Favorite Dolls and Christmas

Growing up in the late 1960s and early 70s, dolls were one of my favorite things; they are probably the favorite toy of most girls all over the world. All I ever wanted to be was a wife and mother, so dolls were my childhood playmates, and a way to let my maternal side show.

Aunt Virginia Ann, my Momma’s sister, got me a baby doll in the mid-1960s and I cherished her for years. I honestly don’t remember what happened to my baby doll, but within a few years Barbie and Skipper had taken over my life. My babysitter’s daughter had a Barbie trunk with all types of Barbie and Skipper clothes and accessories. During the summers I could spend all day playing with these dolls and clothes, as well as my own. When school started again in the fall, I played with all my Barbies after school; that is until reading entered my life. I was so proud of my Barbie clothes because my Granny Devine had made many of the outfits. I only have one of the “polyester” dresses my Granny made for my Barbies and I still have my very first Barbie.





My most memorable Christmas centered around one toy, which I still treasure today. The entire Harrodsburg family was at my Granny Devine’s house and after a huge meal, my Aunt began to hand presents to me and my brother and sister. I was around eight or nine years old and I couldn’t wait to tear into my package, but as usual, we had to wait until everyone had a present before we could open anything. Ready, set, go…away we went, ripping the paper and ribbons. I loved all my presents, but this year held a delightful surprise. Granny had given me a china doll…my very first china doll. She was so beautiful with porcelain black hair on top of her creamy porcelain face, with blue eyes, just like mine, and pink rosy cheeks. Her dress was pink with tiny white polka dots and she had a matching bonnet on her head. She even had a crinoline skirt and petticoat underneath her dress. I was ecstatic! It was such a grown up present and I was so happy my Granny thought I was old enough to have my first china doll.

This was 1970 or 1971, but I can still remember the excitement of this particular Christmas Eve. When the present were all finally opened and the wrapping and ribbons cleaned up, the kids watched television while the adults talked. This particular year, I took a long hot bubble bath in Granny’s miniature bathroom and changed into the new pajamas my Aunt had given me; new pajamas were a must for Christmas. I was all ready to go home to bed so I could wait for Old Saint Nick. I couldn’t wait to rush my parents home so I could jump into bed, listening to every creak of the house, just knowing that Santa would arrive at any minute. As for my china doll, Miss Betsy, she is still one of most treasured possessions. She holds a place of honor in my glass cabinet where I can glance at her every day. All three of my daughters have several china dolls apiece, but they never cared for dolls as much as I do. My dolls are a significant part of my heritage and, although I have had many china dolls since Miss Betsy, none will ever remind me of Christmas, or my Granny Devine, like this one special doll.




Momma also loved dolls, although her obsession started when she was much older. Whenever she would go shopping or was on vacation, she would find another doll for her collection. At the time of her death, she had two china cabinets filled with porcelain dolls and stuffed Boyd’s bears. What I like about her dolls is the fact they all have real hair; I always wished Miss Betsy had real hair so I could brush it. Most of my girl’s china dolls also have hair, but as I said, they never seemed interested in the dolls. It took Momma about five years before she realized my girl’s had no desire to have a doll collection. Most of these dolls are put away, and when my grandchildren get older, I will give the back to their mothers. Some of my dolls are 40 years old, but the girl’s dolls are from 10 to 25 years old; what a collectable “hand-me-down” these dolls will be.

Aunt Joyce, my Daddy’s sister, also has a large doll collection. Here dolls are all over the house and in the bedrooms. Several of these dolls I recognize because Momma would have one just like it. As with Momma’s dolls, my aunt’s dolls mostly have hair, and they all are very beautiful.




Another person in my life who loves dolls is Mrs. Gertrude Reed of Harrodsburg. Gertrude’s daughter is in the process of having her mother’s old dolls restored. One that is my favorite, is a doll with a porcelain head and stuffed body and she rides in a little wicker stroller. Gertrude said her sister had a duplicate doll in a stroller, but she couldn’t remember if it is still around. Gertrude, or rather her daughter, also had several other of her old dolls refinished, and she is happy to show them off when she is feeling well enough.




I still love my dolls, even though I do not play with them anymore. I will occasionally take one out of the cabinet and just sit and hold her. Every doll I own brings back certain memories, most are good memories, but I do have one or two bad memories mainly because of the person who gave them to me. I can’t wait to see if my grandchildren are going to love dolls. The youngest is only six months old, so she is much too little to show an interest; the other will soon be three years old, but right now she loves all kinds of toys

What dolls or old toys do you have lurking in your attic or basement? You never know what item you will find from your past. These things would make wonderful keepsakes for your loved ones. Anything you hand down to another person will have its own heritage, but it will bring precious memories of loved ones you’ve lost.

Home for the Holidays

(Photo curtsey of Koerten Galery)





Home for the holidays … we hear this saying every year, what does it actually mean?

Home is the place where your loved ones reside. I don’t think it is a place at all, but a feeling deep down in your heart. To me, home for the holidays is anywhere my family can join together, be it my home, my oldest two daughters’ home, or my parent’s or mother-in-law’s home.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, but the past three years have been a challenge; they do not held the same joy since my sister is gone. The last year I truly enjoyed Christmas was 2004 – the last Christmas we got to spend with my baby sister, Amy.

Christmas 2004 was a merry time, full of love and excitement. There were family reunions and guarded surprises, all leading up to Christmas Eve, when we all gathered in my parent’s home to celebrate the season.

