Christmas Time is Here

Every year, it seems there is one Christmas song that runs through my head most of the Christmas season. Last year, it was Amy Grant's "A Christmas to Remember" and though I still want to "Light up the fire" and "Wake up to a World of White", this year, it has been the "Christmastime is here" from the Charlie Brown special. This Christmas has been such a nostalgic Christmas for me. I don't really know why, I have just spent a lot of time remembering Christmas' past.

Who else remembers Benedict's Store in Charleston? When I was little, my grandmother didn't drive and my mom and I would take her to do her Christmas shopping. My grandmother very rarely got farther than Greenup so going to Charleston with her was huge, though we still made it home for lunch. I only remember my grandmother eating out one time in my life, she died when I was 18. Anyway, Benedict's was a two story dime store and it was just a wonderland to a little kid waiting for Christmas. One year, in fact probably the last year I got to go, Mom bought three plastic Christmas decorations. When I mentioned them to her, she produced them the next day. They are now proudly on display through my house. I also remember the last time I was there, Silver Bells playing on the music. Funny the things we remember.

How about Holt's in Greenup? That has been another memory that has popped through my mind. One Christmas they were having a drawing for a doll that was as tall as I was, I was so excited about the possibility of winning that doll. I didn't win it but I will always even remember the smell of Holts.

Andrew has found that he has become desensitized to eggs, he has been eating straight eggs, meaning I can make my mom's awesome Fantasy Fudge for the first time in our married life.

We currently have chocolate walnut, peanut butter, butterscotch and white chocolate. That has been a big memory!

I have also went back in time to so many of our Christmas programs. Trygve Butler and Robert were part of my high school boys for the skit in the Awana program. How many Christmas programs were Tryg's mom, Amy and I in together? I have pictures of a couple of times we played our flutes together.

That helps me remember there is no place like home and the love of lifetime friends.

This post is more for me than anyone reading it. I wanted a record for myself of what has been going through my mind. I know I am backwards to the entire world but this is honestly our slow time with band taking up fall and chorus taking up spring, we have had more time than normal. I only bought for Robert and the great-neices this year, everyone else is getting homemade things. I liked that too, I liked the feel of that and will probably expand on that next year.

This is probably not the last "Christmas post" but for today, Merry CHRISTmas!


Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year

Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share

Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there

Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year...