By Bonita Wilborn
As the holiday season approaches, my mind goes back to special Christmas memories from my childhood days. I think of all the traditions of my family, and the things we did to celebrate. Things have changed a lot since then.
One thing I specifically remember is that we always had a live Christmas tree, but having a wood burning heater in the living room, caused the tree to dry out and die very quickly. Therefore we never put our Christmas tree up more than two or three days before Christmas, and we always took in down on December 26th. I know of a few people in modern times that have their Christmas tree up before Halloween and leave it up past New Year’s Day, many others decorate their Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Day, but almost everyone, who is going to put up a Christmas tree, has their tree up by the second week in December.
Growing up in a three bedroom house, which has a total of eight people living in it, didn’t leave much space for a Christmas tree. We always had to rearrange the living room furniture to make room for it. Now, I pass houses along the road which have multiple Christmas trees inside. Last year I heard of one household which had a total of eight Christmas trees. I can’t even imagine having enough lights and decorations to fill up as many as either separate Christmas trees, not to mention having closet space to store that many Christmas decorations. I currently live in an eight room house, which includes two bathrooms. Now I love Christmas as much as the next person, but is it really necessary to have a Christmas tree in a bathroom? To each his own, I guess.
While reminiscing, I couldn’t help thinking about some of the gifts we received, which by today’s standards would seem meager at best. I don’t know what else I might have received from Santa that year, but I specifically remember receiving a red toy typewriter. If only Santa could see me now.
I spent lots of time pecking away at those tiny white keys. I wish now that I had saved some of the stories I created with the hunt and peck system. Modern day children have been exposed to computer keyboards from a very young age, but when I was a child, before the general public even had computers in their home, I had never seen a typewriter keyboard. I couldn’t figure out who chose not to put the ABCs in the order that I learned them when I sang the ABC song in first grade.
I recall having a bright idea one day, or so it seemed at the time. A few days after Christmas, I discovered that the white plastic keys with letters and numbers on them were removable. Still flabbergasted as to why the ABCs were not in the correct order, I decided that I know how to fix it. I’d take the keys all off and put them in the correct order, which I did. Bad idea!
I went into my bedroom, so my mother wouldn’t see what I was doing. I didn’t want to get into trouble for destroying my new Christmas toy. You see, in my mind I wasn’t destroying it: I was fixing it the way it should have been in the first place. So, behind closed doors, I pulled off every one of the letters and spread them out on the floor in the correct alphabetical order. Then I began putting the keys back on the little metal pegs that held the keys in place. I was so proud of myself when I finally placed the “Z” on that last peg. Nevertheless, my pride was soon dashed when I put in a sheet of paper and tried to type my name. Although I had pressed the correct letters on the keys, which I had just rearranged, what showed up on the paper was “Wgfozq Estdtfzl” instead of Bonita Clements. That’s when I discovered that it wasn’t important where the keys were. What mattered was the metal bar that hit the paper when I pressed down on whatever plastic key happened to be on the other end of it. Not being familiar with where the letters were originally supposed to have been, it took me a long time to get them back in the right place. I had to press down on the metal pegs, one at a time, and whatever letter showed up on the paper was the letter that was supposed to be placed on it.
It took me quite a long time to memorize where all those keys were. Even after I finally learned that the “Q” key had magically become the first letter in “typewriter” alphabet, my typing skills were less than great. It wasn’t until I took a typing class in the ninth grade that I graduated from the hunt and peck style of typing to which I had become so accustomed. I’ve since spent a great number of years seated at first one computer keyboard and then another. I recently retired from a job where I spent fifteen years working at a computer. I have started another job where I spend a great deal of time at a computer. I expect to continue a long life and a lot more hours typing. but no matter how many typewriters, or how many different computer keyboards I use in the span of my lifetime, I suspect I’ll never forget that little red typewriter that I received from Santa.
Thinking back to my own childhood, also brought to my mind memories of the few short years that my husband and I were permitted to play the role of Santa. My daughter normally had a long list of things she wanted for Christmas, and as any good Santa would do, I did my best to fill the Christmas list. I always spent lots of time gathering stocking stuffers, and all the little things I knew my daughter would love to have, but just hadn’t thought to ask for.
I also thought of stories which my parents told me of their own childhood Christmas memories. My father told of visiting Santa when he was a child. When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said “A rubber ball.” Can you imagine the look on a modern day Santa’s face, if a child of today asked only for a rubber ball? I specifically remember that Santa’s response to my father’s request for a ball was, “You’re a reasonable little man. I’m sure you’ll get it.” Santa did bring my father a rubber ball, it was red, I think. That’s all he got for Christmas that year, but it’s also all he asked for.
Another Christmas tradition which has changed over the years is the special foods that were prepared days in advance. Women would spend weeks planning and preparing for the special Christmas cakes and goodies that their families loved best. My little family, along with a huge crowd of other families, had Thanksgiving dinner at the local Cracker Barrell. We did, however, gather at my mother’s house for Thanksgiving supper with my siblings.
So no matter how much things might change from generation to generation, from year to year, from day to day, the thing that is most important to remember in the Christmas season, is the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place; the birthday of Jesus.
I hope each of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.