Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell was an artist who painted many different scenes starting in the early 1900s. Most of them were of big happy families or modern homes. If your family wasn’t like the latest magazine cover, you might have felt inadequate or that something was missing in your life. My family certainly could have never posed for an issue but that never bothered me. Our holidays were fun and I smile when I think about them. Like everyone does, I thought they would last forever.
 
But as time goes on, things happen and our lives are forever altered.  With sadness I sit and think about all we have lost.  And a tear slowly slides down my cheek.  For I know life will never be the same.

I weep for the mother who will not hold her daughter’s hand as she walks into her kindergarten class for the first time and for the mother who will never straighten a cap on graduation day.  For the mother who asked her son what his unborn children’s name would one day be and for the father who will never walk his daughter down the aisle, I weep.   For the grandfathers who missed Eagle Scout ceremonies and the grandmothers who loved to rock grandchildren, I weep.  I shed tears for the grandparents who never saw the great grandchild named for them and for the great grandmothers who were the hub that held the spokes of the family.

In the stillness of the day, I mourn what will never again be.  But I thank God for the time we had, the memories we shared and the traditions that I hope will continue as the years pass by.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFjdfjrtf1Q.

Catawba Heights Elementary School

The elementary school that I attended in the 60s was small.  I can remember some of the activities that our school did but what I remember most are Christmases.  In the 1st grade, we went to the local radio station and sat on the floor in a big room.  Santa spoke to us from the North Pole over the intercom.  Later we had cookies and an orange drink.  For our party at school, the grade mothers fixed little ceramic mugs that were shaped like Santa faces.  Inside were a few pieces of chocolate and a candy cane.  In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we drew pictures to hang in our classroom and in the hall.  We didn't skip our math and spelling lessons but we made time for art projects. 

The year I was in the 5th or 6th grade, we had a Christmas program for the school and parents.  I can still remember some of the songs we sang.  One was 'Pablo the Reindeer' and the girls who sang it wore 'antlers' on their head.  The antlers were actually branches from a silver Christmas tree that was popular back in the 60s.  We enjoyed singing any song that had movement such as 'Rudolph the red nosed reindeer'.  I'm not sure if teachers now are allowed to do some of the things we did years ago.  It would be a shame if kids couldn't learn the words or motions to 'Must Be Santa'. 

Christmas is such a magical time of year and I hope my CHES 1966-1972 classmate's memories are as good as mine.  Merry Christmas!

Christmastown USA

One of the small towns that is located near my home is nicknamed 'Christmastown USA'.  In 1956, a group of men started a tradition at Christmas of hanging color lights on a few trees downtown. Afterwards a local businessman and his wife decided to have all of the trees covered with lights for the first part of Dec.  Each of the residents is responsible for their own house and yard.  Some people hang a wreath on the door, while others have candles in every window and lights on every tree in their yard.  The pond in the center of town has a fountain with different color lights and all of the trees around the pond are lighted also.  A new feature is Old Man Winter blowing the chilly air.  One of the churches on Main St. always has a nativity with a star attached high above on a pole.  Beautiful music plays over a loudspeaker and it is a very moving scene.

When the tradition first started, only red, green and white lights were used.  After 9-11, a single tree in town was covered with red, white and blue lights in honor of our military. 

The town lights are on each night until just after Christmas.  People come from everywhere to see the lights.  Churches have hayrides, people rent limos and some people just park and walk through the streets.  It is a very beautiful place and there is no charge for admission. You just need a little patience and a willingness to slow down and enjoy the magic and spirit of this time of year. 

The Christmas Catalog

When I was a little girl, one of the most exciting times of the year was right after Halloween when we received our Christmas catalog.  Glossy, color pictures of everything from clothes to toys to outdoor decorations were in this book.  When it would arrive in the mail, I would always turn to the pages of toys and start thinking about what I would write on my list to Santa.  Bikes, games, dolls, train sets, anything that you could possibly want was in this book.  I sometimes wonder if I ever earmarked the top of the pages that had my 'wants' or if I took a big marker and drew a circle around the picture of the item.  I am sure that I had been talking about what I wanted and 'Santa' already knew, without us even getting the catalog. 

