Christmases Past

Welcome to My Reality prompt

Tell us about a Christmas or holiday memory from your past.


Childhood memories of Christmases past. As a child I remember waking up on Christmas morning and running to the living room to see what Santa had brought. The tree was always bright from the twinkling lights and all of our presents were alight with the excitement. For me Santa never wrapped gifts. Everything was open and ready to use, play with, or wear.

There was one Christmas when my brother and I woke up extremely early. I mean we woke up around two o'clock in the morning and went into the living room. My parents must not have been in bed long when we got up. My mother was so angry. She sat with us in the living room fuming while we perused everything Santa had brought. Of course then I didn't realize that Santa wasn't exactly who left the gifts. Needless to say it wasn't long before mom made us go back to bed.

Otherwise, there's not any one specific Christmas that really sticks out.

Now, as a parent, Christmas has a whole new meaning. I have two daughters, one who is sixteen and the other will be ten in December. When the kids get to the non-believing age, mom and dad are who they start getting the 'good' gifts from. I'm hoping that my youngest figures out that we are Santa sometime this year before she goes into the fifth grade. I think this is about the age when our oldest started to realize that very thing. I refuse to come right out and tell her. But if she doesn't come to me about it before she starts school next year, I might have to consider somehow getting her to realize without telling her. I don't want to ruin Christmas for her. Hopefully when she discovers it herself the blow will be a bit easier to take.

We always get a real tree. Even as a child we always bought a real tree. Nothing beats the aroma of a Christmas tree, especially on Christmas day when the lights are twinkling and everything is shiny and bright.