It’s day 23 of Blogmas and I show today’s topic is childhood memories. Don’t worry I won’t break out into my very off-key Ellen Page version of Memories, all alone in the moonlight... Okay, well not out loud anyway.
Way off topic, I was watching the Cats movie on HBO Max the other night. What did they do to that? Ugh, barely made it through the first two songs or so. Now, I’m feeling the need to find the proper musical to watch it somewhere.
Where were we? Oh, right childhood memories minus stories of Cats and off-key singing.
One of my favorite things pictured up above, my mom’s Nativity set. Definitely a little worse for wear lately. Poor angel’s wing broke, Joseph’s staff missing, a few animals gone (my mom actually gave one of them to a nephew many years ago because he was obsessed with animals at the time and loved it so much!). I looked long and hard at a Nativity in a thrift store last week because it’s the only other one I’d ever seen with an angel holding the “Gloria” sign like that.
Playing with the Characters
While I don’t remember necessarily playing with the above Nativity, I do remember playing with the other decorations. And I should take this quick opportunity to say that Batman and Spiderman action figures were known to visit Baby Jesus in the Nativity when my boys were younger.
I can remember we had a very neat Santa claus sled, his bag, and reindeer, all plastic I think, that all the kids myself included loved to play with as the Christmas decorations started appearing around the house.
Then there was the girl with the sled, though best to be very careful with her…one you did NOT want to break it. I’ll have to share a photo sometime. Not sure why I didn’t put her out this year.
Seeing Family the Week Before Christmas
Because our family was larger or more likely my dad “put his foot down”, we stayed home on Christmas. I can remember we’d go visit all my aunts and uncles the week before Christmas and my mom would take them plates of cookies and pumpkin bread. We’d often visit my grandparents (my mom’s parents, my dad’s parents passed before I was born) on Christmas Eve. They lived in Kansas City, Kansas. And I remember us driving across the big, long bridge to get there. I think it was this one (could be wrong, I was young): Central Avenue Viaduct.
I’ve spent way too much time this afternoon trying to figure out which bridge. And why my dad went that way. Of course, he always took a different route no matter where we went. And I must remember some of the highways (670) weren’t there back in the 70’s and 80’s.
Moving on…one more before I get back to doing Christmas chores. Regular Saturday chores but close to Christmas?
The Donny and Marie Morning
Just something silly but Oh, how I remember the excitement of going down the hall and seeing that Santa had not only left me the Donny and Marie dolls but the entire stage!
******
I could share lots more but am stopping here.
I have a nativity set that I’m pretty sure has the angel holding a Gloria banner. Hubby bought it for me way back in 1990, I think. I don’t have it out this year. It’s one of the things I miss, since I only did very minimal decorating this year.
Oh, that’s neat that you have one with the Gloria banner as well. You know I’m missing my decorations a bit now, seems though that quite a few of us didn’t put out as much this year. Wonder if something was in the air? Hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend. Didn’t see the Vikings game but hear they had a bit of a comeback victory 😉