My Mom still has the Christmas stockings that Brent, Amy and I had as children. They always hang on the brick hearth, along with additions for Amber, Marie, Ashley, Christine and Ethan – the five grandchildren. During the Christmas season of 2004, Mom made each of us a new Christmas stocking. Amy had found a picture of a stocking made from old quilts and she convinced Mom to make one for each of us. Amy had an old quilt and she drew the pattern and helped Mom cut out the pattern pieces.

Mom worked hard for several weeks to make sure all of us had stockings. When she had finished them, she presented us our stockings on Christmas Eve. This was the best gift I received that year. I loved the way the stockings looked and I was thrilled because it was something my Mom had made for us. She even embroidered our names and the year on the back of each stocking. For the past three years, I have used these stockings in place of our old ones. We don’t have a hearth, so we hang our stockings from stocking holders on the buffet in the living room.

One Christmas staple has had many incarnations over the years - the Christmas lights we put on our trees. When I was little, the only Christmas lights we had were the large, screw-in type in various multi-colors. Today Christmas lights are tiny and twinkling and they come in some really strange colors. Although we have many strands of these new fangled lights, we also have several strands of the older types, just because I love the way they look. Those large bulbs always take me back to the Christmases of my childhood.

Another lighting tradition our family has is the two strands of “bubble lights” that we lovingly display each year – my family didn’t have any of these lights for our tree, but my husband’s family did, so we merge the two traditions.

When my siblings and I were little, we used to drive our parents crazy because we were always changing the colors of the Christmas lights. The tree was always in a corner or in front of the picture window, and we each had our own side of the tree. Brent’s and mine were usually the left or right side and Amy’s was in the middle. I was always moving the green lights to my side of the tree (green was my favorite color). My brother would move the red bulbs and my sister’s spot was full of blue bulbs. None of us liked the yellow lights, so we tried to move them to the back of the tree or near the bottom.

There are two food items my Mom cooks every year and they are the two things we can’t do without when it comes to Christmas – her chocolate fantasy fudge and her homemade dressing. Although Christine and my hubby love peanut butter fudge the best, I have always been a chocoholic, so Mom’s fudge hits the spot. I’ve never been able to make fudge as good has hers. And when it comes to dressing for the turkey, nothing compares to Mom’s! She freezes left-over biscuits and cornbread all year and then mixes them with onions, turkey broth and sage to make the most heavenly dressing I’ve ever tasted. We wait all year for this one food, so she always makes a huge amount for everyone to have left-overs.

As far as Christmas trees are concerned, we’ve ran the gamete of styles and sizes. Although cedar trees are still my favorite because of their wonderful smell, our huge collection of Hallmark ornaments prohibits us from using them because the branches just aren’t strong enough. Since my hubby and I have been married, we’ve always had an artificial tree; sometimes we’ve had three or four at a time. Last year we added a new tree to our collection and it is the tree we are using this year.

I have fond memories of the old silver tinsel trees from my childhood – you remember the type, silver branches with a color wheel instead of lights. Well, for years we have hunted yard sales and flea markets, not to mention family attics, but we could never find one of those silver trees; they had all been thrown away or sold in yard sales. Last year, my hubby found a brand new silver tree, and although it is not exactly like the tinsel trees of my past, it is close enough that I love it. And this tree is flame-retardant, so we can put on as many lights as we want.

Christmas trees, Christmas stockings, Christmas food – is this what it means to be home for the holidays? Although these are but some of the symbols of the season, symbols do not a family make. Being with family, sharing love and excitement – that’s what is means to be home for the holidays. Everything else is just icing on the cake!

The True Meaning of Christmas

What is the true meaning of Christmas? That is a question that has been debated for decades. Peace on Earth, good will to men … how do you accomplish these with today’s fractured families? Families are spread from one end of the continent to another and by illness, divorce, and just plain age difference.

How do we keep the perspective of the Christ child when there is so much greed in the world? So much terrorism? Christmas has become a commercialized holiday with the slogan being, “More, more, more.” Television commercials start to bombard us well before Halloween and they continue right up until Christmas day, bypassing Thanksgiving all together.

I know it is natural for kids to think of Christmas in a material way. Heaven knows, my girls are the same way, but how to parents separate the true meaning from the commercial meaning? There is a fine line to follow between the two

First, children need to be taught when they are young that the Christmas season symbolizes the birth of Jesus. They learn this in the home and during Sunday school. My girls know all about Baby Jesus and the birth story, but does this help them forget about Santa and presents? No, but at least they know the reason for the season. Once children have become school age, their attention turns to Santa and how many toys they will receive under the Christmas tree. Public school systems are not allowed to teach the religious implications of Christmas, so it is up to parents to provide reinforcement.

Second, parents need to participate, with their children, in religious ceremonies during the holiday season. Our church has an Advent service to usher in the holiday. From the hanging of the greens, to the Advent flags, to the joyous sounds of the choir, our Christmas would seem empty without this traditional service. We also like to attend a living Nativity at a local church. There is something wonderful about visiting a living Nativity and imagining what it was like to live in the days of Jesus. Of course, on Christmas Eve we attend a quiet church service, as a family. After opening mounds of presents at Nana and Papa’s house, we go to a simple candle light service and observe the Lord’s Supper. Of course, after church we head to MaMaw’s house for more presents, but the point is, we try to incorporate the religious with the commercial so the girls don’t think Christmas is all toys and gifts.

Just before bedtime on Christmas Eve, we leave the cookies and Mountain Dew for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, but we always add a special touch. Every since my 19 year old daughter – Amber – was a baby, we have left a piece of birthday cake, complete with a birthday candle, for the Baby Jesus. This may seem like a silly thing to do, but it is a religious tradition my family counts on each year.

