December Memoirs from My Family to Yours!

Welcome to another day of December Memoirs here at Upper Grades Memoirs! My name is Jennifer Smith-Sloane and most of the time you can find me over my blog 4mulaFun. 

December to me is a time for family, traditions and making memories and always has been since I was a little girl. I grew up loving the Christmas season and all that was in store each year. We always put up our tree after Thanksgiving and decorated it full of ornaments. Now that my husband and I are making our own traditions we have started to go and cut down our tree as I never did that growing up although he did.

Besides decorating it with our ornaments each year we do switch out on our lights that go on the tree. I am a WHITE LIGHTS kind of girl but he is all about the COLORED! HAHA! We decided last year that we would switch each year so that we could each get our favorite.

And another tradition that we have is that we alternate spending Christmas Day (well actually the week of Christmas) with our families since they live 700 miles apart (Dallas, TX to Omaha, NE). This is an Omaha year which means I am on the road to see my in-laws. Thankfully we have rented a hotel this year and I hope to do some work in the car on the way there but we all really know that means take as much of a nap as possible!

Here's to hoping I get to play in some snow while I'm in Nebraska. There is an 80% chance for rain/snow tomorrow (Tuesday)!

December Family Memories - Spirit of Christmas

When I was young, I truly believed in Santa. Our family would always stay at my grandmother's because we lived in another city in Louisiana. When I went to bed on Christmas Eve, I always had this special feeling that I couldn't explain. I loved the excitement and knowing that Santa was flying up in the air delivering toys to every child. (At least I thought he was.) And, there's no way my parents could pack my new bicycle without my knowing it. I still get that same feeling every year when my granddaughter stays at our home for Christmas. So, yes, Virginia, there is a Santa!

My granddaughter Harper

Gathering Friends

My father worked for the telephone company and had access to two wonderful movies with beautifully detailed puppets. We would call our neighbors and friends to come over during the holidays to watch the movies. We served Christmas cookies and all gathered in our living room. You could hear a pin drop when we watched The Night Before Christmas and Oh, Holy Night. I learned the poem by heart and still recite it to my granddaughter. We tried to get access to the movies years back but were unable to locate them. So, we just read the book every Christmas Eve. And, I purchase Harper a different Christmas book each year.

Learning from a Family Tradition

When I was in high school, I was the typical self-centered teenager who was only interested in what I was receiving for Christmas. I didn't understand the true meaning of Christmas. On Christmas Eve, our parents would let my brother and me pick out one gift to open. One year, I knew I was getting a new ring, so I wanted to make sure I choose it to open. Instead, I chose a gift from our neighbor which was in a small box like a ring. I was so upset when I opened that gift and not my ring. I felt so badly for acting so selfish, that I went to her house to personally thank her for the Avon sachet. Believe it or not, I still have the container to remind me about the true meaning of Christmas. Today, my family chooses a needy family from our church Christmas tree so they will have a Merry Christmas.

Have a wonderful holiday,Sandy

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December Memoirs: Happy Holidays!

December has always been a special time of year for me.  After all, I was born 4 days before Christmas and I came home from the hospital in a stocking instead of a blanket.

There are so many wonderful memories I have from this time of year.  Baking cookies with my mom, eating our traditional breakfast on Christmas morning, trying to figure out which gift belonged to which kid because my Grandpa always forgot to put our names on the outside!  (Side note--don't you love how all of the "old" pictures are all red!?)

















Of course, there was always a lot of gifts, food, and family fun too!  There was always a camera or two around to capture the moments.  Many of my pictures included me with some of my new books.  Yes, I have always been a "nerd" and I am very proud of that!  :)

It seems that Christmas time was always the time of year we had our "professional" pictures taken too.  Remember those backdrops that the photographer at K-Mart or J.C. Penney's always rolled down?  It looks like this one was our favorite.  Years apart, but the same background!

And, now, I get to help make our own traditions with my kids.  Since we haven't lived in the same town as our family, we haven't ever spent Christmas morning at our own house.  But, this year, we are going to do it!  The kids are getting older and I want to make sure they have some memories of just the 4 of us having some time together.  Of course, we will see other family members too, but the morning will be just OURS!

Another tradition we have is to have matching Christmas pajamas for the cousins.  I figured it was better than the underwear and socks I always received from my grandparents!  (There may have even been a tradition of which cousin could grab the others undies and throw them on the Christmas tree first).  These are from two different years and with different sides of the family.  I just can't believe how much the kids have grown up!  In fact, neither of my kids really wear pajamas anymore, but we will be continuing this tradition anyway!  (Or, if they have any complaints, they will start getting underwear!)

 I am so excited to get this holiday season under way.  I enjoy the extra time with family as well as the time to reflect on the year that has just ended.

I would love to hear about your December Memories!  How do you celebrate the holidays?  What traditions do you continue each year?

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