

“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.”

My Grandma Louise, middle sis, me, and youngest sis checking our stockings on Christmas morning in 1966.

My son checking his stocking in 1972.  When we had children we followed my husband’s family’s tradition, in part, of hanging the children’s stockings on their bedroom door knobs so when they awoke at 0:dark-thirty in the morning, they could check their stockings without waking us up, then go back to sleep until we all arose at a decent hour later on.  We would hear them softly giggling and laughing for a little while, but they’d go back to sleep and so would we.  Worked like a charm.

When I was growing up we had to wait till we heard the Christmas jingle bells before we could come down to the living room where we were allowed to open our stocking presents, but we had to have breakfast first before opening all the rest of our gifts, and Dad always made Christmas breakfast – usually his most excellent scrambled eggs (he knew just how to scramble ‘em – soft and creamy!).

1959 – the aftermath of Christmas gift opening.  L-R: middle sis, youngest sis, me, Grandma Louise, my Mom, and my brother.

The aftermath in 1965.  Everyone else is still in their jammies.  I’m the only one dressed & that’s because I was living in my apartment by then and had to get dressed to come up to the house.  Shucks.  I’d rather have still been in my jammies too, but oh well.

Christmas lunch with my brother and sis-in-law in 1979.  Round the table L-R: my husband, my Dad peeking around him, sister, sister, my Mom, me, sis-in-law & brother.

Christmas dinner in 1976. At the grown-ups table, L-R: youngest sis, middle sis, my husband, and my Dad & Mom.  At the children’s table, youngest daughter facing the camera. J

The year eldest daughter thought her brother’s “Big Wheel” was for her.  Surely Santa left the doll & cradle for someone else except there was no one else yet. 

Ah yes – the year the littlest fingers accidentally pulled the Christmas tree down.

A lively game of Foosball is more fun in a Santa hat – at least according to elder Sis.  

The year I knit everyone Christmas caps.

And the year Mom & Dad threw a New Year’s Eve card party downstairs . . .

. . . while we kids held our New Year’s Eve nut party upstairs. J

 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

and here's wishing you a

 NEW YEAR FILLED WITH ALL GOOD THINGS!

:->

La Nightingail



Comments

  1. Molly's CanopyDecember 23, 2023 at 1:25 PM

    What a heartwarming series of photos for the holidays. The stocking on the doorknob technique is a good one! Also love the roaring fireplace. We had a little cardboard one set up on our basement rec room during the holiday season, and there was much consternation among us children about how Santa could arrive that way :-) My folks were also big card party hosts...but I'm with you: much rather be at the nut party upstairs. Happy Holidays and New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mike BrubakerDecember 24, 2023 at 3:13 PM

    This was a very merry post for Christmas. I'm impressed with how many photos there were of the traditional post-gifting collapse. My dad was always the photographer in our little family. (And at first glance I actually thought the roaring fire was in another cardboard fireplace!) Have a super holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Barbara RogersDecember 28, 2023 at 2:30 PM

    What wonderful memories of being together with your family! And lots of fun with little ones and presents always! The littlest in our family now has her driver's license.

    ReplyDelete

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