On that trip that my mother made to our home in late November or early December 1984, she brought my son a gift she had made herself—an Advent calendar in the shape of a wreath. For those who don’t know, an Advent calendar helps children count the days until Christmas […]
Continue readingTag Archives: Christmas
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
I wrote two years ago about going to see Santa Claus at Lloyd Center in Portland, Oregon. I’m pretty sure the year was 1961. When I wrote that post, I couldn’t find the picture of my brother and me with Santa. Well, now I’ve found it: I hope Santa brought […]
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My Last Gift from Santa
In my birth family, Santa Claus brought presents to children through their high school years, but that was it. Because I was the oldest kid in the family, the parameters around childhood experiences developed as I grew up. I’m not sure when the End of Santa rule was determined—if Santa […]
Continue readingA Christmas Scene in 1849
Here’s a brief Christmas scene from Now I’m Found that takes place on Christmas Day 1849. By this point in the novel, my protagonist Mac owns a store in Sacramento. Two other characters, Consuela and Huntington, live there with him. I’ll let you read the book to find out how […]
Continue readingO Christmas Tree . . . and Keepsakes Ornaments
My husband and I are fans of live Christmas trees. Actually, I’d be tempted to have an artificial tree, but I love the evergreen scent of a real tree. So I put up with the messy needles every year. For the past several years, we’ve purchased Fraser firs, an evergreen […]
Continue readingOn Rocking Horses, Reading About Horses, and Real Horses
I’ve posted about my first Christmas before. Someone in the family—my father or grandfather—was good enough to take a picture of all the presents I received from Santa Claus before I was awake to see them. (Not that, at eight months, I could have done too much damage to them.) […]
Continue readingOn Heffalumps, Hookers, and Humor
Here’s a (sort of) Christmas story I’ve never posted before. I wrote it for a writers’ group holiday party a few years ago. I hope you enjoy it. On Heffalumps, Hookers, and Humor The winter when I was four, I wasn’t supposed to know how to read, but I did. […]
Continue readingMystery of the Old Doll Solved
When I was cleaning out my parents’ house last spring, I found an old doll. Its body was corduroy, it was stuffed with something soft, but had a hard plastic face. I remembered the doll from my childhood, but I didn’t know where it came from. Was it mine? Or […]
Continue readingA Christmas Stocking Tantrum
My Christmas preparations are about finished—the cards are mailed, the packages wrapped, and the house decorated. I still have some cooking to do, but it will get done. I don’t do a lot of decorating for holidays. When the children were small, I made token attempts for Valentine’s Day, Easter, […]
Continue readingThe Orange Juice Incident
I know it is un-American, but I do not like orange juice. The pulp in it clings to my tongue and doesn’t go down easily. The acid churns my stomach. And it’s just so orangey. I also don’t like to travel during the holidays. I started being responsible for my […]
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