Make a memory with your children,
Spend some time to show you care;
Toys and trinkets can't replace those
Precious moments that you share.
Money doesn't buy real pleasure,
It doesn't matter where you live;
Children need your own attention,
Something only you can give.
Childhood's days pass all too quickly,
Happy memories all too few;
Plan to do that special something,
Take the time to go or do.
Make a memory with your children,
Take the time in busy days;
Have some fun while they are growing,
Show your love in gentle ways.
Elaine Hardt
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Santa Claus is coming to town
"You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town"
A peek at more of the unique ornaments on the tree. The beautiful Santa was made by Patti. It is one of my favorite ornaments on the tree and always takes a special place on the tree.
Also on the tree are several handmade sets of Santa and Mrs. Claus. The whimsical pair below are such fun. The green silk ball is one of three on the tree that belonged to my grandparents.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Bye-bye Santa
In December 2006 we were hosting a family get-together after Christmas for two nephews and their wives who'd flown into town to attend the Bears vs. Packers New Year's Eve footbal game. My brother John, his wife Marianne, and their three children were travelling from Wisconsin to join my family in welcoming the North Carolina families to town. Late in the day, shortly before they all arrived we discovered that our Santa had been stolen from the front yard.
I was upset and wrote the following as a Letter to the Editor. It appeared the following week in the local newspaper. Our Santa was never found. At the time I looked for a photo of him and did not locate one during my quick search. I need to go back and really search through albums and boxes of photographs to see if I can find one of him. If not, he will remain just a memory - a very fond memory.
***********
Christmas is special – especially when viewed through the eyes of small children. Through their eyes twinkling lights, music boxes, and toy trains are filled with the awesome wonder of Christmas with Santa as their most recognized Christmas symbol. My children are now grown and living in their own homes. Two of them have children of their own
A very long time ago, in an effort to bring special Christmas joy to my children, I designed and painted a large old-fashioned “Father Christmas” Santa. This Santa and his bundle of pretend goodies proudly stood in our yard for almost 20 years. This wooden symbol welcomed friends and family to our home and always brought a smile to my face as it evoked warm memories of my own childhood and the childhood of my children. This Santa was more than wood and paint to us. It represented memories of Christmas past, and the joy of the Christmas season as seen through the eyes of a child.
Through rain and snow Santa stood less than 15 feet from our front window and front door as witness to children’s happy giggles and to those years when for the first time there was a symbolic empty chair at our table. Last year, as I wrapped packages I often glanced out the window where Santa was keeping a silent vigil with me while I waited for word from a 1,000 miles away about the severity of the stroke that suddenly felled my father. Wearing his Santa hat Dad died a few days later on Christmas Day so his was the chair that was symbolically empty at our table this year.
Unfortunately Santa wasn’t here to ring in 2007 with us. This family tradition met an unexpected end sometime the Friday night before New Years when Santa was stolen from our yard. Needless to say we felt violated by the vandals who deposited a string of Christmas lights in our yard in place of our Santa. Wonder who is missing some lights and if our Santa was unceremoniously dumped at the next house that was vandalized? This random act of vandalism cast a pall on the family festivities Saturday as we welcomed seven out-of-state nieces and nephews who grew up with our Santa and our family traditions.
Monetarily, our Santa was worth just a few dollars – the cost of wood and paint and my time and creativity. Besides, how do you put a price tag on tradition? To my family and to me our Santa was priceless. We have lost a tradition and a sense of well-being. Most importantly however, I am deeply saddened that my grandchildren have been deprived of our long-standing family Christmas tradition.
I was upset and wrote the following as a Letter to the Editor. It appeared the following week in the local newspaper. Our Santa was never found. At the time I looked for a photo of him and did not locate one during my quick search. I need to go back and really search through albums and boxes of photographs to see if I can find one of him. If not, he will remain just a memory - a very fond memory.
***********
Christmas is special – especially when viewed through the eyes of small children. Through their eyes twinkling lights, music boxes, and toy trains are filled with the awesome wonder of Christmas with Santa as their most recognized Christmas symbol. My children are now grown and living in their own homes. Two of them have children of their own
A very long time ago, in an effort to bring special Christmas joy to my children, I designed and painted a large old-fashioned “Father Christmas” Santa. This Santa and his bundle of pretend goodies proudly stood in our yard for almost 20 years. This wooden symbol welcomed friends and family to our home and always brought a smile to my face as it evoked warm memories of my own childhood and the childhood of my children. This Santa was more than wood and paint to us. It represented memories of Christmas past, and the joy of the Christmas season as seen through the eyes of a child.
Through rain and snow Santa stood less than 15 feet from our front window and front door as witness to children’s happy giggles and to those years when for the first time there was a symbolic empty chair at our table. Last year, as I wrapped packages I often glanced out the window where Santa was keeping a silent vigil with me while I waited for word from a 1,000 miles away about the severity of the stroke that suddenly felled my father. Wearing his Santa hat Dad died a few days later on Christmas Day so his was the chair that was symbolically empty at our table this year.
Unfortunately Santa wasn’t here to ring in 2007 with us. This family tradition met an unexpected end sometime the Friday night before New Years when Santa was stolen from our yard. Needless to say we felt violated by the vandals who deposited a string of Christmas lights in our yard in place of our Santa. Wonder who is missing some lights and if our Santa was unceremoniously dumped at the next house that was vandalized? This random act of vandalism cast a pall on the family festivities Saturday as we welcomed seven out-of-state nieces and nephews who grew up with our Santa and our family traditions.
Monetarily, our Santa was worth just a few dollars – the cost of wood and paint and my time and creativity. Besides, how do you put a price tag on tradition? To my family and to me our Santa was priceless. We have lost a tradition and a sense of well-being. Most importantly however, I am deeply saddened that my grandchildren have been deprived of our long-standing family Christmas tradition.
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