Christmas is a very special time. The feeling in the air, thinking of others, being together with the family, the decorations, all the festivities, the chilly weather, the children’s performances at school, the lights, all the special goodies to eat, the love that’s in the air; these are some of the reasons I’ve always loved Christmas. I’ve had a lot of special Christmases. For at least 55 years I was able to go back to my childhood home and celebrate it with my Mom and Dad, my sister and her family and my husband and children and in the end with my grandchildren too. Many, many years we made the 8 hour drive from Shasta, California up over the mountain passes to Toledo, Oregon. When we got to Toledo we’d usually stay for 10 days to 2 weeks. We all enjoyed the time we spent together. After my Dad was gone and my Mom could no longer host the family, my immediate family started renting places to stay together for Christmas. Those were very fun, special times, too.
One of the years after we’d stopped going to Toledo, our immediate family rented a house and we all went to Lake Tahoe together. This house was beautiful, it had 3 floors and 6 bedrooms, one for each of our children and their family and Brian and I. We had such a good time. Everyone really enjoyed themselves. There was enough room for everyone, and there were casinos nearby for entertainment. There was a moose head on the wall, and it even snowed. We went sledding in the backyard! Another memory that makes that Christmas special was that Kent ask Brian and I for permission to marry Sarah!! It was a very happy, fun time.
Another one of my special Christmas memories is from my childhood. On the last day of school before our break for Christmas the elementary school classes were taken by bus downtown to the Ross Theater in Toledo. It was so exciting to me. We got to ride the bus downtown and watch a movie and meet Santa Clause. Santa always had a little something for us. It always seemed so exciting and special to me.
I’ve had a lot of special Christmases. The memories of them all fill my head with warm happy thoughts. We moved back to Northern California a couple years ago to be closer to the family. I hope to carry on the tradition with my children and grandchildren now coming to my house to spend Christmas together.
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 