Christmas through the years
Mon, December 23, 2019 
Once again it is Christmas, how quickly the months and years fly by. Looking back, it is hard to believe I have been through 83 Christmas Days and the surrounding holidays.
Most have been good and happy occasions, but no one Christmas stands out as being different or special.
My childhood memories should have been special, and I guess in a way they were as I seem to remember them the most.
From the age of 5 (The earliest Christmas I remember.) to 9 years it was the war years, 1941 to1945, and every Christmas was so much the same that they all blend together.
I had a brother seven years older than me, and we would go out into the woods and find a Christmas tree, bring it home and decorate it. That was fun. My brother would usually climb a large tree and cut the top off, rather than cut down a small one. There were no Christmas Tree Farms, or trees for sale.
My Christmas stocking was one of my knee-high socks that I wore every day, and I could guarantee every year there would be an orange in the toe of that sock. Yes, an orange was a Christmas gift. Oranges did not grow in England, they had to be imported from Spain or some other Mediterranean country. And bananas, I never saw a banana until the war was over, they came from the West Indies or Florida.
In the leg part of my knee-high sock would be a rolled-up coloring book, and there would be a box of crayons or sometimes colored pencils. Sometimes there might be a special edition comic book like a Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse. Balloons were another thing I never saw until the war was over, all manufacturing went into the war effort, nothing as trivial as balloons were made.
I do remember one year going to a Christmas Party, and Santa came dressed in a red hat and white beard but was wearing a khaki army overcoat. We were told that Santa Claus had joined the Home Guard. The Home Guard was mostly older men, veterans of the First World War. They were issued a uniform and a rifle, and would have been Britain’s last line of defense, had the country been invaded.
I think the reason my childhood Christmas memories are good, was because my expectations were met. Had I expected more and then didn’t get it, I might have been less happy. But why should I expect more? I don’t remember the other kids I went to school with getting more than me.
In later years after the war, in my late teens or twenty’s, I had left home and lived in rented rooms. If I didn’t get invited to someone’s house, Christmas was a boring, waisted day. I had no TV, and all movie theatres and restaurants were closed. Each Christmas since then I do tend to think of those spending Christmas alone.
Later I married and had children of my own, and those Christmases were special of course. Since coming to the USA, half a lifetime ago, it has become a tradition every Christmas I talk on the phone with my daughters, and granddaughters. Now in recent years I have Great Grandchildren too.
I think for me the older I get, the more content I am, and in a way every day is Christmas. It is hard to single out one special day and make it better that the rest. My expectations are always being met.
I have been blessed in my lifetime with the ability to build a few good bicycle frames. The fact that there are some out there that enjoy my past work, for me is the gift that keeps on giving. I could not ask for more, at Christmas or any other time.
I wish you all a joyous Christmas, or whatever it you celebrate at this time of the year.
To Share click "Share Article" below
Reader Comments (7)
Hi Dave,
We enjoyed reading your blog about past Christmases you have had growing up in England. Memories and nostalgia grow fonder as we age . Thank you for sharing.
Wishing you and Kathy a Happy Christmas and wonderful New Year!
Love Marcia and John
Having your expectations met — it's the difference between a good life and a not-so-good one for most people.
Thank you, Dave. A wonderful remembrance of Christmases past and a dollop of wisdom on top. Happy Holidays!
I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear
They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
Hallelujah, Noel be it heaven or hell
The Christmas we get we deserve__Greg Lake
Merry Christmas Dave! I have greatly enjoyed your musings over the years.
Aaron
Rest assured, I'll be riding my Fuso again, once the weather warms. It's far too nice a bike to be riding in the salt that covers the wintertime Vermont roads. I have it equipped with a full Campy Croce d'Aune group, including Delta brakes, and with a 39 x 26 I have inadvertently discovered that it is a sweet bike for the local mountain passes. We call them "gaps", here. They're not terribly impressive by international standards, but you know you've finished a tough climb when you get to the top, especially if you string a few together. The Fuso makes those rides special fun.
Hey Dave. Made 86 so far, looking forward to my 87 years, starting Jan 2020 Gawd we are getting old mate. Have a Happy new year and lots more, to you and all on your blog John Crump
Dave,
Wonderful memories. A belated Merry Christmas!