Ghosts of Christmases Past

So it's really quiet tonite I have nothing pressing to do other than wrap a few packages and I'm thinking about Christmas Past.
1980 Our official first Christmas Steve gave me the lovebirds but one broke. There was a flat tire in the van. Jacque was a Senior in HS the Frog and I had been married 1 year. Her Santa present was stored at our apartment so she couldn't snoop it out. There we were at 4am bumping down 6 flights of stairs with a Lane Cedar Chest waking up quite a few of our neighbours so she could have it first thing Christmas morning. Then there was no way to sneak it in thru the front door so we took it in the back and left it in the family room with a big bow. She was feeling a bit short changed til she went in there just before breakfast and found all her gifts inside the chest!!

2006 The Frog's family came over on Christmas Eve to sing Steve a Happy Birthday. The entire family crowded into our bedroom, bath and closet. Justin was at the MTC so Flat Justin was in all the photos. Humberto's fabulous Chocolate Cherry Birthday Cake with 49 Marachino cherries fed everyone well. Terry and Tara were there too and spent the night. Cami had a bit too much family and brought baby Benjamin over on Christmas Day and I got a great photo with the Frog and Ben. We also posed him in the sleigh.

197? Daddy in the hospital, Grandma and Grandpa Byington staying with us and the Great Christmas Eve Sneak foiled by Uncle Denny sleeping on the living room couch. Scared the crap out of us.

1987 The family came to Utah. Blane was on leave from Basic and Tracy Dawn  (8) was sure Santa wasn't coming if he slept on the couch so he sacked out in the hallway and she stepped on his head during her Christmas Sneak. Steve and I woke up to Daddy yelling at everyone to get back in bed! Bruce got a skateboard and was in heaven til he tried it out and biffed it and ruined his brand new jeans. Brian had my name that year and gave me my Christmas on Temple Square picture with the Christus Statue reflected in the glass. So very special  because the Christus room was where Steve proposed and we were married at Christmastime. Brian won the blue ribbon at the State Fair for the photo and the Church even offered to buy it, but he gave it to me. It hangs by the front door.

1978 Seventeen years old the Worst Best Christmas ever.  I got a door. That's it ....... a door. Knobs, hinges and screws were wrapped and under the tree providing me with hours of shaking opportunities to guess but of course I never did. Who in their right mind would guess lumpy heavy packages contained hardware? A door to my bedroom. Needs disguised as gifts........huge disappointment to a teenager......Priceless priceless memory to the adult she became.
I realize now that my folks spent a huge amount of the Gift budget that year to get me that door so I had more privacy than a curtain provided from sharing the basement with 3 little boys. And I thought they didn't understand me!! Still it was sort of fun going back to school and telling people "I got a door" I even perfected my delivery to sound like Charlie Brown in the Great Pumpkin when he keeps getting a rock while out Tricks or Treating.

1977 Kevin Hartelius and I came home from Christmas Eve with his family and caught Santa in the act. After helping fill stockings and making a trip with Daddy to the school for the stash. He helped bring in a Basketball Backboard, Net and Hoop and then uttered the fateful question...."Where is the Ball?"  They'd forgotten to buy one!!!!! LOLOL
Jacque got and IOU from Santa in her stocking and the promise of a ball by her birthday on January 19th.