Another thing parents can do is help their children participate in activities that help other people. Every year, we faithfully give to the Harrodsburg Love Tree. It is interesting when you take your child shopping for a toy to be given away. O course, they always want the toy for themselves, but after explaining there may be some children who don’t get any presents for Christmas; your kids will quickly get in the spirit. There is also the opportunity of giving by participating in the Angel Tree or Toys for Tots programs. You can go as a family and pick out presents for one certain child, or an entire family. Children also love donating food to the Mountain of Love or the Christian Life Center. This makes them feel useful, and special, and it helps to show them giving can be just as fun as getting. I know my youngest daughter has become attached to an elderly lady who lives across the street from her Mamaw, and every year at Christmas, Christine wants to give her a little something. It makes a parent feel proud when their children start to care about giving to other people. Of course, this is the same child who has a Christmas list two pages long, but she is leaning that giving is important.

I know the commercialization of Christmas will never stop, but if families work together, maybe they can control the greed, just a little, and be able to teach their children a valuable lesson. And even though my youngest still wants all the latest toys under the tree, just yesterday she told me, “Mommy, Christmas is for giving”. Maybe I haven’t done such a bad job parenting after all.

© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 2006

The Stockings of Christmas Past

The Christmas season is upon us again. Where did the year go? I remember when I was a kid, I didn’t think Christmas would ever arrive. Now, it seems like I just took the tree and decorations down and it is time to put them up again. My goal this holiday season will be the same as it has been the past few years, trying to keep things as un-commercialized as possible. I am trying to keep gift giving simple—something homemade and gift cards. Gift cards have revolutionized the way people think of Christmas shopping. What is more perfect than a gift card from your favorite store or restaurant?

Although I sometimes get a hollow feeling whenever I give the girls money or gift cards for birthdays or Christmas, I know deep down that they are a perfect gift because they can get exactly what they want. With my increased use of gift cards, I have eased my guilt of not shopping by including these cards with something I have made with my hands, like candy, party mix, knitted scarves or shawls.
Christmas stockings are another way to use creativity with gift giving. When I was a child, our Christmas stockings always contained nuts, an assortment of fruit and a candy cane. I am amazed at the fond memories I have of digging into my stocking on Christmas morning and pulling out an apple, banana or orange, and then reaching even further into the stocking and hauling out the walnuts one by one. Even as I grew into a teenager, I looked forward to reaching into my stocking on Christmas morning.

I have continued the tradition of Christmas stockings with my own kids, but the booty in their stocking is more likely to be a CD, DVD, or the ever popular gift card. I always enjoyed finding just the perfect gift to place in the stockings; and I would normally wrap these small gifts to prolong the enjoyment. For sentimental reasons, I usually have to add walnuts and a piece of fruit, along with Christmas candy.

Although our Christmas stockings have changed over the years, everyone in my family has his or her own stocking holder. My stocking holder is a racoon, because I like to collect racoon Christmas ornaments. I bought this stocking holder the Christmas of 1979, the year of my first marriage. When Amber was born, she got a cat holder, mainly because it looked like a cat we owned in 1982. Two years later, Marie got her stocking holder and it is a rocking horse that has “Baby’s 1st Christmas 1984”. Keith and I were dating in 1986, so he added his elf stocking holder to the collection of ours on display. When Christine was born in 1992, we chose a Santa mouse; the last stocking holder we have added to our family. Even though we always have a special Christmas stocking for Amber and Marie’s boyfriends, we are holding off on additional holders until we have official members of the family. Of course, I am looking forward to adding stocking holders for each of my grandkids, in the future.

My Mom still has the Christmas stockings that Brent, Amy and I had as a child. They always hang on the brick hearth, along with additions for Amber, Marie, Ashley, Christine and Ethan. During the Christmas season of 2004, Mom made each of us a new Christmas stocking. Amy had seen a picture of stockings made from an old quilt and she convinced Mom to make them. Amy had an old quilt and she drew the pattern and helped Mom cut out the pattern pieces. Mom worked hard for several weeks to make sure all of us had stockings. She presented us with these stockings on Christmas Eve and this was the best gift I could have received. I loved the way the stockings looked and I was thrilled because it was something my Mom had made for us. Last year I used these stockings instead of our usual ones. This year I am trying to figure out some unique way of displaying them.

I am sure most of you have some type of tradition involving Christmas stockings. Maybe you are traditionalist and use real stockings instead of the famous red and white flannel ones. Maybe you don’t hang your stockings until Christmas Eve, or maybe you hang them all season. Whatever your traditions include, it is fun to add something new to your holiday rituals. The ideas are endless, like the stockings my Mom made, or an idea from Martha Stewart, or just a wonderful display in a department store. Traditions begin one at a time, so why not make stockings your theme for the year and add something new to your Christmas holiday season. Twenty years from now your family will be saying, “Remember when…”

© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 2005

It's Not Christmas Without the Nativity

It is hard to believe the Christmas season is upon us again. Christmas merchandise crowds the aisles of Wal-Mart and festive commercials adorn the media airwaves, but for me, Christmas arrives thanksgiving evening after the last leftovers are eaten and we settle in to set up our family Nativity. Every year as we unwrap our Nativity, I am overwhelmed with memories of Christmas’ past; visions of my childhood, vision of my adulthood, and visions of the many changes that have occurred in my life.

