Christmas Time!

I love Christmas....

Bobby is kinda a scrooge. 

We went to my grandma's for Thanksgiving. And just to preface, my grandma really likes Christmas, so I must run in the family. But her house is decked out galore. Bobby said it looked like Santa puked all over....

He also told me I couldnt have Christmas decorations. 

Well we have two trees hahaha

and he made me change my ringtone...

im just going to make a new sneaky christmas one 

But Along with picture of my decorations, I would like to share my all time favorite Christmas story. 

This was written by my great grandma. 

THE GOODY BOX CHRISTMAS

By Faye B. Gardner 

           It was Christmas time during the beginning years of the Great Depression in a little valley town nestled in the Wasatch Mountains. In this little town there lived a small family consisting of a daughter, two sons, and their parents. The family loved one another and seemed so happy. The parents enjoyed having the children's friends come to share dinner, parties, picnics, or just to play in the bit yard beside the modest home.

      This particular Christmas, however, the atmosphere seemed a bit different in the home and in the town. Missing was the gaiety that usually accompanied the Christmas shopping season. There was less caroling, and the older people of the town went about with somber looks on their faces. Not much was said about the Christmas season at all. The depression had come to the little town and many people were not only out of work, but out of money and food as well. The father of the little family had lost his job a few weeks earlier. There were no other jobs to be found and money was very scarce.

      As Christmas approached, both he and the mother seemed preoccupied and quieter than usual. But the daughter, who was quite a bit older than her brothers, wasn't worried. She knew everything would be all right for their Christmas; it always was. She looked at the many lovely things in the store windows and could think of just dozens of items she would like to have.       On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, the father brought home a much smaller than usual Christmas tree and put it in its stand. After supper was over, the family gathered around the tree and each one got to hang his favorite ornament. The candles were placed in their little holders which clipped onto the branches. They lit each candle as everyone watched with bated breath. The tree seemed so beautifully alive with light. After the candles were lit, the little family listened to the mother read the Christmas story from the Bible, after which they sang some songs, said their prayers and all tumbled into bed.

      The children were awakened every hour by the striking of the clock and lay wondering if they dared ask if it was time to get up. At last it was five o'clock and time to dash into the living room to see what Santa had left them. Father was there already, and had the candles glowing brightly on the tree. The little boys ran for their toys, of which there were only a few this year. After watching .and laughing with them for awhile, the young girl went to look for her own gifts. She looked around but saw nothing except her Christmas stocking hanging over her chair .She glanced at her mother and saw her watching with sadness and anxiety in her eyes. The father was sort of helping the little ones with their toys and pretended not to see the questioning look on his only daughter’s face.

      Forcing herself to smile, she dived into the contents of the stocking. There were some lovely candies and nuts, a large red apple and an orange, and in the very tip of the stocking, a small package. Smilingly, she pulled it out and carefully tore the wrappings off. It was a small box with a lovely bracelet with blue stones in a silver setting; inexpensive, but very, very lovely.

      "Oh, how pretty! It will just match the dress you made me for my birthday, Mama!" she said.

      Tears filled the mother's eyes and the anxiety seemed to fade away a little bit. The father, too, looked relieved and said, "It's not very much, honey, but being out of work this year..."

      And then, all of a sudden, the awful truth hit the young girl. This WAS her Christmas this year! There were no other gifts! It was then, at that very moment, that she began to realize what the word "depression" really meant. She sadly reflected how things had changed since the father had lost his job; how there were less of luxury goodies around the house, fewer new clothes, more "making do." She knew that somehow she was being tested.

      "It's the very nicest gift I could ever want. I love it!" Then she gave each parent a hug then turned her attention to her two young brothers' frolicking to hide her tears of disappointment. It was the family tradition to always go to their grandpa and grandma's home for the Christmas dinner. All the aunts, uncles, and cousins came bringing fun and their specialty food. The mother had also prepared her best dishes and she soon had everything ready to take to Grandma's house. The father loaded the sled with various mysterious boxes and they set out for Grandma's house which was only a few blocks away.

