Christmas, 1978

When my husband and I went Christmas shopping the other evening, we were shocked by the high prices and the poor quality of the merchandise. So many things were made of plastic that shiny, brittle plastic. My first thought was how long would they last?

Ever since that evening, I've been thinking about the durability of Christmas gifts. As I look around the house, I can identify several former presents, the table lamp, the stereo and the electric blanket. They are still in good condition and serving us well. But there must have been many articles which we received in the many Christmases which have passed which have disappeared from the scene.

As far as durability is concerned, some gifts do last and some just don't. What, then, do we retain from past Christmases? I think our memories are the only truly durable aspects of Christmas.

Memories of my childhood are all jumbled together and no one particular Christmas stands out. But I remember certain customs that persisted in our family. We children were allowed on Christmas morning to look at the contents of our stockings before breakfast. There was always an orange in the toe which harkened back to my mother's childhood when oranges were a rare treat. There were walnuts, too, the gift of Uncle Lou who had a walnut grove in California. Other small treasures included hair bows, chocolate Santas in gold paper and small toys.

After breakfast, we gathered in a circle around my widowed mother to "see what Santa had left under the tree." Most of our gifts were clothing in these Depression years, but there was always a book with our name inscribed inside with the date. And there would be a doll for me and my younger sister and a comparable toy for our brother.

Church occupied a large share of our Christmas celebration in those days. There were many services of solemn observance. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the Sundays in Advent and after Christmas. My mother was the daughter of an Episcopal priest and she never forgot her early up-bringing in the church and passed it on to us.

But I remember too, participating in childish and joyous Christmas programs at church. I was a shepherd in our dramatization of "What Made the Chimes Ring?" and I recall a lumpy Santa handing out pasteboard boxes of hard candy which usually came apart spilling the contents on the floor.

I don't remember our Christmas trees especially but I recall a story Mother told about a tree she had trimmed in a school where she taught before she married Dad. The school was located in the mountains and the pupils were from a settlement which didn't mix much with the outside world. Mother found out that the children had never seen a Christmas tree. So she got her brothers to chop one down and bring it to the school house.

She persuaded her mother to let her have some of the old Christmas ornaments which had been brought over from Germany. And on the tip of many branches, she fastened a clip-on candleholder with its candle. After she stationed buckets of water near the tree in case of fire, she lighted the candles and then led the children in singing "Silent Night."

Right in the middle of her carefully planned celebration, the door flew open and there stood a man, the father of one of the children. He drew out a gun and shot out each of the candles in turn. Berating Mother for her pagan observance in highly colorful language, he grabbed up his children and hurried them out of the building.

I don't remember what Mother did afterward, whether she laughed or cried or just set about restoring the chaotic condition. When she used to tell us the story, we thought it was the most exciting kind of Christmas story.

Recalling these childhood memories brings with it a certain warmth. What of Christmas 1978 will I remember in the years to come? Only the hurry and hustle, the planning and buying, the commercialism of Christmas shopping? I think I'd better slow down and soak up some of the enduring experiences in the coming weeks, the church celebrations, the musical programs, and the happy times with friends for future happy memories of Christmas.