I bought the beginnings of my Nativity just before Christmas in 1980. I had graduated high school the previous May, and I began working in the local Hallmark store. Anne’s Hallmark was a wonderful place to work and I think it is there that I became an obsessive collector. It was really hard to work in such a wonderful place and not fall in love with collectables. I have written of my obsessive collection of Hallmark Christmas ornaments, so this story is about my Nativity…probably my most precious heirloom.

When I began working at Anne’s, I immediately fell in love with Enesco Imports porcelain figurines, which were modeled after Biblical quotes. Precious Moments, and I have trouble calling them anything else, are whimsical children in all arrays of poses. I began to buy a figurine every few weeks and my collection grew to almost 30 in the two years I worked at Anne’s.
If any of you are avid collectors, you’ll know what I mean when I say I began to obsess over the yearly catalog, which would contain a picture of the newest editions to the Precious Moments. I would drool over the catalog and start planning who would join my collection. In the beginning, I bought pieces because I liked them; later I would buy pieces that reminded me of sentimental moments. So, when I first saw the Precious Moments’ Nativity, I couldn’t help but fall in love.

First produced in 1979, Anne’s would not get the nine-piece set until the Christmas of 1980. As soon as I saw the tiny baby Jesus with Mary, Joseph and the little lambs, I placed an order for a set. I saved for three months to have the money to afford my Nativity. By Christmas Eve, I was able to retrieve my Nativity from Anne’s lay-away, and the nine pieces were lovingly arranged on the top of our pie safe. Mary sits on a wooden box, head bowed and one hand reaching out to the baby Jesus. Joseph is standing by her side, his tattered robe covered in patches. The baby Jesus is asleep in the manager and his blanket is covered with the same quilted patches found on his father’s robe. There are four little lambs; three are white and one is black. The black one and one white one are lying down and the other two are standing. There are two shepherds, one with a lamb and one without. I also added in fresh cedar boughs I had cut from the farm, and one pillar candle to serve as the star. The colors of each piece are muted pastels and they are beautiful when reflected in candlelight.

After that first Christmas, I began to added regularly to my Nativity. The next year I bought a little donkey with quilted patches on each flank. He is my favorite of the animal pieces, so cute and frumpy. My parents got me the cow that year for Christmas, and with the exception of one other, are the only two pieces that I have not bought with my own money. The cow has his head turned and there is a tiny bluebird on his back. The Christmas of 1981 was the year of the “controversial” piece to the Nativity. The piece was to be the Star of Bethlehem, but it looked too modern to go with the rest of the pieces. Several family members and I had many discussions over this particular figure. It is an angel holding a flashlight over her head. We thought the flashlight was not the right item for the symbol of the Star, but we I hated to not have a piece to the set. I didn’t until the next Christmas that I needed to add it to my collection, and now I’m glad I did.

In 1982, Amber was celebrating her first Christmas, and I added two new pieces to the Nativity; the resting camel with a patchwork hump and the little goat with his beard and horns. This was also the year that a family member received the most spectacular piece to the Nativity collection, “They followed the Star”. This piece was actually three separate pieces, the three wise men riding camels. The camels, each standing on long, tall legs, tapered down in size, as did their riders. The smallest camel carried a very young wise man that, in turn, was carrying a teddy bear. The middle one was carrying a larger shepherd who was holding a small gold star attached to a stick, which he dangled over his camel like the carrot on a stick. The largest one camel carried the largest shepherd, who had his hands folded in prayer. I was so jealous! I really wanted wise men to complete my Nativity, but I could not afford the three large camels with their wonderful wise men. I also could not afford the three smaller wise men that were also produced that year. These wise men were not riding camels and were about the same size of the shepherds.

The next few years, I didn’t add to the Nativity because I didn’t have the money to spend. But this didn’t damper my love for my collection and I began to display them in a glassed cabinet where I could see them every day. They stayed in this cabinet until my divorce in 1986, when I boxed them away with care and labeled them “Fragile—Do Not Drop!” The next year, with a full-time job and two small children, I used my Christmas money to buy “Tubby” the pig to add to my Nativity. Tubby is so round and squat with his name quilted onto a heart on one side and a brown chicken on his back. Tubby would be the last piece I would buy for the next 10 years.

I quickly learned that children and Precious Moments do not mix. My first causality was my little black lamb, and I didn’t even have children of my own yet. My niece was so enthralled with my Nativity, that in her excitement, she dropped the black lamb and broke his head off. I remember crying so hard, but this was before I had children of my own, and I didn’t realize I would have many more disappointments. I managed to glue his head back on, and now, every year as I unwrap him, I am reminded of the good times I spent with my niece. All three of my own children have broken pieces of my Nativity. Actually, Amber and Marie each broke the same piece at two different times. The both managed to break the halo off the controversial Star of Bethlehem. Now it is firmly attached with super glue. When she was five, Christine broke the blue bird off the cow’s back, and that blue bird has never been found.

Christmas is here again, and gazing at the Nativity brings back the joys and memories of Christmases past. About five years ago, I finally completed my collection when I was able to buy the wonderful wise men riding the camels. For the past 20 years or so, the Nativity has also shared the limelight with Santa’s cookies and milk on Christmas Eve, but as the girls get older, this tradition is fading. Everyone has his or her own memories and traditions related to the holiday season, but to me, it is not Christmas without the Nativity.

© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 2004

Santa Claus' Last Stand

I am sure every family has unique ways of celebrating the Christmas season. Going to the holiday parade, hanging of the greens, or just eating a delicious meal together, every family has their own exclusive way to celebrate Christmas with their immediate family. My family is just like everyone else, and we have many Christmas rituals that have become traditions and it does not seem like Christmas without them.

