Second Week of Advent: Advent Day 8: Today I am Thankful For My Childhood Memories

As I get ready for another Christmas, I think a lot about the people who made Christmas special for me over the years.  I was very lucky, I grew up in a very traditional, very loving family.  Christmas was Pop's favorite holiday.  That first picture is my Pop in front of the fireplace mantle that he built in our house in Compton, CA.  This was the year of my first Christmas, when I was 10 months old.  (And I said my first word: "Pretty!" for the Christmas tree.)  My brother Walt made all these photos.  He was 12 the year I was born. 

The second photo is my Mom, my sister Susie holding me, and my biggest brother, Butch.  This was in our side yard in Compton, by the avocado tree.  I feel like I had extra parents more than siblings.  Let's just say I had plenty of supervision while growing up.

The third photo is Ernie, who lived next door with his wife Blanche.  Their last name was Craig.  They were some of many older neighbors who functioned kind of like extra grandparents for me.  The Oelkers, who lived down the road, owned a dairy.  They were lots of fun to visit because I got to see the cows. Ernie and Blanche sent me postcards from every place they traveled to.  I kept those for years, and I think I only parted with them when we moved to Europe in 1989.  There was Nelda McGinn who lived next door, who entertained me for hours with her stories and her zither and her songs.  She was very special to me, and I miss her still.  I would love to have been able to tell her about Germany when we lived there, and it would have been fun to tell the Oelkers about it too.  (They were German.) 
The last photo is my Pop, my Uncle Dick, and Aunt Clara.  Uncle Dick was Pop's older brother.  He also really loved Christmas, and every year we had Christmas Eve with him and Aunt Clara, and all the cousins.  Uncle Dick was one of the few people I have ever known who could really be said to be jolly, especially around little kids.  He loved me a lot, I know that.  I miss him so much, even now.  He and Pop were like little kids themselves at Christmas.  Their excitement and joy rubbed off on all of us.  The year Uncle Dick died was hard on all of us, but especially Pop.  Christmas just wasn't the same without Uncle Dick.  (I used to half suspect that he was Santa Claus.  He would have made a good one, even though he didn't have a beard.)
Of course, I miss my Pop most of all.  I was his baby girl, and I was spoiled accordingly.  One reason I haven't put the tree up yet is that I know I need time to do it right, which means waiting to feel Pop's presence around me to supervise, like he always did when I was 10 or so, and first helped him put up the tree.  Every year, even lately, I have felt Pop near, have almost heard his voice when trying to decide where to put ornaments, or adjusting the garland. 
I also remember him when I bake the pies, when Matt slices the ham, when I wrap presents, always remembering how he used to wrap extra stuff in the box to throw us off if we shook our packages. 
Of course I remember Mom when I do the baking and make the fudge every year.  Mom is still with us, but she lives far away, and so I must settle for calling her on the phone to ask about the finer points of making the infamous chocolate pie, or how to tell if the fudge has cooked enough. My rolls never do come out quite as good as hers, though.  I think I don't let them rise long enough, and perhaps our kitchen is a bit too cool for them, as we keep the heat low to compensate for all the work we are doing in there!
The musical memories of Christmas for me are many.  I've been singing in church every year since I was tiny.  These days the caliber of music I get to sing is much better than what I once sang, but I still remember all those pageants with joy.  I listen to Bing Crosby's Christmas album, and Andy Williams, because Mom always played those while we decorated cookies.  I have yet to find the Doris Day Christmas Album like Mom had.  Once I do, I will have all my childhood auditory memories of Christmas!
I never realized when I was little how very lucky I was to have such a family.  It felt normal to me, and yet, it seems it was all too rare to have a family that always gathered more or less harmoniously for holidays.  We did also go to church, on Sundays and during the holidays.  As a family.  You didn't get out of going to church until you moved out on your own.  Live in Pop's house, go to church.  Those were the rules. I suppose because of that, I feel totally lost if I am not a part of a church family.  I am also thankful to have found St Paul's here in Oklahoma.  I still have an extended family to see at Christmas, and every Sunday thanks to St.Paul's. 
I do seem to remember having to wait rather impatiently a couple of Christmases for Walt to get up before I could  open my presents or see what was in my stocking.  Well, he WAS a teenager then, and you know how hard it is for teens to wake up.
So, though it is easy to feel like a grinch this time of year with all the crass consumerism going on, I am still able to see magic and wonder and feel love and goodwill, thanks to the early training I got from my family.
Merry Christmas, Pop.  I'll be expecting your help when I get around to putting the tree up. Uncle Dick and Aunt Clara, you can drop by any time.  I wish I could give each of you a big hug for Christmas like I used to.

Butch, Susie, Walt, and especially Mom, you know I love you.  I always have.  You guys very much WERE my world for a lot of years. Thanks for putting up with me.