Beech Tree News Network

Christmas creates memories. We all have Christmas memories – some good, some bad. Every Christmas can’t be a story-book holiday. Things happen. But, most of us like to recall the good memories.

I asked family and friends the question: What was one of the best Christmas gifts you’ve ever received or remember and why was it special or memorable?

•    My RC truck because it was awesome!
•    My first car.
•    A baby doll bed made by my papaw. When I was young, I loved to play with it, and it will always have special meaning to me because he made it. I still have it and plan to pass it down to my kids one day.
•    The one year that I can remember my dad giving my mom a gift, he gave her an Orange Blossom wedding band and a vacuum cleaner. Though the wedding band is worn down, I wear it now.
•    A Christmas tin filled with lead shot (like you put in bullets) that had a diamond ring and note that said: “Will you marry me?”
•    My husband waited until Christmas Eve to shop and was so proud of himself for finding pinking shears. The only problem was that they were left-handed (and I’m not).
•    In third grade, I got two dolls. Once, I remember that my brother got a yellow dump truck and we “hauled” ashes on the hearth in the old farmhouse. Another year, I asked for a French harp, and my grandmother got it for me.
•    An Atari. I wanted one so badly! When I woke up, the gift under the tree didn’t look big enough to be one. But, it was! Also, the first year my wife and I were together, she gave me a framed picture of my mom and dad.
•    I guess I could say when I got the second model of the Barbie doll – which entertained me for years or the purple bicycle with a banana seat; but, these are things. What I think were the best Christmas gifts ever were the phone calls from my brother on Christmas Day. After Christmas dinner at noon, the adults would rest, and I would play with my toys while we all eagerly awaited the phone call from my brother, whether it was from Brazil, New Zealand, Greenland – wherever the Army Mapping service had sent him. 
•    My first ring. It was memorable because it was in my stocking, and that surprised me. It was special because it was my birthstone and my first nice piece of jewelry. I think I was 11. Later, I lost it fishing with Daddy on a friend’s pond bank.
•    A bike and all the rings my parents gave me. But most memorable was my engagement ring. After the proposal, I ran around screaming and jumping up and down! I called all of my family and friends. I was so excited!
•    When I was 14, I was Christmas shopping with my mom and picked out a white cable-knit pullover sweater. She got it for me, and I wore it for years. This Christmas memory reminds me of my mother’s desire to give me something I wanted.

Memories and traditions are a big part of our Christmas celebrations. This season, I hope you make a few good ones. As Saint Nicholas said, “Happy Christmas to all…!”