Christmas 1982 - Redux

Found these photos from Christmas 1982 taken at my Grandma LeMASTER's house in Portland, Indiana.  The photos were taken by my brother with a Polaroid camera (remember those?).

Grandma Ruth Pauline (Haley) LeMaster (1911-1990)

Great aunt Carrie (Haley) Thornburg (1905-2003) and dad Ord W. LeMaster

Uncle Paul W. LeMaster

Uncle Victor L. LeMaster

Cousin Nancy LeMaster

Cousin Donna Coats

On Christmas day, after opening presents at our house, we would pack up and make the drive to Portland to spend time with my grandma and all of the relatives there.  The house would be packed, and the food was great!

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday: December 1969

These photographs were in an album owned by my father, and they show members of the extended family in December 1969.  Someone must have had a G.I. Joe Christmas that year, and everyone seems to be getting into the act.

The photo above is of my cousin, Jim Coats, giving the 'victory' sign.  I believe that all of these photographs were taken at Grandma LeMaster's house in Portland, Indiana.  

My cousin, Donna Coats, Jim's sister, was into the act, although not as involved as the others.  This chair must have been the popular spot for photos that year.

 

Cousin Rick Steigerwalt looks decked out and ready for for war, with a smile on his face.  I wonder what is in the package beside him?

Rick's brother, Mark Steigerwalt, is ready to launch a grenade onto the unsuspecting Christmas revelers.

 

Not sure if uncle Vic LeMaster is surrendering or on a suicide mission, but Sgt. York he isn't.

Looking back 40 years at these photographs, I find it interesting the toys that must have been popular, at least in my family, at the time.  This was during the height of the Vietnam War, and I wonder today how many kids will have military items under their tree this year. 

 

Advent Calendar - December 7 - Holiday Parties

It seems like it was easier to get all of the family together when I was a kid than it does now.  I can remember on Christmas Eve gathering at my grandmother WRIGHT's house for dinner and on Christmas day, after opening our presents, we would head over to my grandmother LeMASTER's.

The parties were the main times that we were able to all come together as a family.  At my grandma WRIGHT's it was a smaller crowd because of the family size, but we had cousins on both sides that were about the same age.  There were always someone to play games with.


As an adult, the holiday parties have shifted to my in-laws and my parents.  We don't always get together exactly on Christmas eve or Christmas day, but we manage to try to assemble at some point during the holidays to exchange gifts and catch up.


As I recall, we would open a few gifts on Christmas eve that came from Grandma and relatives.  One particular I remember was the year I opened up a box of rocks.  As the shock was settling in, grandma brought out the real gift, a pogo stick, which was too large to wrap.  I never did figure out quite how to use that thing, but I still remember receiving it.

Advent Calendar - December 6 - Santa Claus

Today's advent calendar theme from Geneabloggers is Santa Claus.  Did you ever write a letter to Santa?  Did you ever visit Santa and "make a list"? Do you still believe in Santa?

I'm sure that I wrote a letter or two to Santa Claus at some point growing up, though I cannot remember any particular letter.  I believe that one time we left a note for him telling him where we were because we had gone to Tennessee to visit my aunt and uncle.  I do remember an incident with my daughter at my parents house where a note was left for Santa while we went out, and when we returned there were presents.  This even is captured on VHS tape, and reminds me that I need to transfer those tapes to DVD format.

I can remember visiting Santa at the local Elks lodge and sitting on his lap with my list.  I know that my parents probably have a photograph or two when we did this.  Also, there are recordings where dad asked us each what we wanted for Christmas.  One incident with my brother and Santa occurred when he started out his wish list with "First, let me tell you what you forgot to bring me last year...".  You can believe that gift was under the tree that year!   


I believed in Santa long after many of my schoolmates stopped believing, I guess I just couldn't prove that he didn't exist.  I never caught my parents playing Santa, nor did I ever sneak around looking for presents.  I guess I was a good little boy! LOL!  


As an adult, I do not place much emphasis on Santa, and try to keep our household focused on Jesus. Our house doesn't have much in the way of Santas.   But I understand the joy that the little ones who still believe find in anticipating what lies under the tree on Christmas morn.

Advent Calendar - December 5 - Outdoor Decorations

Some people really go 'all out' when they do their Christmas decorations, particularly in the realm of outside decorations.  Others prefer the minimalist approach.  I'm somewhere in the middle.


I wonder what my ancestors would think about all of the excessive lights and plastic lawn ornaments.  They probably would think that we were being wasteful of electricity.


Growing up, my parents had quite a collection of outside Christmas ornaments - everything from Santa and the reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Nativity scenes, etc.  My dad would really enjoy setting up the outside displays.  Some of these ornaments have now migrated to my house and my brother and sister's house.  Still today, the grandkids love to come and see all of the decorations that my parents have put outside in their yard.


One lawn ornament, Frosty the Snowman, has migrated to my house.  Apparently, when I was a youngster, I cried and cried when Frosty melted after watching the cartoon TV special.  In an attempt to pacify me, my parents bought a plastic yard ornament of Frosty so they could show my young eyes that Frosty didn't really melt away.  Now, as an adult, Frosty has a home with me.


