Wonderful Memories

[Towntalk]

The two photographs on page 1 of today's Vindicator bring back fond memories of the past for me that bring tears to these old eyes. We weren't rich, and there was just Mother and I, so we had to pick a day when Mother wasn't working to do our Christmas shopping, and that meant cramming all our shopping into a Saturday afternoon after she got off work.
When I finished school and was at my first real job, I had to squeeze in my Christmas Shopping at lunch time, skipping lunch to get it done, for we were always busy at the store I worked at and there were just three of us on the sales floor, but as I walked into Strauss's Department Store, it was like walking into a magical world.
I had a routine that I followed ... I'd devote one day to shopping for Mother, and another for my Stepfather to insure that I wouldn't be late back to work.
I worked for a great boss, and he allowed us to store our Christmas presents at the store even though we didn't buy them there, and that really helped, so that on Christmas Eve, I could bring my treasures home and wrap them in my bedroom and take them down to put under the tree.
Treasured moments that became more special with each passing year, and even though I'm alone now, One of the traditions that I still carry on is on Christmas Eve, after supper, I turn off the television and spend the evening listening to my library of old time Christmas radio programs, and enjoy a couple of glasses of Egg Nog and Christmas Cookies, and dream of the days when there was Mother, Dad and I gathered around the Christmas Tree when I was a Child, and Christmas was so special.