Christmas Memories

 

After going to Christmas Mass we would go to Mamie and Papa's to see what Santa left there for me.  I thought it was pretty nice of Santa to come both to my home and then to my grandparents home to leave gifts.  Papa always said that when Santa brought their Christmas gift he always realized he forgot to leave something at my place but knew that I would be there to visit so would get it after all.  I thought that it must be the elves that kept Santa on track if he was that forgetful every single year.  The gift at my grandparents would range of small interesting gifts like this little farm house with animals or a tricycle.  Larger gifts would find their way there since in the early days Mom and Dad could not afford the more expensive gifts.  

Most of my Christmas dresses or outfits came from England and Marks and Spencer.  Gran and Grandad always sent me a new dress and a new winter coat and matching hat each year.  If the old coat still fit then it would become an everyday coat and the new one would be for Sunday best.  

Mom and Mamie would switch each year for the making of Christmas dinner, and the opposite for New Year.  If Christmas was at the grandparents then New Year was at our home and vise versa.  The years it was at the grandparents we would just stay all afternoon until dinner time and if dinner was at our place then we would stop on the way home from church and then head home after and Mamie and Papa would join us later. 

The grown ups would exchange gifts then too but I thought they were pretty boring, Papa always got a carton of Craven M (cigarettes) and Mamie a box of chocolates.  Parents would receive something similar. As I said - to a kid, pretty boring unless of course those getting chocolates were sharing - LOL.