Originally posted on Books and Authors, but not many people saw it and I would appreciate your feedback!. Thanks!.
The Great Christmas of 1956
by C!.S!.Scotkin
Christmas was always a good time when I was a child!. My eighth Christmas was magic!
Mother, to her great credit, tried to make Christmas wonderful and usually succeeded!.
We awakened to a fresh cut tree, strung with bubbling lights, some glass ornaments, and best of all, paper chains my sister and I made from construction paper, homemade paper snowflakes, garlands of popcorn and cranberries!. Santa usually managed a few candy canes!. Tinsel filled in empty holes!.
My sister and I ran down steep old stairs, courting a broken neck if we slipped!. What had Santa brought!? My pile contained the usual doll, along with paper, crayons, tape, new socks, underwear and a book!. My sister received much the same!. There was a Parcheesi game for us to share!.
My stocking held tangerines, nuts, a set of jacks, dominoes and pick-up sticks!. There was a tiny box, hidden in the toe!. My first piece of jewelry, a birthstone ring! It was too big; I wore it on my middle finger!. I had never seen anything as beautiful as the cool, blue heart shaped aquamarine!.
However, I really wanted a sled, hoped and prayed for a sled!. I asked Santa at Woolworth’s for a sled!. No sled under the tree meant using an old cardboard box for another winter!. Still, Santa brought a real ring!.
I was part of a great extended family!. Rather than be bankrupted in an attempt to give everyone a gift, names were exchanged!. These gifts would be the centerpiece of Christmas afternoon at my grandparent’s house!.
The fragrances of evergreen, sweet and savory spices enveloped my family with love as we went inside!. Warm cheeks on cold cheeks as you were hugged by aunts and uncles were so special on that day!. We played with our cousins, tried to sneak another piece of my great-grandmother’s penuche!. The sugar rush added a new dimension to the mischievousness of 20 children under the age of 11! As years went on there would be 36 cousins!.
Gifts we brought were added to others under Grandma’s great tree!. Soon, Grandpa sat in his rocker, a stogie scented Santa, began to call names!.
You never knew what package was yours!. The tags were always hidden!.
The huge pile shrank!. Still my name had not been called!. Finally, a small box was picked up, my name called!. This box was big enough for another pair of socks, I thought!. I glanced at my sister, enchanted with her real china tea set!. She shrugged with a smarmy look on her face!.
I opened the box to find a note!.
“Go to the back porch, there is a package for you!”
I ran out, slamming the door!. There was a large, round thing with a ridiculously tiny bow and mismatched wrapping paper!. I tore away paper to reveal a bright
shining Flying Saucer with red handles! Much better than a sled! All my friends at school had talked about them, how fast they were! Now, I owned one! I ran back in to get my coat, boots and mittens, nearly incoherent with happiness!. The snow was fast and powdery that year!. I went to the top of the hill in back of Grandma’s house!. I sat cross-legged, pushed off! My cheeks burned from rushing cold! I felt delicious terror, unable to steer this great disc, finally tumbled off at the bottom! Complete, total joy repeated three times before being called to dinner!.
The feast was enormous; everyone brought a favorite side dish or dessert!. We all ate too much!. Little ones became cranky, and then fell asleep on the floor or a lap while adults talked!. I loved to listen!. I absorbed family history and local gossip while pretending to look at a book from Grandma’s library!. My Aunt Violet came over to me and whispered in my ear!.
“Do you really like your saucer!?”
My hug said it all as she hugged me back!.
All too soon it was time to go home!. That Christmas vacation I was the most popular kid on my road!. I let everyone try the saucer!. I had it for years, passing it down to sisters, every year a few more dents, frayed handles replaced with rope!.!. I loved that saucer for teaching me an important lesson!. I could fly and be free!.
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