Mama Says: Visiting Christmases Past

We were discussing Christmas the other day. I’ve already told you about the Christmas when my youngest brother was born. It was a very slim Christmas, and yet probably my most memorable.
But Aleta and I were talking about Santa. We always told our kids that when you stop believing in Santa, he stops coming to your house. Then presents are the responsibility of the parents. We also explained that parents didn’t always have a lot of money and that Santa was better at choosing the presents for you. Parents gave you socks and underwear. I was telling Aleta that when I was young, you didn’t let the cat out of the bag, you promoted the idea of Santa to the younger ones. When Aleta came along, the older kids seemed intent on spoiling it for the kids. They seemed to take great pride in being the informant. Aleta laughed and said that every time Jarrod and Dale tried to tell her that Santa wasn’t real, they got whopped.

I remember the year my two younger brothers were supposed to get a trail bike for Christmas. Unlike a today, they were going to have to share, my parents could not buy two. It was ordered from Western Auto and my father had been assured that it would arrive in time for Christmas. Well you know how things like that go. My father kept checking back the week before Christmas. He came home so disappointed on Christmas Eve. The boys would not get their main present. And while they would get a couple of little things, their Christmas would probably be disappointing. I suggested that he write a letter from Santa, telling the boys he couldn’t get it on the sleigh. My father liked that idea, so Daddy appointed me to write the letter. And I had so much fun!! I explained how the elves had made them such a special trail bike, and then couldn’t fit it on the sleigh. Santa was so sorry, but he had shipped it from the North Pole to the Western Auto store in Chiefland, and it should arrive right after Christmas. The letter was put under the tree, my parents were happy. My brothers were delighted with the letter and tickled pink with their expected gift.

This was probably much more than those two rascals deserved. After all, just a couple of years before, they had developed a plan to waylay old Santa with a baseball bat, and keep all the toys in his sack!! They had planned this for several days. Thank goodness they fell asleep before he arrived or they would have been on his naughty list for years.