This year, I only have a minimum of outside decorations - some lights on the bushes, and a Frosty the Snowman.  My neighbor, however, is going for the Clark Griswald award, and lights up the entire neighborhood.  My wife doesn't want me to get involved in a competition, but deep in my heart, I'm plotting how I can do better next year and beat him.

Advent Calendar - December 4 - Christmas Cards

The mail begins to trickle in this time of year with Christmas Cards, and already this year we've received a couple.  Our cards will be adding to the postal service economy here shortly.

We always seem to get a variety of cards and letters at Christmas time.  Some folks take the time to write out a long letter, but most are just the traditional greetings with a message of love.  We try to keep our address book up to date, as there is always someone among our friends or family who seems to have moved within the year.

In the past, there have been times where we've displayed the cards in the tree or across the doorway, etc.  Some in my family have made small Christmas gift boxes out of the old cards from previous years.  Others have placed them in the Christmas tree itself.  Personally, I like to see who uses the same cards as others to see who shares a similar taste.

Our Christmas cards typically express a Christian message - one small way to share the gospel.  Some of the cards we receive share this faith, others are filled with snowmen, Santa or other winter scene.  Occasionally, a friend will send one of those picture cards, showing us how much their children or their pets have grown.

I do not have any Christmas cards of my ancestors, nor do I typically save the cards from year to year unless they are being recycled into a giftbox.  Other than saving new addresses for the address books, the cards usually end up in the trash.


Christmas cards are a good way to stay in touch with loved ones that we don't get to see as often as we would like. 

Advent Calendar - December 3 - Christmas Tree Ornaments

Our family likes Christmas ornaments.  We have all types from homemade ones made by the kids to store bought ones with sentimental attachments.  We definitely have the silly ones, like the Indianapolis Colts one I'm holding in the above photo, to the "Our First Christmas", etc.

My folks like to buy ornaments every year for the grandkids that reflect a period in their lives : an instrument, a sports team, etc.  I have my John Deere ornament and Tony Stewart's car for our tree.  


The kids have made ornaments at school and church that we still have in the collection.  We've also gone to the Walkway of Lights in Marion and purchased handcrafted ones as well.  We have a bit of an eclectic mix of ornaments to choose from when we put up the tree.


Sometimes when the ornaments are past their prime, it is hard to say goodbye to them.  Perhaps that is just the pack rat in me.  


 

Advent Calendar - December 2 - Holiday Foods

I can remember as a kid waking up mom & dad to let them know that Santa had been there.  Once everyone was up, we were tortured into eating breakfast before opening our presents!  Just kidding!  I'm sure the bacon and eggs, and the coffee for mom and dad, helped make the morning go smoother as we ripped into our presents.  Believe me, we ate breakfast at a lightning pace!


Our family pretty much had all of the traditional holiday foods for Christmas dinner - everything from ham to turkey, plenty of pies, even cranberry sauce (yuck!).  Honestly, I probably don't pay enough attention to what is being served - if you fix it, I can eat it.

One particular holiday tradition that I remember growing up involved special "Santa" mugs filled with lime-green holiday punch.  My grandma Wright started this tradition, I believe, and my mom still has this punch every year.  The kids really enjoy it :

Christmas Punch

Makes 36 servings

2 cups sugar                                    6 cups water

3 packages lemon-lime koolaide         2 liters lemon-lime soda

3 cups pineapple-grapefruit juice*       1 quart lime sherbet

1/3 cup lemon juice

About 2 hours before serving, stir half of the lime sherbet in punch bowl to soften.  Mix sugar, koolaide, juices and water together in large pitcher.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  (This could be done ahead of time and chilled).  Blend into the sherbet that is in the punch bowl.  Scoop remaining sherbet on top.  Carefully pour in 7-Up or any lemon-lime carbonated beverage.

*If pineapple-grapefruit juice is not available, mix 1 1/2 cups of pineapple juice and 1 1/2 cups of grapefruit juice.

** Freeze 7-Up ice cubes with drained marschino cherries in the middle for color.

Advent Calendar - December 1 - Christmas Tree

Growing up, our family usually had an artificial Christmas tree, although I do remember the time when we tried to have a live tree.  I believe that the mess and the cleanup it caused was the reason that we were back to an artificial tree the next year.

As an adult, in my family we've always had the artificial tree at Christmas.  Starting out in my married life, I even used a tree or two that was 'recycled', ie. it had belonged to my grandparents or parents.  Talk about a tree that had seen a better day.  Those trees looked a bit like the old Charlie Brown tree by the time I was done with them.

Traditionally, we would put up our Christmas tree after Thanksgiving, though not necessarily right after the turkey was put away.  Mother's birthday was in early December, and as I recall, the times the tree went up seemed to be closely tied to her birthday.

My brother, sister and I would help mom and dad put up the tree and decorations, and that is a tradition that continues at our house today.  Somehow it seems better to make the tree decorating a family project.

Christmas Tree, 2003 model