Tour of my memory

I just can't bear to share any more pictures of my house before we paint the interior and put furniture in the living room.  So instead of joining The Nester's Christmas 2010 Tour Of Homes with my Christmas decorations, I'll be a casual spectator remembering Christmases past.

I'm still going to be scouting the Tour for weeks. I love looking at other people's houses.  Is that nosey or just plain creepy?  There are so many homes I drive by and think, "I wonder if they would let me see what is behind that quaint window," or "Do they actually use that cupola? I would..."

And so, in no particular order, here are my Top Ten favorite Christmas/holiday memories.

10. The Christmas before Mom and Dad got married - he gave Jessica and I each a big brown metal coin bank with our names on the front.  No throwback on my Dad at all, but the fact that this is one of my favorite memories goes to show you that your gifts to your children do not have to be extravagant and over the top to be memorable.  A personalized metal box, if given in love, is priceless.

9.  One year Mom went through a ceramics kick, and we were each given a life-sized ceramic baby doll.  It was so simple ... a plain glazed baby.  I wish that had been a gift we weren't allowed to play with, because it would have been lovely to pass down to Pinky.  But, alas, we played with those babies and cracked their skulls.

8.  We loved to cook and mess around in the kitchen, so one year we got a huge set of kitchen play toys that we could actually use to help with dinner.  It had a taco shell holder - that was fun when Mom let us use our toys to eat supper from :)

7.  Many, many Christmas plays.  Oh my mercy. My home church is big on Christmas musicals.  We did one production that was hysterical, Christmas In Egypt.  You should totally review this material for your youth group for next Christmas.  This was one play that I actually had a decent attitude during casting so I got a good part, an Egyptian Southern belle.  Cleopatty.  Really.  I don't remember the other two belle's names, or any of the lines, but we got the giggles during the production and couldn't finish our scene.  Except they got to leave the platform and I had to stay and get myself together.  It was torture.  But, I got to run shrieking down the middle aisle at one point, so it was worth it.  

6.  My first Christmas season with Mr Lemon.  We opened all of our presents early, bought a tree, didn't fight about how I should boss him around with wrapping the lights around the tree.  It was fantastic.  My next tree will just be pre-lit. But I'm sure I'll still find something to boss him around about.  It's my privilege as his wife. :)

5.  One year Jessica and I stayed with Grandma in Columbus over Christmas break, but we got terribly homesick New Year's Eve and howled for Mom and Dad to come and get us.  I believe we used the excuse that we wanted to be at church for Watchnight Service, and we even went so far as to get ready for church and wait for them to come and get us.  Sadly, I left the phone off the hook (back in the days when there wasn't call waiting or cell phones or any other means of communication other than smoke signals) and my Grandpa Hines (Dad's Dad)  wasn't able to get through to get directions.  Poor Grandma, we were so pitiful.  

4.  Jessica's first Christmas.  Why is this on my list, you ask?  Because.  OH BOY.  I get to post this picture.

Liz at 2 1/2, Jessica at 11 months

3.  The year Uncle Bob and Aunt Beth gave us the gift of a charitable contribution to the Columbus Zoo.  Understandably, we were disappointed as 8 & 9 year olds, but now it's kind of cool to know somewhere in the Zoo there is a brick with each of our names on it.  

2.  I had a great-aunt who everyone called Libby except Grandma Hines.  She called her sister Liz.  That was also one of the first years that Mom's family and Dad's family began to celebrate Christmas together.  I got to play Santa and hand out all the presents.  I had a great! big! pile!  When it was my turn, I opened ... a pill sorter.  Slippers.  Yes, I did.  I opened all the presents that said Elizabeth and Liz on them.  

1.  The Christmas of my freshman year at Gateway, Mom and Grandma came to pick me up from college and brought one of my best friends with them.  We jabbered all the way home.  I'm sure that was a delightful nine hours of Mom's life that she'll never get back.