Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The sounds of Christmas...

When I was 6 or 7 years old, I slept in the bottom bunk of a set of bunk beds which my Dad made….I wonder what happened to those bunk beds. I recall that were monstrously huge and very heavy to move. Years later they would be moved to the smaller bedroom where Matt and Mark would sleep. Mark fell out of the top bunk on night when he slid under the guard rail and broke his collar bone. I don’t think we moved that bed to Imlay years later.

Thanksgiving had come and gone and it was obvious that we were getting ready for Christmas. Many nights I would lay in my bed, listening to the activity in the rest of the house. I would hear Mom open the leaf on the table to make it bigger. I would hear a soft thud as she placed something on the table followed by a metallic clicking sound which sounded like I was unbuckling my boots. Soon I would hear a hum, a pleasant sound, that would start and stop regularly. Then a clicking noise or two and followed but the hum again. A shuffle of paper and a snipping sound and again the hum. I would lay there looking at the plywood bottom of the top bunk trying to imagine what my parents were doing.



I would hear the grinding squeak of the cardboard table, as someone opened it. My father made our Christmas cards for many years. He would start around Thanksgiving with construction paper, stencils, pens, paint, sequence, glitter and glue. He would draw shapes and we would cut them out. He would sit in front of the TV and assemble cards and write on the inside. This was back in the 1960’s long before crafting and card making became the trend that it is today! I wish I had some of those old cards he made! I think he would be pleasantly surprised how popular this activity had become. I believe he enjoyed making them. He was very creative but their may have been a financial budget purpose to it as well.

I would lie in my bed listening to the sounds of holiday activities until I eventually fell asleep. The next morning I would go out to the kitchen. The table would be small again and ready for our breakfast. The card table would be nowhere in sight…I would wonder what they were doing…When I would go to bed the next evening the process would repeat again ….The sound of Christmas and wonderful memories…

Be sure to take a moment to look, listen and really fully experience the new Christmas memories you are making!



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, Jan

1 comment:

  1. Oh, Jan, what memories this evokes! This is how I remember your family; down to Freckles! I also remember your dad's homemade Christmas cards. I think of you all every time I make the curve at 29 and Mound. It was a great life, wasn't it? How I miss your mom & dad, but oh, how happy you all continue to make them!

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