I know it may seem like we are rushing the season, but we have always put our Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving Day. We look forward to setting up the tree and decorating with all the lights and ornaments. Last year my husband added a special feature to our tree—a revolving tree stand. Now, not only do we have many colorful lights and hundreds of wonderful ornaments, but the tree slowly turns so every side is visible. The first time I saw the tree all lit up, I wasn’t sure if I was excited or just nauseous with motion sickness, but after a few minutes, it began to grow on me. One major advantage to the revolving tree is more of my precious ornaments can be seen.

Our Christmas traditions have grown into the non-stop, hurry-hurry, rush-rush of one huge meal after another and then the outrageous amount of gifts there are to open. It seems we have become so trained to try and make our holiday season as picture perfect as possible that we have forgotten to slow down and just enjoy the season.

My children have always been my motivation when it came to the holiday seasons. I’m guilty of trying to make my children’s Christmas’ as perfect as possible. I always had to make sure I had just the right gift and that I had spent equal amounts of money on each child, which can be really hard if there, is a big age difference in your children. Now that I have two grown daughters and a ten-year-old, my enthusiasm to have the “perfect Christmas” is starting to fade. I am beginning to have a greater appreciation for a more simple type of celebration. Is it because I’m getting older, or is it because my children are getting older?

This Christmas will revolve around that inevitable question…”Momma is Santa Claus real?” I don’t think there is a parent out there who has not felt that pang of sadness when their children stop believing in Santa. Although my brain tells me that Christine has stopped believing in Santa, my heart has a hard time accepting. I hate to see this tiny bit of childhood fantasy come to an end. Christmas is truly for children but I am going to miss playing “Santa” every year. ZI am going to miss making sure there are just enough crumbs left on Santa’s plate so the girls think he got full. Or, meticulously wrapping each and every gift from Santa, all in the same type of paper with the same types of bows. Or, putting on bright red lipstick and kissing each girl on the cheek every Christmas Eve, just so they will think Santa cam in to kiss them.

This year, it will be just me, my hubby and Christine to open gifts on Christmas morning. I am not going to make an issue of Santa, I’ll just do like I did with the big girls, and I’ll ignore it. I never had the Santa “talk” with Amber or Marie, and I probably won’t with Christine. They have all three asked me, at one time or another, if “I” believed in Santa and my answer was always “YES”. I firmly believe that when a child wants to stop believing, he or she will, but they should not be forced to give up the fantasy before they are ready. So, until Christine is ready to truly stop believing, we will still open gifts on Christmas morning. In all honesty, my husband can’t wait until Christine decides she wants to open up ALL her gifts on Christmas Eve, just like her sisters. Then we can stop getting up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning. Now that is one tradition I won’t miss!

© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 2002

All I Want For Christmas

Hunting for the perfect Christmas present can sometimes be a hug ordeal. Running from store to store, checking sale ads, even surfing the web, sometimes that one special item simply eludes us—or we may have no idea what the certain item is.

There have been numerous times when my children have asked for a Christmas present and I have no idea what it is, much less where I can go to buy it—or the item is so popular every store you go to is sold out. Last year it was Color Game Boy. At the end of summer, you could find them everywhere and in every color. By Thanksgiving they were no where to be found, and after searching town after town, I ended up settling for the only color I could find, which, of course was not the preferred color. Remember Furby? The first Christmas of Furby was a futile search, and by the time I found one for the next Christmas, Furby was a thing of the past. What about Cabbage Patch Kids? For two years I hunted high and low for the perfect doll--now you can find them anywhere, but their popularity has died down.

Okay, so you manage to fulfill the lists of all your little elves, but how, where do you hide your stash until the big day? Obviously, I am not sneaky enough, or my kids have extraordinary skills as spies, because they always seem to find at least one of their presents early. Last year I finally found what I think is the perfect hiding place, and I could tell you where it is, but then I would have to kill you.

Now, I am a wonderful snoop—you were wondering where my kids got it? My Granny Devine used to call my “Nosey Rosy”, but try as I might; I never had any luck finding my parents hiding places. Sure, I was great at peeling the tape off presents left u under the tree, and then carefully concealing the fact that I had opened them, but I could never find the hiding spot.

In 1971, I was nine-years-old and I still believed in Santa—actually, I have never stopped believing. This particular Christmas, Santa gave us kid’s new bedroom furniture. My sister and I got matching twin beds with a dresser and nightstand to use in our shared bedroom. My brother got the same for his room. This furniture was set up and waiting in our rooms when we came home from Granny Devine’s house on Christmas Eve. We also each had a beautiful new bedspread with curtains to match. This was a big deal for me, because up to this point, my sister and I shared a full size bed. Now I had a bed of my own. I thought Santa was full of magic that year, but I kept wondering why Granny Devine came home with us that night, because this was something she never did. It was years later I learned Granny had made the bedspread and curtains, and she wanted to be there to see our faces. I’m sure she was happy with our excitement. In addition to the bedspread and curtains, she had also made each of us a bathrobe and crotched my sister and me a pair of house slippers.

It is better to give than to receive—how many times have we heard, or said, that very thing? Of course, as children, we wanted everything in sight—the latest toy or game or doll. As adults, our priorities change, especially after we have children of our own, after all, Christmas is for children.

