Christmas is a time of presents and memories. Growing up, my wife Peg and I had dissimilar expectations at Christmas time. I was an only child until I turned fifteen, but Peg came from a house of seven children. Gifts abounded in my family. It was always easier than mentioning love, but it was our way of showing it. Gifts in Peg's large house were limited, noise wasn't. Gifts from both families were well opinion out, however.
When I wanted cap guns for Christmas I got cap guns ... And of procedure one year Santa brought me a Shetland pony. When I wanted an English Racer bicycle, I got an English Racer. When I wanted a narrative player, I got a narrative player and when that was outdated I got a fancy reel-to-reel tape recorder.
Dollhouse Families
We recently talked about childhood Christmases and about our Christmases together.
Peg had two beloved Christmases as a child. One was when she received her doll, Lilly Rose. Peg still loves that doll. Today it sits disarmingly on a small hallway dresser. Her hair is swept up on her head much like Elsa Lanchester in the Bride of Frankenstein. The mechanical eyes of Lilly Rose are a petite bit off kilter, but she watches me intimately when I walk by. I swear the eyes follow me. I think the doll would do me bodily harm me if I ever hurt Peggy. I'm not unquestionably afraid of the doll, but my pace quickens as I pass.
On Peg's second beloved Christmas she received a game of Chinese Checkers and a world globe. The marbles of the Chinese Checkers fit perfectly in their holes. The mark of bad Chinese Checkers is shallow indentations that allow the slightest breeze to start a marble stampede off the board. Peg could play for hours ... Much like she plays Spider diamond on the computer today.
The globe was a very inexpensive blow-up kind and she was disappointed in that, possibly even embarrassed, but those feelings meant nothing to her as her fingers traced distances from country to country. And I think she loved dreaming about all the places in the world she could visit. Some things never change. In our home next to her living room chair she has a world atlas. She still dreams.
In our life together we both have the same beloved Christmases. Our first Christmas was at our studio apartment on North Yakima. It consisted of a tiny bathroom, a tiny kitchen and a living room with a bay window that gave us a secluded view of a large hedge and lots of greenery.
Christmas presents came as a shock to Peg. Instead of the one or two presents that she was used to and expecting, I gave her dresses, shoes, jewelry and a number of other less costly but well-thought out and approved gifts. When we visited my parents, she received a double-dose of gifts. She was overwhelmed.
Looking back I was probably wrong in raising the bar for gift expectations, but I love giving gifts and I unquestionably enjoy buying her things. My gifts are not just a bunch of presents. They must be perfect. I always try to come up with the excellent gift ... Sometimes I have to clarify why they are the excellent gift ... Sometimes I have to clarify any times, but I always think they are perfect.
Our other beloved Christmas came when the kids were fairly young. Our house was not planned. Our three children were born the first three years of our marriage. Peg was brought up Catholic. I was Methodist. She had the rhythm and I had the method. Together ... Well, the fourth year we discovered planning and bought a duplex near Ups.
This singular year we didn't have a lot of money. From the kids Peg received a pasta cooker, which she treasured. Peg and I made presents for the kids. For the three of them I built a puppet theater, while Peg created hand puppets. For Del, the second oldest, I built a western fort, much like Fort Nisqually faultless with cowboys and Indians. For our youngest son Patrick, I built a castle with beer cans for towers and turrets and spray painted it all gray. He also got bags of plastic knights and horses. For Andrea, our eldest and only daughter, I built a dollhouse made from a large turquoise drawer rescued from the house that was torn down next door. Peg gathered petite furniture and crocheted doilies for floor coverings. Andrea still has the doilies.
The pasta maker is gone as are the puppet theater, the puppets, the fort, the castle, and the dollhouse. When asked about their beloved Christmas memories, that Christmas stands out as the best for each of the children ... Of procedure for some Christmases I was known to have worn out the electronic games and radio controlled toys before they were even presented, but that's someone else story.
Christmas is a time for giving to house ... To friends ... To the society and for giving just the right present ... And the right memory.
Of all the gifts we give, I think that memories are sometimes the best presents.
Christmas Past and Christmas Presents
