This time of year I often look back at Christmas when I was a youngster. We had some pretty lean ones. I remember one Christmas in particular where my mom had to take a job at American Junior standing on a production line packaging pieces of balsa wood airplanes. You know those little gliders that you put together and the kids toss and they glide right out into traffic and then they want another one. Today they are made out of Styrofoam in China or somewhere like that. Anyhow my mom wasn’t making much money in those days and there was only one present under the tree with my name on it.
I still remember that Christmas morning quite clearly. There were just the three younger kids at home my oldest brother and my two older sisters were out on their own by that time. The three of us got up real early and woke up my mom so we could open our presents. Once she arrived in the living room we very carefully peeled back the scotch tape holding the wrapping paper on so my mom could use it again. That is not an easy task for a kid who just wants to get at whatever is inside.
I finally got the wrapper off and in my hands I held one of those deluxe gliders from my mom’s work. It was one of the larger balsa wood airplanes that came with a propeller and a rubber band that you wind up and then toss into the air. I always wanted one and so anxiously I began to put it together.
I broke it. Before it had taken one flight into the air, before I could even wind up the rubber band it was nothing but a sad memory.
But you know what? Even though I broke my only present we still had a good Christmas. In those days my mom would save her pennies and she would buy a nice big ham or turkey and make lots of pies and cookies and the big kids would sometimes come home and some of our cousins would come over with my mom’s sister and we would have a great time.
Every year I try and make sure my kids have lots of presents under the tree. Every year I forget what Christmas is all about until the toys and sweaters and wrapping paper are scattered all over the living room and the little ones are playing with the boxes and the brightly colored paper and the older ones are taking inventory to make sure one of their siblings didn’t get more than they did.
This year will be different. We are keeping it real simple. After all it isn’t our birthday we are celebrating. So I hope that we are successful this year in keeping our focus on the things that really matter. Like making good memories, memories of sharing and caring and reaching out to others, with the ones we love.
Something that I have done right over the years is to establish a couple of nice traditions. My favorite Christmas tradition here in the Smith household is our Christmas breakfast. After all the presents are open and the wrappers have been picked up my wife Vickie and I go to work in the kitchen preparing a special breakfast. I start the link sausages and one of the kids makes up a bunch of orange juice while Vickie makes her world famous (at least in our world) Dutch Babies or German Pancakes. They are really outstanding and make our Christmas complete. Here’s the recipe:
Beat 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, 1/2 tsp sugar (optional) with 4 eggs until mixed thoroughly. Place two glass pie pans into 425 oven with a Tbsp of butter in each one. Heat pie pan until thoroughly hot and butter is melted. Pour half the batter into each heated pie pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until Dutch baby is firm. Dust with powder sugar and serve with whipped cream and fruit or syrup or whatever turns you on. I prefer real maple syrup and whipped cream but Vickie likes fruit syrups or Wilderness pie filling and whipped cream. Good stuff, good memories. Merry Christmas!