Still, everyone has memories of that special Christmas when we wanted, and probably received, one special item we dreamed about for months. For me, it was the Christmas of 1973 and I was 11-years-old, not yet a teenager, but definitely not a child, or at least that is what I thought. This particular year I asked for roller skates like the older kids had, a stuffed turtle with a denim shell, and the brand new Hudson Brothers album. The Hudson Brothers has a Saturday morning television show I was absolutely in love with. I never missed an episode, even going so far as to tape the shows on my audio tape recorder. What I wouldn’t have give if VCR technology was available back then. Anyway, that Christmas I did receive everything I asked for, but I am sure my parents had a hard time finding the Hudson Brothers album; after all, they weren’t a very popular band. Believe it or not, I still have that album after 30 years. My own kids think I’m crazy.

Over the years I have received many wonderful gifts, but as I get older, I get more joy out of give the perfect gift, especially to my children. I remember hunting for He-Man and She-Ra items, Teddy Roping, talking Big Bird, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony and Barney. I have shopped for the latest CDs from Korn, Nine-Inch Nails, and Nirvana, as well as Britney Spears and Aaron Carter. Every year presents from “Mom and Dad” are wrapped in a wide variety of papers, but gifts from “Santa” are all wrapped in the same identical paper, lovingly wrapped by elves.

We all know Christmas is not all about presents, but when you have children, gifts play a major role in the holidays. Even though you try to teach your children that it is better to give than to receive, it is hard for them to see past all the commercialization. Let’s face it, at Christmas time; advertisements are aimed straight for our kids.

Christmas will take on a new meaning in 2001, because of the War on Terror still raging over seas. This year children will still be receiving that one special gift, but maybe they will receive something even more precious. Even though it will not fit in a Christmas stocking, we are all blessed with the preservation of America’s freedom and the unification of the American people.
Merry Christmas and God bless us all.

© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 2001

Christmas Traditions

I am sure that everyone has traditions which are unique only to the Christmas season, be it going to the parade, opening presents on Christmas morning, or just eating a delicious meal together. My family is just like all of yours, we have many Christmas rituals that have become traditions and it just doesn’t seem like Christmas unless we perform them, I don’t care how old my children are.

I know it may seem like we are rushing the season, but we always put our Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving Day. We look forward to setting up the tree and decorating with as many lights as we can fit on our seven-foot tree. Lights are a man thing, so my husband puts them on because I don’t have the patience to fool with them.

Then comes the fun part, putting on the ornaments. Anyone who knows me knows my family is crazy about Hallmark Christmas ornaments. I have been collecting them for over 25 years, long before I was ever married or had children. I love ALL the different types of ornaments. Everyone in my family has a different series or type of Hallmark ornament we have to get every year, and if a series is ended, then we move on to a new one. The longest running ornament series that Hallmark has is call “Here Comes Santa” and it shows Santa riding all different types of vehicles. The series started in 1979 and I am proud to say that I own all 22 of the current ornaments in the series. My middle daughter—Marie—has all 17 of the current toy house ornaments, and my youngest—Christine—has all ten of the current puppy love ornaments. My oldest—Amber—ended her series a few years ago with the 15th rocking horse. She hasn’t been able to decide on a new series, so we have been buying ones that pertain to her life, like the car ornament we got her the year she turned 16. Of course, my husband collects all the car, truck, and toy vehicle ornaments, plus anything else that strikes his fancy. He has been hooked on my collection since we met in 1986.

Christmas present are a big part of Christmas in today’s modern world. When my husband was young, his parents used to hide presents in the Christmas tree, and this is a tradition we have carried over into our lives. Christine loves to hid presents in the Christmas trees, going as far as to hiding a few presents in this year’s Girl Scout tree at the Old Fort Museum. The only problem with presents in the tree is, sometimes, presents get overlooked. We always leave our tree up until after the New Year, and there have been a few times we have found a cleverly hidden present in the tree as we take the ornaments off. What a surprise for the giver and the recipient!

Our Christmas Eve starts with a buffet meal at my parent’s house. We always try to eat at 4:00, because the kids are so anxious to open gifts. They hate it because we make them wait until after the dishes are done before they can tear into their packages. No one can open a gift until everyone has one. Then it is a free-for-all as paper goes flying in all directions. The house always looks like a tornado touched down. After the great clean up and some bonding time, my family heads to Christmas Eve services at church. Harrodsburg Baptist Church always has a candlelight Lord’s Supper on Christmas Eve. This is a wonderful way to observe the true meaning of the season, especially if you have children. For children, it is hard to see beyond the presents, but a quiet religious ceremony can speak to a child’s heart. After church, we will sometimes ride through the neighborhoods to look at all the Christmas lights.

Once home on Christmas Eve, it is time for the youngest to go to bed, but first we have to set up Santa’s treats. Christine is always in charge of the nativity scene and this is where she sets up the treats for Santa and his reindeer. Every year we have cookies and Mountain Dew for Santa, carrots for the reindeer—nine sticks because of Rudolph—and a piece of birthday cake for Baby Jesus. Christine has to light the birthday candle and we sing Happy Birthday to the Baby Jesus. Then Christine goes outside with the magic reindeer food and sprinkles it on the lawn. For those grown-ups who don’t know what magic reindeer food is, it is dry oatmeal mixed with a small amount of glitter that your children can sprinkle on the ground so the reindeer do not miss their house. Of course, after the children are asleep, then Santa can arrive, and just before he leaves our house, he kisses each child on the cheek, and his magic lips leave a kiss mark that is still visible when the children wake in the morning. My oldest girls have long outgrown this tradition, and I just hope it is a few more years before Christine realized that Santa’s magic lips match the shade of lipstick that Mommy wears.

