Christmas Memories (Really Old Ones)

Today, the ladies and gentlemen of First Methodist Church were making and wrapping up fruit baskets for the more "experienced" members of our church, for Christmas. As you might expect, fun was had by all, and over 40 baskets were made and delivered this morning. What I did not expect was some of the memories of Christmas that came flooding back today....

Here are Andy and Mim, with Scooter the cat in front of our traditional Christmas tree...Yes, an evergreen, still in can, (to return to the nursery for selling), with ornaments all near the front and middle, because of the numerous times Scooter climbed and knocked it over before Christmas. The Halls never chopped down a tree for Christmas, we just carefully used and returned them to the nursery stock...see??? we were "green" even way back then!!

I know my sisters and I were so embarrassed, as we took our "nursery" plants to our school  teachers....we never got to buy our teachers presents, we just had to take them poinsettias, or those little miniature trees that we decorated, or some other such plant. Of course, we did find out as adults, teachers really like that stuff...even better than the candles and perfumes!!

Speaking of those little trees...that was one of my favorite "chores" during Christmas...See? on the  bench next to Mama? Those are some of our beautiful trees!! I just know they made special gifts for some teacher or mailman, or milkman, or friend!

Some other special times were given to us by Dick Livingston, Daddy's best friend from childhood. He owned Russell's department store in Eustis, and gave us Hall girls a real paying job during the Christmas season. We made about 20 cents an hour wrapping presents purchased in the store. During the beginning of the week, it was a real cinch...somebody buys a blouse, you go back in the back, find the blouse box, pack with tissue, choose a wrapping paper, pick white or red or green ribbon, curl the ends of the ribbon and return to customer. No problems....BUT by Christmas Eve....big problems arose. Boxes became scarce, tape was running thin, only white ribbon may have been left, to go with only one kind of paper!!

I think Margaret and I made have pulled off the best wrapping job in history. Can you guess what someone bought? An overcoat...kind of like a thick trench coat today...we went back to find the box...HA! Not only did that box not exist, the largest box we could find was a square shaped "underwear" box. Somehow, we folded and folded and folded, 'til we got that big coat in that little box...one of us held down the box as the other wrapped the paper and taped and taped and taped. We were so proud, when we handed the customer that beautifully wrapped box, and assured her that yes, indeed..it was her overcoat!!

Christmas hold many delightful memories from those simpler days....Nanny Tom's sugar cookies, our beautiful nursery Christmas trees, Mama's and Daddy's sacrifices for that new bike, singing Christmas carols with the church youth, decorating miniature trees at the nursery, and wrapping presents at Russell's department store...just to name a few.