Give me an "Old Time Christmas"!

This time of year causes most of us to wax nostalgic. We long to return to the Christmases that we knew as a child..those happy, carefree days when there was a certain magic about each and every part of the holidays. For some reason, Christmas as an adult just does not compare to what we remember. The toys under the tree might have been a bit sparser and were definitely a lot cheaper but they were far superior to the wants of children today. The cookies..no one today can make cookies like our moms did back in the day and they did not use mixes, fancy kitchen gadgets nor nonstick bakeware. Still their cookies were beyond compare. Why, even the trees were prettier. I still long for a Christmas tree bedecked in paper chains, popcorn and cranberry garlands and the large, old fashioned lights with their soft glow. Somehow these things just seemed better. Now, there is a "need" for everyone to outdo the neighbor with more and more elaborate decorations and expensive gifts. We all go broke trying to have a happy Christmas when none of the trappings is what makes this day. It is in our hearts.

Looking back, there were plenty of times that most of our presents from "Santa Claus" were refurbished toys. Those elves sure had their work cut out for them! Time was short on the farm with money being shorter. This would have made for a dire situation at Christmastime had there not been the helping hands that chipped in to create a bit of happiness for each of us. Great-aunt Ruth had to be the original "bag lady" as she scoured the trash cans along side the road of her daily walk. If she found some discarded toy that seemed repairable, she snatched it and toted it home. These were then delivered to Grandpa Joe and Grandma Hattie for refurbishing. Dolls received "doctoring" to repair the broken arms or legs and were dressed in lovely home-sewn outfits. Toy trucks were sent to the shop in Grandpa's shed to have their wheels replaced and were usually given a new paint job! All of this was done in secret. On Christmas night when Santa visited our house, no one was the wiser. The toys were placed under a pine or cedar tree from the woods and the stockings were filled with fruit and always a shiny, new penny. Early the next morning, we awoke to a living room full of wonderful things. We played with our "new" toys while Mom and Dad cooked the most fabulous feast we had ever seen! More oft than not, a chicken from the coop baked to perfection, potatoes, green beans and corn from the jars canned during the summer and perhaps a pecan pie using nuts from the orchard. Christmas had come to the farm and it was always a happy time.

These things all brought smiles that day but it was not any of that that brought the happiness..it was what was in the heart. The love we shared as a family was the true gift of the season. Isn't that what this is all about anyway? Sharing love for one another with the celebration of the birth of Christ? Somehow this has all gotten far out of hand and it just makes me want to have an "Old Time Christmas".