Sentimental Stories During Christmas

Hi! This time of year, I get a little sentimental and a lot nostalgic. I start thinking about past Christmases that I had and I miss family and friends that have passed. 1987 will go down as one of my favorite Christmases and is a cherished memory.

It was 1987 and I was 19 years old. That year felt magical. I was working at McDonalds and Disney had re-released Cinderella (the original from 1950) in theatres. They had Cinderella toys in the Happy Meals and plush toys to buy. We decorated the store with a tree, garland, and lights. It was really pretty. That McDonalds was built like a log cabin and had a fireplace in the dining room. We put up stockings and made it look real cozy. It looked so nice and inviting.

I was living with my grandma at the time. A few days before Christmas Eve me and Grandma decorated her Christmas tree. Grandma loved to decorate for Christmas and that day was no exception. It was so nice listening to Christmas music on the radio and decorating the tree while talking away. It is one of my fondest memories with her. It was so simple, but it truly was lovely just spending time together.

Every holiday all of us would gather at my Aunt June's house. So as usual all of us were at Aunt June's house for Christmas Eve. Aunt June lived in a large sprawling yellow ranch style house. Her husband, Uncle Lawrence, was a quadriplegic from the Korean war so he needed space to get around in his wheelchair. The house was on top of a very large hill, so you had to drive up to get to it. Well, that night an ice storm hit and all of us got stranded at her house for two days. I'm talking aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone. In Neosho Missouri ice storms are a beast because it's super hilly being the foothills of the Ozark mountains.

Imagine being cooped up in a house with ALL of your relatives and the randomness that ensued. It was chaotic but also a lot of fun. We ate a lot, watched movies we had rented, and played Pictionary. I wish I had a camcorder then. By day three I was like "if these roads aren't okay, I'm sliding down the hill!" lol. My social battery was completely out, and I needed some alone time. But I didn't need to because the roads were cleared enough for us to go home. Being 19 years old I didn't appreciate how special that was but now it is one of my fondest memories and one of the best Christmases I ever had.

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. Take care and be well.