My fondest memories are of: my parents taking the kids to see houses decorated for Christmas in the rich neighborhoods by the lake front in New Orleans; still pretending to believe in Santa; going to visit both sets of grandparents and a few great aunts and eating dinner at everybody's house (mama didn't cook); cooking my first Christmas dinner for my family so that we could stay home (I was 14.); my father assembling my brother's toys on Christmas morning (why did he wait until Christmas morning); cleaning the house while Christmas music played.

I can't remember having one good Christmas in my whole childhood. Money was tight and I was the oldest boy (I had to do without so the kiddies could still have a good Christmas)
Maybe that's why I go through so much trouble trying to make other's lives better now.
Now I live in one of those neighborhoods that people drive by to see the lights. But I still can't enjoy Christmas because I always feel that I haven't done enough.

You don't like flocked trees? When I lived in Cali., I used to always get a 12' Noble fir - Flocked.

@ HD, I imagine a New Orleans Christmas must be really beautiful. We had to wash the walls down before we could get the tree. I vowed that I would not wash one wall when I was grown. Gotta laugh now - cause the tree don't go up in my house before the walls get washed. LOL!!!

@ UBJohn, I was listening to the local news earlier today. There was a "special interest" story on about the Catholic Charities here feeding the homeless today for the holidays. It saddened me to see all of the children eating and standing in line to eat. One young girl talked about how being out in the cold hurt her throat while her father explained that he and his children generally only eat one meal a week - not a day - but a week.

I say all this to say that no matter how bad things are for us personally, there is likely someone or someones who would gladly exchange paths with us. As I said in my post, Christmas is always a bitter sweet time of the year and I always find myself drifting into a depression because of the "bad memories" of the season. But, now having a family and my own children, I find myself often going overboard to make sure that they have good memories not just at Christmas. Don't think I've always been successful - but, I pray that the good memories out shine the bad ones. Christmas is only one day and what we do the other 364 is really what matters. I'm sure you will be blessed for your maturity as a child in "leaving the pile higher" for the kiddies (smile).

As for the flocked trees... Well, I like them but my next door neighbors had live green trees with gobs of ornaments and lights. I thought that was really cool! When I was older, we finally did get a green tree but it was artifical... LOL!!!

Preparing for the Christmas pageant at church is my fondest memory. Memorizing my speech or my lines in the play, the costuming, the goodie bags that the Church mothers handed out afterwards. I loved the performances, the singing of Christmas carols.

I learned everyone else's speaking parts, even reciting my brother's speech by mistake one year. The church mother made me march all the way back up to the front and say my own! I miss those days.