      They had gone only one short block, however, when they stopped and the mother said, "We'll be stopping a minute while your daddy takes this small box of goodies into Mr. Ross and Louie."

      Mr. Ross and Louie were close neighbors. Mrs. Ross had died a long time ago and the girl knew there was no mother in the house for Louie.

      ''What's in the box?" the young girl asked.

      "Well, just some bread, a little fruit and cake, and the chicken we fixed for them. There are some apples and a bit of candy. It's not much this year, but it will help brighten the day for them."

      How can they be giving things away? the young girls thought. They don't even have enough for themselves. But she remembered other Christmas mornings when she had played with her toys while the father had gone around with boxes visiting all the neighbors. Giving was vitally important to him.  Another three blocks down the road, they stopped again to visit old Mr. Kreykendall. He was a strange man; even his name was strange. He lived all alone, and sometimes the kids were scared of him. Father had said he was kind and wouldn't even hurt a flea; that he was just a lonely old man. After the goody box was left, Mr. Kreykendall followed the father out to the gate, thanked the family, and wished them a Merry Christmas. He invited them to come back again sometime.

      Just a couple of blocks from Grandma's house lived another strange person that all the kids called "crazy." She used to wear an old scarf around her thin hair, and she would sometimes jump out of the bushes and scare the kids as they walked home from school. But that didn't bother the mother and father any. They stopped and left the last box with her. When they left, "Crazy Kate" was peering through her grimy window, smiling and waving at them.

      At Grandma's house, all was laughter, talk and excitement as they put the dinner on the table. It was a very small pioneer-type home, there since the early days of the little town. It had always been full of people, warmth and love. Grandma was always certain that she had food enough for everyone and one or two besides. If anyone came while they were eating, she would say, "Pull up a chair and have a bite with us." If the person hesitated because of the inconvenience or the crowd then Grandfather would say, "Come on! There's a-plenty! If there's room in the heart, there's room in the house! Pull up a chair!" And they usually did.

I know about all of this because, you see, I was that young girl, those were my dear parents and my two little brothers. Those were my neighbors who received the goody boxes and it was to my grandparent's home we went on to that long ago Christmas. I tell you this story because this was the Christmas I really grew up. I was twelve at that time. Afterwards, as I lay in my bed reviewing the fun of the day, I remembered my early morning disappointment, but I still felt the love for my parent's hugs! I saw again the happiness on the faces of a lonely neighbor and his young son when someone remembered them on Christmas, the thanksgiving and joy in an old man's heart because he knew that he had a good friend, and the toothless grin of an old lady as she waved through a dirty window pane to her friends.

      I felt again the warmth and love that flowed all through Grandmother's kitchen as family gathered together to share what they had. It was then that I realized Christmas was a joyous time of loving, caring and sharing. That night I made a promise to myself that I would like to make my family's Christmas just like it. I would make it a time to share what I had with someone who had need of a friend.

      Many Christmas seasons have come and gone since then, but I am happy to say I have kept my promise. We've had many kinds of Christmases these past fifty years: when there was sickness, when someone's chair stood empty at the table, when we were richer, or much poorer. But there has never been a Christmas without the goody boxes! The little silver and blue bracelet is long gone, but the great lesson of sharing and caring that it taught me has never been forgotten. It all began with one memorable Christmas in a valley town in the Wasatch Mountains.

<3

Now i have to at least explain this picture.

I have this giraffe. My grandma gave me a bunch of decorations and this santa head was in it.

I didnt know what to do with it so i put it on the giraffe. I know it is creepy but i think it is hillarious.

So it  will stay.

Yay for Christmas!!! I love it :)

and my new favorite Christmas song:

Baby, Its Cold Outside- She & Him

last year's favorite:

Mamacita, Donde Esta Santa Claus - Gunther 

All time favorite:

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays- Nsync haha