CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

Andrea Elizabeth tagged me to share some Christmas memories awhile ago; since it is almost Old-Calendar Christmas, I'll give it a go. I'm not quite sure what I was intended to do, but this post is my attempt to respond to that request.

1. The Christmases I spent in Peru were very special to me; I remember primarily the deep sense of mystery as the holiday approached, and decorations began to go up. Mystery, and anticipation, as if something too good for words were approaching. These were not our most affluent Christmases, there were no white Christmases, as it was the beginning of summer (or "rainy season, as it was known in that locality). This is something I have often noticed about holidays and vacations generally; the ones I appreciate most in retrospect are not the ones filled with activity, but the ones where there is stillness. Also, the occasions when I had most fun as a child were not when we were going out doing fun things, but when I was able to interact naturally with other children (and, occasionally adults), which is only possible in an unpressured environment. This is the problem with people going bananas trying to make Christmas nice for their kids; people living harassed and frenzied existences increasing the frenzy for the holidays. I suppose in many cases, they are literally destroying peace in a vain attempt to recreate the peace they remember from Christmases in childhood. I'm not saying that if you polled the youngsters, they would give the thumbs up to singing Hymns in lieu of getting their favorite toy or a trip to the ski lodge; I do know that I don't remember many of the toys I got for Christmas as a kid, but I do remember sitting around a lighted Christmas tree in the evening with family and close friends, the house lights off, softly singing carols on Christmas Eve.
2. I remember driving up into the mountains of Oregon to cut our own Christmas tree; we kind of made a day of it. Fun and fellowship, snow, a nice hike through the woods, and the piney smell in the car on the way home. Somehow, using a farmed tree for Christmas always seemed a little sacrilegious to me; I won't even mention the supreme blasphemy of an artificial one.
3. The one Christmas I spent in New England was interesting; for one thing, it was the only time I have had really serious snow over Christmas. That, and having churches with tall steeples with clocks in them all over the place made it feel kind of like living inside the stereotypical Christmas card.