The Wacky Christmas Presents

Thought I would do a quick post on the joy it was to be in my family during the holidays when I was a teenager and in college.  For some reason we went through a strange phase of handmade gifts for one person each year that was truly tremendous.  Now this was my dad's family as they are the most cra cra!  Yeah I love you guys too!

It all began after a very very very long trip from Alabama to Texas and back to visit my Uncle Layne and his family.  For some reason the gods had it out for my dad on that trip.  He was forever getting lost even if he was following someone and we did not have cell phones then so it was hours long to get him back to us.  He tried to get gas with cash once and for some reason the place wouldn't take it.  Who knows?!  Anyway, the Christmas after that summer, me, my brother and my Aunt Pat came up with the great idea of creating him a Texas ID card that would help him wherever he went in Texas.  We took an old picture and made the ID card along with a detailed letter apologizing for his problems and confirming that in the future he would always have a great trip in TX.  Keep in mind, Dad was still fuming about the trip so we were risking our lives.  However, he took it all in stride and carried that ID around for awhile I think.

It then started to get a bit crazy!  My Uncle Layne moved back from Texas a few years later and was living with my Aunt Dot.  He liked to work with wood and made something also for my dad that was the best part of that holiday and truly proved we were rednecks.  If I can find the pictures of this thing I will scan and put them here some time.  Ok, here goes!  Please don't remember us too harshly for this one.  It was a "booger picker."  Yes folks, it was a hand shaped in wood with an extension on one of the fingers to improve the reach!  It was hilarious!  We have photos with a number of family members including my grandmother checking it out.  My dad and his brother are just fools together but I love them for it.

We finally ended this on a simpler note.  My Aunt Dot was the last to get gifted.  She had a bit of a fascination with Tammy Faye Baker back during the days of that horror.  So we put together for her a Tammy Faye Makeup Kit.  It was pink but in it were things like spackle and heavy duty paints.  She got a kick out of it.

After that we kind of waned down but it was pretty funny and shows you that apparently we have no fear in gifts for our family.  Maybe because with it came a lot of love and joy!  I bless them for giving me those memories and not being afraid to enjoy them!

Wishing all my friend and family a booger free holiday!

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The TV

My dad has always had a fascination with TV.  Yes, I have been on a ladder outside the house helping him adjust the antenna.  We had to have it just perfect so we could get all of the 4 channels we had without any lines.  Yes, young'uns, we had 4 channels if we were lucky - ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS.  That year when we started getting what was channel 21 in our area was a big day.  Our televisions had knobs and you had to walk to the really big box on the floor and actually turn the knobs to change the channels.  Some TVs now do not even have a way to change channels without a remote.  Oh, and let's not forget how we had to adjust UHF and VHF.  Weird stuff that!  To make it even worse for all of those not use to these kinds of TV issues, cartoons were only on Saturday morning and if you did not get up to watch them then you missed it.  So there were children everywhere up watching TV on Saturdays while their parents stayed in bed getting some extra rest.  That was how we learned to make our own breakfast.  

You know there was less TV watching back then because well, there were less channels and more work to change a channel.  Also, news was at 5pm and 10pm and no self respecting kid wanted to watch those so they had to be outside playing, doing homework or finding other ways of entertainment and none of them including video games.  Video games were at the arcade until Atari came out.  Atari was my downfall.  Pong was mind numbing and I had one game where I had to pick things up into a space ship and I played that game until my parents had to pick me up and take me out of the room.  

By the way, our TVs back then with only 4 to 5 channels were huge!  I actually helped my dad change a tube in one once.  Seriously!  They were pieces of furniture!  I did not get a TV in my room until I was 16.  Other people got cars, I got TV.  I loved staying up late and watching Johnny Carson.  It was mostly entertaining but honestly it was just because I could.

