Fiery Christmas tale
When we were kids, my youngest brother and two oldest nephews loved to shoot firecrackers at Christmas. Loud noises disturbed me and scared the family dog, so we hid in the closet until the chaos ceased.
After those dang boys finished blowing up every stick and tin can that could be found, I thought twirling a nice quiet sparkler would be fun. All was going well until the colorful beauty began spewing wild sparks. To avoid becoming a crispy critter, I chunked the hateful thing down, and of course, the grass immediately ignited.
Man, it was amazing, not to mention blazing!
No longer fearing for my life, but for my behind after Mama got a load of what I had just done, I ran to get the water hose. To my horror, it had been put away for winter and wasn't in its usual spot. I filled a bucket with water, but the flames were out of control.
My frantic activity had finally jolted everyone from their tryptophan comas, and adults came pouring out of the house. Daddy led the pack, and the fire was beaten into submission. Much to my surprise, I was not spanked for burning up the front yard. I guess Daddy was too tired to fuss, and Mama had to have been busy in the kitchen. Boy howdy, was that lucky. At our house, ticking Mama off was the definition of playing with fire.
I don't know why I was in such a dither. Perhaps my judgment was clouded from hiding in a stuffy closet with a smelly dog all morning long, but two valuable lessons were learned that Christmas season: No. 1--Never throw a lighted sparkler in dead grass, and No. 2--Grass grows back really green in the spring.
PATI GUESS
Sherwood
Of family and friends
Ah, so many Christmas memories from my childhood in the '60s and formative '70s years. Looking at the clock on the stove at 3:30 a.m. as my three siblings and I crept through the kitchen of our 12 x 60 trailer to the living room with the big window on the end, where the tree was waiting with its small bounty of presents left by Santa; we had no chimney but knew Santa could work his magic anyway. Except for some new jeans and shoes when school started, Christmas was the only time us kids received any gifts of any kind, so it was always a really big deal! No presents on our birthdays, but Mom would make the birthday boy or girl their favorite cake, which was a pretty big deal too.
I remember getting the magnetic vibrating football game when I was 5-6, putting it in a brown grocery sack and walking down the highway on a cold, snowy Christmas morning to my best friend Junior's house to show him, see what he got, and spend a glorious day playing inside and out, no worries in the world! In those days there was an invisible barrier between kid world and adult world, and never the twain would meet.
I remember listening to "Little Toy Trains" by Glen Campbell every Christmas, and it's still my favorite Christmas song, one my grown kids also love. We watched Charlie Brown every Christmas, and still do. I remember, after I had left home at 17 to venture out and make my own way in the world, getting the week off for Christmas the next few years and looking forward to driving for hours to get back home to family, to Mom's cooking and eggnog laced with Jim Beam, going around the neighborhood with my older brother, visiting childhood buddies and their families, catching up with what was going on in their lives. There were times it took hours longer than normal because of snow and ice, but there was no way I was not going, and I always made it.
Jesus' birth will always be the most important facet of the Christmas season, but love of family and friends will always be a close second for me.
GREGORY STANFORD
White Hall
Cherished memories
With the Christmas season here, I'm reminded of how the world has changed since I was young.
With the exception of modern conveniences and technological advances, I would have to say that things were (or appeared to be) a whole lot better back then.
1964 comes to mind as a pretty good year. We had recovered from the loss of JFK and thought of a war in Vietnam was just barely on the horizon. We were still enjoying a post-World War II economic boom and life was good, at least for most of us.
As a teenager, I was still in the age of innocence, at least in the eyes of my parents. There were no wars, major conflicts or riots in the streets. The Beatles had come to America and would change the music that we listened to forever.
Going to high school, the worst thing that could possibly happen to me was a punch in the nose by some hooligan. None of friends or family members has passed, and we were a close-knit bunch.
I know that it may be simplistic to think just of these fond memories. Maybe subconsciously I remember only the good and none of the bad. But to me, these were "The Good Old Days," and I miss them.
Cherish your memories. Merry Christmas!
GORDON GONDEK
Little Rock
Most enjoyable time
Christmas brings memories of over 80 years.
I was brought up in a large city and remember how the department stores would decorate their front windows with scenes from Christmas. They fascinated all the children that saw them, and when you went into the store, the toy department and Santa brought even more excitement.
School celebrations took place right before Christmas with music and students participating in recitation and singing. The fun we had at Christmas was the most enjoyable time of the year for all of us with our friends at school.
Christmas was a time for worship for our family. Christmas Eve was especially memorable as we walked through the crunching snow and saw our breath as we trudged along. Our church had a special tradition of handing out a small box of candy to the younger members of the church. The service itself was memorable as we sang the carols and celebrated Christ's birth.
Our family did not put up a Christmas tree until just before Christmas Eve. Part of the tradition was to take the family out to select a tree from tree lots, which were plentiful. My father always looked for the least expensive tree, which also had to be a "full" tree. When decorated, the eight-foot tree was breathtaking and ornaments of new and old variety were placed on the tree. The tree had standard light sets and "bubbling" lights.
Most of the time, presents were opened on Christmas Eve, after church. My mother and father always provided presents that were both useful and fun. The gifts we received were used and played with year-round and, as I look back, I realize that many of the gifts taught us to use our hands and minds.
Christmas Day was celebrated with family, as uncles, aunts and cousins came together at my grandfather's house. Traditional American dishes and some ethnic dishes were on the table for all to enjoy.
Perhaps the best thing about Christmas is the feeling one gets during this time of the year. From our family to yours, our wishes for the best Christmas ever and a prosperous, peaceful and happy New Year!
GEORGE WILKEN
Little Rock
A new age of peace
The other night as I lay awake trying to calm my mind after watching the nightly news, I thought about how divided our society is, and how stuck we have been in this dividedness for too long.
My prayer for the new year is that this next generation will tire of the bickering of the old ones and lead us lions, leopards, elephants and donkeys into a new age of peace and good will for all.
I am a happy man, wishing the same to you.
TOM FLYNN
Rogers