We always open our presents on Christmas morning, one at a time. Someone different plays Santa every year and gives out presents. Paper and ribbon are thrown everywhere, packages and instructions are never where you need them to be, and there is always something that Santa forgot to bring batteries for. After Christmas morning breakfast, we all scatter like the wind. My husband and I along with Christine head to my mother-in-law’s house, and Amber and Marie, being the teenagers they are, head to other family and friends homes.

I know it seems like we concentrate more on the material aspects of Christmas, but with children it is sometimes hard not to. I think my teenage girls are connecting more with the religious side of Christmas as they get older; I guess we all so as we get older. The old saying “Christmas is for children”, will always ring true as long as we have children in the world.

© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 2000

The China Doll

Christmas at Granny Devine’s house was a magical time for me when I was a child. Our close knit family always gathered in her tiny home to celebrate the wonderful holiday season. This was the time that I looked forward to all year long.

Granny’s house was very tiny, only two bedroom, a kitchen and a living room. Sometimes we felt like sardines packed into crowded quarters, but no one seemed to mind. The adults situated themselves on the couch while the children gathered around on the floor. The house was so quaint and cozy that I always felt like I could stay there forever. Fluffy pillow adorned the couch, along with numerous hand crocheted Afghans. On the plain cherry table lay a cherished black Bible, its edges bent and worn from loving use. Beloved photos of numerous children and grandchildren peered down from the plaster walls.

Before artificial trees became widely used, Granny always had a real Christmas tree. I can still remember the fresh, green Norfolk pin tree standing in the corner, its branches smelling like the great outdoors. The needles always tickled my nose when I brushed close to them. Each branch was decorated with the festive wear of the holiday season; red, blue, green and yellow lights sparkling. Hand crafted ornaments loaded the tree…crocheted angels, beadwork orbs, and quilted squares. Glittering tinsel swayed with the gentle movement of everyone inside the house.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, dong-ding-dong-ding…the faithful wall clock announced the dinner hour. Everyone stepped across the creaky floor furnace to enter the teeny kitchen. The enticing aroma of the golden, glazed turkey reached our noses. The whirring of the mixer sounded as the dreamy mashed potatoes were fluffed with mounds of golden butter. Caramelized marshmallows topped the delectable candied yams, and the mouth-watering fruit cried out from the ambrosia salad. Oysters sizzled in their sauce of butter, milk and cracker crumbs as Granny took them out of her old gas oven. The oysters were my favorite part of the meal, and my own mother still fixes them just for me every year. The sweet fragrance of Granny’s homemade stuffing wafted through the entire house…yummy! There will never be another food that signals the beginning the holiday like Granny’s stuffing.

A handmade, Christmas cross-stitched tablecloth always covered the wooden table. Four chair and two stools were settled around the table for the adults to eat from, and the children were relegated to the living room coffee table. I can still remember the sharp corners of that table when I would accidentally run into them. After everyone was settle and a prayer of thanks given, the great passage of food platt34ers began. Clink, clatter, clink…each person heaped their plate to overflowing.

At the conclusion of the scrumptious meal the men r3etired to the living room and the great clean up began. The anticipation of opening the vast number of Christmas presents was overwhelming to us kids, but it was tradition to wait until the dishes were done before the first gift could be opened finally; Granny, Aunt Ginny Ann and my Mom finished the dishes and joined the rest of us in the living room.

My most memorable Christmas at my Granny’s began with my Aunt handing out presents to me and my brother and sister I was around eight or nine years old and I couldn’t wait to tear into my package, but as usual, we had to wait until everyone had a present before we could open anything. Ready, set, go…away we went, ripping the paper and ribbons. I loved all my presents, but this year held a delightful surprise. Granny had given me a china doll…my very first china doll. She was so beautiful with black hair on top of her creamy porcelain face. She had blue eyes, just like mine, and pink rosy cheeks. Her dress was pink with tiny white polka dots and she had a matching bonnet on her head. She even had a crinoline skirt and petticoat underneath her dress. I was ecstatic! It was such a grown up present and I was so happy that my Granny thought I was old enough to have my first china doll.

When the present were all finally opened and the wrapping and ribbons cleaned up, the kids watched television while the adults talked. This particular year, I took a long hot bubble bath in Granny’s miniature bathroom and changed into the new pajamas my Aunt had given me. I was all ready to go home to bed so I could wait for Old Saint Nick.

That was 1970 or 71, but I can still remember the excitement of that Christmas Eve. Rushing my parents home so I could jump into bed, listening to every creak of the house, just know that Santa would arrive at any minute. As for my china doll, Miss Betsy, she is still one of most treasured possessions. She holds a place of honor in my glass cabinet where I can glance at her every day. All three of my daughters have several china dolls apiece, but they don’t care for dolls as much as I do. My dolls are a significant part of my heritage and, although I have had many china dolls since Miss Betsy, none will ever remind me of Christmas, or my Granny Devine, like this one special doll.

© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 1999

Christmas Memories and Sausage

It is hard to believe that the Christmas season is upon us again. Where did the time go? It seems like the older I get, the faster time goes by. In the blink of an eye, the 1900’s will be gone and we will be staring at the new millennium. It all seems surreal. New memories will be made and stored, to mix with the old memories of family and loved ones.

Another think I have noticed about the fact I am getting older, is the type of memories I am remembering and cherishing. Family traditions and closeness are among my top memories. As I try and preserve these memories, with paper and ink, for my children, one particular Christmas memory leaps to mind. This memory is not of Santa, or presents, or candy. This memory, believe it or not, is of sausage and mustard.