All in all so much has changed since then.  I do not have one TV in my house now but 5 of them.  Everyone of them is a flat screen with crazy remotes.  It is so sad that in our living room, I have a remote that is setup via computer to access not only the TV but also the satellite box and the Blu Ray player.  How in the world am I expected to get up and turn those on and change channels and all of that!!!!!  We also have DVRs in most rooms.  Come on how lazy is that!  At least with VHS, I had to program the thing with a list of 10 instructions just to get the clock to run.  My aunt was one of the first to have that wand thing for the VHS where you could use your TV Guide (remember those) and scan the info to record.  It was way cool!  Pressing a button now to record sometimes appears difficult.  

We are so spoiled!  Maybe I should go back to getting up to change channels and turn the numerous boxes on and off.  Might lose a little weight that way.  Or maybe I should just turn it all off and go get on my bike like I use to and enjoy the outdoors.  

Sitting at the Kids Table

As we approach the Christmas holiday I can  not help but remember back to not so long ago and even now about how often I sat at the kid's table or whatever it was called depending on where I was.  My clearest memory is with my mother's family.  My grandparents house has been described before and their kitchen sat 8 people who were very cozy.  Right off the kitchen was a bedroom that strangely was where the kid's table usually was.  Often a strange metal folding table was placed in front of the bed and the door to the kitchen was opened so we sat on the bed and almost felt like we were in the kitchen.  Thinking back on it, that was very strange and funny!  Sometimes we ate in the living room but I honestly never got to sit at the adult table in that house during family gatherings.  I did get the privilege when I was in college and would eat with them one to two times a week just me and my grandparents.  I so appreciate that time now that they are gone but even then I knew that it was wonderful to have that time with them.  

In my father's family, we had family gatherings in different locations and very often we were at the "big" table because there were less people but also because it seemed to be the thing to have everyone around one table when possible even the kids.  

At my husband's family during Thanksgiving we followed the usual rotation and it was exciting to get to be at the adult table.  It also holds 8 and is right off the living room where a kid's table is set up.  This year there were 5 grandchildren that were all old enough to sit and eat together and it was strange to see that and know that now Scott and I along with his brother and sister in law do not have to sit there and watch the children.  It is getting surreal!  The adult table at the Rose's is a rotation with people filling in as others leave.  

Overall, it is becoming an interesting experience to now be an adult at the age of 42.  What that means I guess is that we were lucky for a long time to have wonderful people who were older than us taking up those seats.  Honestly, give me the kid's table as long as we can keep those people "with more summers" around to tell us their stories and take up those seats at the adult table.

Silvery and Ceramic Christmas

My grandmothers each had their own styles during Christmas.  My Mom's mother started out with a pretty standard artificial tree when I was younger but of course it had the large bulb lights that were popular at that time.  But as time passed she decided to go with a smaller tree and it became more of a silver color with bright colored bulbs.  I always found it interesting how much her trees stood out in comparison to her who would never have wanted to stand out.  There were so many of us grandkids in my mom's family that we got simple presents from our grandparents like the lovely underwear and the dreaded socks.  At one point when we were all younger there were 10 of us all in that small white house that I described before.  It was complete chaos and often they would send us outside just to get some peace.  It was fun to have Christmas with such a large family.  My parents did a good job of dividing our time between my Mom's family and my Dad's.

My Dad's mom was very traditional at Christmas and I honestly do not remember anything very distinct about my childhood with her during the holidays.  However, as she got older and did not want to put up a tree she went to a cute little ceramic tree that had lights on it that you could turn on and off with a switch.  It was so neat and we all thought how it fit her to have something small and sweet just like her.  She was so much a part of my life as a youngster that she seems to blend in more than she stands out for me.  I remember walks in the neighborhood and her always smiling face when we would visit.

So at Christmas time I often think of my Grandmother's and the joy they brought all of us.


Next:  Crazy Portzer Christmas' and those great last minute hand made gifts - the Texas ID, the Booger Picker and Tammy Faye's makeup kit.