Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Column: Christmas Memories

As a child there was always a magical feeling during the Christmas season.

It was usually after Thanksgiving that I started to count down the days which seemed to get longer and longer as it inched closer to Christmas. I never minded the last few days of school before break because there was always a fun celebration and nothing productive was ever accomplished. I'm sure the teachers were also as eager to get a break from the kids who were getting crazier with each passing day.

The wait between the school break and Christmas Eve seemed like it was longer than a wait at the DMV. Of course, I was eager to see all my gifts and what Santa had to bring, but I really enjoyed getting together with my cousins and other family members. My parents had divorced when I was pretty young, and my mom would remarry so I had so many places to go and as a selfish kid that meant more presents. I will always remember going to my Grandparents house and they would usually have a prime rib and my aunt would bring lasagna as the main side. It doesn't sound like it would go together well, but it always did, and I miss those Christmas Eves.

It almost seemed like completing a scavenger hunt on Christmas Eve trying to navigate all the houses I needed to be at, but I always managed to spend time at them all. I really miss those traditions and how exciting it was to go see the Christmas Lights on Christmas Eve after the adults had their fun. I swear sometimes it would be 2 in the morning before we would start to look at lights, but I didn't care. I normally had to be in bed at 8 or 9, so this was a real treat. It was usually very cold, and it was always the best when it would snow when we looked at the lights in the "snooty" part of town. One year we went to Arizona for Christmas and it was confusing. Instead of going to look at lights we sat by the pool. While that sounds really good right now considering it is -1 degrees out as I write this, Christmas just doesn't seem the same when it is hot outside.

When we would finally arrive home, there would always be there rule that you could open one present but had to save the rest for Christmas Morning. This rule was followed just about as well as turn signals and one present would turn into four or five. On one occasion when I was six or seven, we opened everything. It was fun at the time but made for a pretty depressing Christmas morning for the adults who didn't have Santa visiting.

I would always be to bed late, but it didn't matter. I would toss and turn wondering what Santa would bring. There were often times I wondered why Santa was so loud and seemed like he was in the house for two hours doing things like putting bikes together, but I always stayed in my bed without taking a peak.

The moment I smelled coffee brewing or heard someone walking around anytime after 5 a.m. I would run to the front room to see what Santa had brought. I would often times get something associated with Star Wars and this would bring instant joy. I could play with Han Solo and friends for hours.

After a few hours of opening gifts, playing, and everyone in good moods I would once again start making the rounds. It was another day of many houses, plenty of time with cousins, and of course presents. It was often times weird because no matter what house I was at, the kids would always bring their favorite gifts, but somehow, we would all end up playing with a balloon or a box. Our parents probably could have saved a lot of money by going behind the grocery store and stealing boxes.

These days I'm too far away and too busy to usually make it home for Christmas to make my rounds. I instead spend the time with the four of us here and we usually have a ton of fun.

I also welcome the opportunity to restock up on pants, socks, and underwear. It may not be Han Solo and friends, but they are always welcome.

Merry Christmas!

 

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