When our sons were growing up, we encouraged them to write a letter to Santa.  Most of the time, they inquired about Mrs. Claus and Rudolph.  And they usually said that they had been good all year.  We had Christmas catalogs at our home and one year, they skipped the letters and just cut out pictures of what they wanted.  I don't recall if they got what they wanted that year but they were happy when they came downstairs and saw everything laid out. 

I wonder if kids now just go to the website of their preferred gift, print out the page and leave it laying around for 'Santa'.  How sad that they can't sit on the couch and flip through a book with their brother or sister and excitedly say 'Wow, I want one of those for Christmas' or 'I'm asking Santa for one of those'.

And I wonder if Santa has to go to 'Google' to find out exactly what it is that a child asks for.  If they had a Christmas catalog, it would be so much simpler. 

 

I Love A Parade

I still live in the same town that I grew up in.  It was anchored by textile mills for many years.  When the mills started closing, the town began to take on a new personality.  There were many changes taking place, in the neighborhoods and businesses.  One thing that has never changed is our Christmas parade.  I can remember being a little girl and looking forward to the Tuesday that we would line the streets, waiting for the police cars to slowly make their way down, sirens blaring loud.  My mother worked at one of the mills along the parade route so we would park in their parking lot.  Her shift ended at 3:00, she would come home and pick me up and we would head back downtown.  She would always buy me a special treat of little doughnuts from the mill store (which was called something else, but that is a story for another day) and we would walk to the spot where we stood every year.  For several years after my mom retired and the mill had shut down, we still stood in the same location as we previously had. 

We would laugh at the clowns and were amazed at the baton twirlers.  We thought the metallic streamers on the floats were so shiny and we watched the dance classes as they moved and clapped along with the music.  We watched as the church vans pulled their floats with the live nativity scenes and a baby doll laying in the hay in the manger.

The parade is still on Tuesday and is started by the local police, their sirens blaring loud.  The high school bands still play Christmas carols and the homecoming queens still wave from the convertible cars. The Boy Scouts still march and Santa is at the end, wishing everyone a 'Merry Christmas'.

 

And I still think about the little coconut donuts that my mom bought for me and the excitement I felt on the Tuesday that the parade was held.

 

 

If We All Had Homes Like This

The new book that I am reading is titled They Pulled Together and Won.  It is about WWII and everything that our country did during the war.  The chapters vary from 'Women at Home' which tells about women who went to work in the factories to 'How We Had Fun' about the dances and celebrity bands who traveled to play for the troops.

One chapter is 'Mail Call'.  Several stories told how long it took mail from the US to get overseas.  The men learned how to write letters on a piece of paper, then fold it to make its own envelope.  All mail from soldiers were mailed free, no stamp needed.  Packages sent to soldiers with gifts and food were much appreciated and were shared with each other.  No matter how mundane the news was from home, the men were excited to hear their name called at MAIL CALL.

As I read each of these stories, I was reminded of a song that was on one of my dad's records.  The name of the song was 'Message from Home' which tells of a cowboy out on a range, getting a letter from home.  The other 'tough' cowboys laugh at him, asking if it is a letter from his sweetheart.  As he reads the letter, he tells them 'no, just a letter from home sweet home.'  As you listen to the song, you can just picture the group sitting there, wishing they had gotten letters from their families.

I hope as the Christmas season approaches, each member of our military gets a letter or package from home sweet home and that they know that we are all praying to guard them from harm.

A MESSAGE FROM HOME SWEET HOME

Out on a western range one night I met a reckless crew

One cowboy said to another, 'Jack, there's a letter here for you'

'I suppose it's from a sweetheart, boys,' came a rough voice from out in the crowd

With a laugh and a jeer they gathered round while Jack replied aloud.

'It's only a message from home sweet home, from loved ones down on the farm

'From wife, from mother, from sister and brother, praying to guard you from harm

'The baby is lisping a prayer tonight to bless you wherever you roam

'We'll welcome you, Jack, if you'll only come back, 'tis a message from home, sweet home'

'Then fare ye well, my boys', said he, 'I'm going to that land

Then one by one each cowboy came and took him by the hand

One said, 'If we had homes like you, we'd all be better men

'Oh Jack, before you go, old pal, just read that letter again'.

'It's only a message from home sweet home, from loved ones down on the farm

'From wife, from mother, from sister and brother, praying to guard you from harm

'The baby is lisping a prayer tonight to bless you wherever you roam

'We'll welcome you, Jack, if you'll only come back, 'tis a message from home, sweet home'.