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Christmas Memories From a Baby Boomer
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Christmas Memories From a Baby Boomer I love Christmas and always have. Growing up, my siblings and I were so very excited to see the one big present Santa would bring us. Like one year I got a 2 foot tall bride doll standing up near the tree; another year I got a Mickey Mouse watch with a thick pink band. Another year when I was a little older I got a square white transistor radio with a wide handle and a supply of 9 volt<b> batteries. </font></b>Our stocking always was one of our own from our underwear drawer; Santa always left some walnuts, a candy cane, curly hard candies and also an apple and orange. That was such a treat and we squealed with excitement! As time went on and I had my own family starting in the 70's, I tried to keep things on the down low as far as Santa. I did get my a bit more than I got as a , to mean a few more gifts to actually open. They did have their own stockings too but got a little more than walnuts, candy canes and fruit. I am sure it wasn't much more but they were happy. Now they have their own families and I am shocked at the material things Christmas stands for these days. It has become so much more commercialized that my heart breaks. The true meaning of what Christmas is all about is gone...My grandchildren are spoiled beyond belief when it comes to material things, toys, electronics etc. The shopping nightmares; folks shooting one another over a parking spot at the mall; gifts getting stolen from cars and also porches that were delivered by UPS; people waiting days in line to get inside a store on black Fridays; spraying mace on someone so they can't get to certain merchandise; people being rude and using road rage on the streets near the malls.....and the list goes on. Many stores stay open even on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. When I was growing up you couldn't find a place to buy a quart of milk if you ran out on a holiday! What has happened to our world? This season, I am doing a random act of kindness. Not sure what it is yet but I will do one...pay it forward in some way, help someone less fortunate than myself. Thats what Christmas is all about to me...and it wouldn't hurt to be like that anytime we can. God bless us all! Holiday {=} {=} KCClaire0923 |
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hi.. I agree.. Christmas is so materialistic now.. that it's beyond acceptable.. Christmas is a family time.. Getting together to see each other, and have some good food... Giving gifts is part of it.. but I think it should be a small part of it... I enjoy Christmas.. I think though, that the true meaning of Christmas is gone for a lot of people..I wonder if they really enjoy Christmas any more or if it is such a big commercialized activity that it's just too much for the average person. ( like me..lol ) Looking forward to a good year ahead!! Stars_light4U
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It is part of being a capitalistic society, I'm not against capitalism it is just a consequence of unbridled commercialism. The actual reason behind the celebration is essentially lost in the noise. When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
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The days of yore, gone but not forgotten. I have to agree with Rascal, it's the damn commercialism that's ruined everything, the day after Halloween the X-mas stuff started going up in the stores. I guess they've figured fuck Thanksgiving altogether, there's no bucks in it, but X-mas, bring on the greenbacks !!!!
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It's not the same as it used to be. The spirit of the season is lost. I used to be able to drive from my sisters and see the lines at the Targets when they opened at midnight, now they are open at 6pm on Thanksgiving. SO glad I don't work in retail. As for online shopping back in the day, we'd get the Sears catalog out and order from it and pick it up at the store. No fights to buy that hot item. It was a much better time.
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With eight children, my parents always struggled at Christmas time, just to get us two presents each for under the tree. They told us to look through the Sears catalog and choose several things we wanted and they would choose two off our list. I can't remember them giving us a price maximum but I'm sure they did. I know that they barely got the Sears card balance paid off before it was again Christmas. I don't remember that the presents were extravigant...like others have said...a doll, a science kit, a new shirt.. I remember when I was a young mom of two kids, most of the presents were for my kids...toys and books for kids didn't seem all that expensive back in the day....but the number of presents diminished as they got older...because the gifts were so much more expensive. A lot more techy presents. Fortunately, my daughter and son in law have taught their two kids well. Sure some of the gifts are a bit pricey and so they don't get very many and the kids are fine with that. What is so cool is that each present is so very special for each person...they know each other so well that they know just what to get them....and often it is just a shirt or a trinket but it's something they are really interested in...like minions, star wars, etc. And funny. My son and his wife are the same way. I get to be with my kids and grand kids at Christmas, have some good food, watch them open their presents, visit, play card games...it's a good time. When I get together with my 7 siblings for our Christmas thing, we usually do it in January, to let the other sides of all the families do actual Christmas day. We rent a big kitchen/meeting room house down south of where I live...we all cook up a huge feast together in the kitchen...and most of the presents we exchange are hand made...we are a crafty bunch. I don't think any of us do the Black Friday thing...or fight the traffic at the malls...we do a lot of online shopping for the unique gifts we want to give. Happy Holidays everyone  Read RESPECT WE all NEED to do Better and Re Petition to Stop Transsexuals from Using Female Profiles
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With eight children, my parents always struggled at Christmas time, just to get us two presents each for under the tree. They told us to look through the Sears catalog and choose several things we wanted and they would choose two off our list. I can't remember them giving us a price maximum but I'm sure they did. I know that they barely got the Sears card balance paid off before it was again Christmas. I don't remember that the presents were extravigant...like others have said...a doll, a science kit, a new shirt.. I remember when I was a young mom of two kids, most of the presents were for my kids...toys and books for kids didn't seem all that expensive back in the day....but the number of presents diminished as they got older...because the gifts were so much more expensive. A lot more techy presents. Fortunately, my daughter and son in law have taught their two kids well. Sure some of the gifts are a bit pricey and so they don't get very many and the kids are fine with that. What is so cool is that each present is so very special for each person...they know each other so well that they know just what to get them....and often it is just a shirt or a trinket but it's something they are really interested in...like minions, star wars, etc. And funny. My son and his wife are the same way. I get to be with my kids and grand kids at Christmas, have some good food, watch them open their presents, visit, play card games...it's a good time. When I get together with my 7 siblings for our Christmas thing, we usually do it in January, to let the other sides of all the families do actual Christmas day. We rent a big kitchen/meeting room house down south of where I live...we all cook up a huge feast together in the kitchen...and most of the presents we exchange are hand made...we are a crafty bunch. I don't think any of us do the Black Friday thing...or fight the traffic at the malls...we do a lot of online shopping for the unique gifts we want to give. Happy Holidays everyone I only have one older sister and sadly we are not close.. I also have to share the holidays for my two daughters and grandkids every other year with my former husband and his current wife#4 and her family...So I have spent more Thanksgivings and Christmases alone since my divorce in 2007 than I care to admit. But, it doesn't make me sad at all, because I usually volunteer at my local shelter serving meals or cleaning up, sorting donations etc. Now THAT is the best feeling, better than any gift I could ever receive. It keeps me humble and I appreciate more what I have been blessed with, which isn't much but a far cry more than what Ii see come in the door for a hot meal and a warm place to be for an hour or so. {=} {=} KCClaire0923
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