When
Celia suggested we each write about an aspect of Christmas this month, I had so
many ideas I had trouble choosing. I decided to share the first Christmas I
remember. I was three years old and we lived in Bakersfield, California.
Even though our
house was small, our Christmas Eve family get together was at our house
that year. My mom was Daddy’s second wife and much younger than he was. In
fact, his eldest son was two years older than Mother. I was the little darling
second family, shy and quiet—most of the time. My younger brother wasn't born until I was ten.
My
niece, Linda Camille, was six months old that year and just sitting up alone.
My brother-in-law, Buster Reed, was everyone’s favorite because he was such a truly
good man. You can understand why I wasn’t surprised that he knew Santa and had
arranged for him to fly into Bakersfield for our gift exchange. Sure enough,
Santa arrived and he knew all our names as he handed out gifts. He gave me a
doll buggy and a large doll. I don’t remember what anyone else received, but I
remember Linda’s eyes growing wide as saucers as she stared at Santa. Mine probably did too.
 |
| There I am with my doll and buggy |
After
Santa had given out gifts, Buster had to take him back to the airport so he
could fly to the North Pole in time to deliver all the other children’s toys
that night. In reality, Santa was Buster’s older brother, Roy, and the suit was
very realistic. I suspect my sister made it as she was an excellent seamstress.
Years later, when Roy had passed on and my half-brother, Herschel Johnson, was
Santa, that suit was still impressive. In fact, several teen-aged girls who
were guests for the evening were flabbergasted and said Santa almost made believers
of them again.
I’m
happy my own daughter was able to see that Santa a couple of times. I treasure
the memory of Santa knowing my name as he wheeled in my doll buggy. We didn’t
have much money, and I later learned that my mother had lovingly refurbished a second-hand buggy she’d bought in poor shape. The result looked perfect to me. I wish
I’d have been able to keep it, but when we moved back to Texas, all we could
bring had to fit in our car. We looked like the Grapes of Wrath in the reverse
direction. Sadly, only small things could be included. At least I have a photo
of me with the buggy.
Thanks
to all of you precious readers who follow this blog. Our members value your
comments and the time you spend reading our posts. Blessings to you whether you
celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or another holiday! We love you!
Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Caroline
Clemmons has released her new Christmas romance, ANGEL FOR CHRISTMAS, now
available from Amazon at http://a.co/76fM1rx
She also has a Christmas novella in the bestselling box set, WILD WESTERN WOMEN -- MISTLETOE, MONTANA, available from Amazon at http://a.co/7NbAHDw.
She
lives in North Central Texas with her Hero and a menagerie of rescued pets. Find
her at www.carolineclemmons.com and join
her newsletter subscribers to receive a free novella as well as be notified of
contests, new releases, and other news. Find all her books at her Amazon Author
Page: https://www.amazon.com/Caroline-Clemmons/e/B001K8CXZ6/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1481169530&sr=8-2-ent