When I was a little girl, my family lived in a small house in a wonderful subdivision. We were friendly with all our neighbors, and we always visited, especially during the holidays. Just thinking about my old neighbors brings an ache to my heart. I have live3d in my present home for over five years, and I still only know a handful of my neighbors. People just don’t visit like they did in the 60’s and 70’s, and I am just as guilty as the next person for not visiting.

Anyway, on this particular holiday night, one of our neighbors was having a Christmas party, and everyone was invited I was only eight, or maybe nine years old, and boy, was I ever looking forward to going to this party. But as fate would have it, on the day of the party, I got sick. I don’t remember what was wrong with me, but I do remember that my mom said I was too sick to go to the party. I was devastated! For a child, missing Christmas party is a major disappointment. My mom promised to bring me back something from the party, but it wouldn’t be the same. I would miss all my friends and the games we would play.

Cry as I might, I stayed home the night of the party. My brother and sister happily left with my mom, leaving me at home with my dad. Now, I loved my dad very much, but spending a night at home, alone, with him was not something I looked forward to. Little girls just seem to have a hard time talking with their dads, I thought for sure I would be stuck watching the news all night, since, back then, we only had one television.

So I plugged in the Christmas tree lights and plopped down on the couch to POUT! Pouting is something that I did, and still do, very well. I just sat there and stared at the television screen with a mean look on my face. To my surprise, my dad turned off the news and turned on a Christmas show. He then came over and sat by me on the couch. There we sat, side by side, neither of us saying a word. As my anger of being sick faded, I melted into my dad. As I snuggled up to him, he put his arm around me, and we watched the show together. We didn’t say a word, but I could feel the love flowing through the room. I felt so happy and content.

After the show, we were both hungry, so we headed for the kitchen. Now, my dad wasn’t much of a cook, in fact, as a child, I’m not sure if I can ever remember him cooking. After much debate, we decided that dad would fry some sausage we would eat sausage sandwiches for supper. As the sausage simmered, I puttered around the kitchen, trying to help my dad. I was in seventh heaven! I felt so close to my dad, the feeling was unbelievable.

When the sausage was done, we began assembling our sandwiches. Dad had said that we could eat in front of the television, so I was in a hurry to settle back down on the couch. Then I saw my dad do the strangest thing. He pulled the mustard out of the refrigerator, and began spreading it on his sausage. Mustard on sausage! Ugh! I thought that was the most disgusting thing I had ever seen. Bust dad convinced me to try a little bit, so, of course, I did.

As the two of us, again, sat side by side on the couch that warm, fuzzy feeling crept back in. There we sat, Christmas tree lights twinkling, a Christmas show playing the television, and the two of us eating sausage and mustard sandwiches. The love I felt for my dad at that moment was…indescribable. We sat there, together, for several hours, until mom and my siblings returned. Of course, she brought me some Christmas cookies, but that magical moment with my dad was broken…but never forgotten.

Now a days, I have a family of my own, and I hope they take great memories with them into adulthood. Our holiday season is built upon many family traditions, and some non-traditions. I want them to always remember how much I love them. Sausage and mustard may not be one of the things my girls remember, but for me, every time I cook sausage, I think of my dad. Since that one holiday night many years ago, I have never eaten sausage without mustard. For me, sausage and mustard will always remind me of my father’s love.

© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 1998

Christmas is Green ...

Cold, damp, dreary. Why did she love these types of days so much? Everyone else hated these days, but she relished them. Maybe it’s because they reminded her of the holidays.

The holiday season was fast approaching. Just today a Christmas commercial came across the television screen. It’s amazing how those types of commercials could make her tear p. She wanted her girls to have the same kind of feeling for the holidays that she had. Sure things were different now. Kids were different, environments were different, and demands were different.

When she was younger, she simply lived for the holidays. She would start drawing pictures of Christmas trees way before Halloween. She loved to read any books that dealt with the holidays. She loved to pretend she was Snowbound with Betsy, or fantasize of a Christmas in the Big Woods. Reading only served as the fuel source for her imagination.

Christmas music; beautiful gospels, traditional tunes, and children’s classics. You could hear them everywhere during this season. Her favorite song used to be “March of the Wooden Soldiers.” Even though it was an instrumental song, she would always make up dances to match the movements of the music. Even today, at the age of 35, this song makes her well up with tears.

Christmas lights – oh, how she loved Christmas lights. Sparkling red, yellow, blue, and green … especially green. She would dig in the basement until she found the worn box of Christmas decorations. Then she would plug the lights in just to watch them glow.

At Christmas time, she used to lie under the tree just to look at the lights. Beautiful, dancing. She would always sneak out of the bed at night, turn on the tree lights and fall asleep on the couch, dreaming of sugarplums and the anticipation of the season.

Green was always her favorite color. Back when she was a child, Christmas tree lights were the large, screw-in types. She and her two siblings each had a particular side of the Christmas tree that they called their own. Mother was always complaining because the children would change the colors on the tree. One side would be all red, another blue and yellow, and of course, the green side.

It gave her great pleasure to have one side of the family Christmas tree to call her own. She would place her handmade ornaments upon the branches, as well as the traditional ones. Santa always left her presents beneath her side of the tree. Always …

Snowflakes, the Christ child, Granny Devine’s home cooking, the color green ...these always reminded her of the Christmas season. She now wants the same for her children. Christmas Eve Church services, a birthday cake for Baby Jesus, supper at Nana’s and MaMaw’s, and the color green … no, not green. Her three girls are all passionate about the color blue. Blue for Christmas? Oh well, times are changing.

© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 1997