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years old. Everyone had just finished the big feast and retired to the living room to watch T.V. Chet Huntly and David Brinkley interrupted the news to announce that Santa and the reindeer had just been tracked by radar heading toward the United States. 1 had been at a “questioning" age but at that point any doubts I may have had about the jolly old fellow soon vanished. One did not dispute the word of Huntly and Brinkley.
My brother, my sister and I would wake-up early on7 Christmas morning. We marveled at even being asleep at all the night before. My brother would tell of how he heard Santa's reindeer on the roof, and how they pawed and stomp about. My sister heard the sleigh bells and I would agree. I heard them too.
Mom and dad would have us lin? up at the top of the stairs and then dad would go downstairs to get the heater started in the living room. In those days we didn’t have heat upstairs. When the living room was warm enough dad would call up to us very excitedly. ‘‘Ok, yall can come down now and see if Santa came." The mad race began. Bumping, shoving, and screaming, we all somehow managed to get to the bottom of the steps and into the dining room in one piece and at the same time.
The lights on the tree twinkled a special way on those mornings. We had watched them blink on and off for the last 8 days, but never had they been so beautiful. The piney scent of the evergreen filled the room with a scent that was Christmas. Toys were packed beneath the tree, waiting to be claimed by their owner, and fat stockings hung in the doorway, overflowing with smaller toys, gumdrops. and candy canes.
There were lots of pretty packages to open too. 1 recall one of our Aunts gave my sister and I underpanties, every year! So we saved her packages for last and opened them together saying, “oh no. - underpants again!" But things could have been worse. At least they were flowered and maybe by next Christmas they would even fit. Christmas Day the family always stayed home. My sister and 1 played house with the new dolls, and my brother spent most of the day convincing dad that it was not his turn to operate the Lionel. Mom and grandmother prepared a hearty breakfast of old ham. eggs and biscuits, and then spent the rest of the evening slicing fruitcake and serving eggnog to guests that dropped in. Christmas night would come too fast. Bedtime was time to put away the new toys until tomorrow . And like a scene that ends with the "Waltons" so it was each night at our house. "Good night Mom and Dad." "Night kids." ''Goodnight Jimmy'' "Goodnight Carol and Kay." "Goodnight Santa Claus and thank you."
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