I Believe
The Christmas tree is lit and trimmed to perfection. Wreaths have been placed in a delicate display of artistry. The stockings hung by the chimney with nutcrackers at full attention.
Saying I love Christmas, well, is an understatement. Christmas means more than a cherished holiday full of traditions. For me, Christmas is about second chances.
The Sting of Christmas
My childhood Christmases were not bad – they were just unusual. Many were spent with a mix of hippie families and sometimes strangers who were rotating through our communal-style home. We usually had some type of casual meal, and then opened a present or two.
During one of my earliest Christmas memories, Santa my mom, left the price tag on my prized Darci doll. I remember the disappointment when I learned Santa was not…dare I say it aloud?
NOT R-E-A-L?
But the grand poo-bah of all gifts – the one toy that made my little heart go pitter patter was the Barbie Dream House.
This two-story hunk of shiny plastic was my dream gift, which never exactly came to fruition. The $65 price tag in the 1970s was too much for our working-class family to afford at that time.
My ultimate toy: the Barbie Dream House in the mid-1970s, which cost $65 back then. Depressingly worth a whopping $5 on eBay now.
A few years later, I remember when Santa brought my younger sister the Barbie Dream House.
By then, I was too old for Barbie, but the sting of jealous disappointment hurt.
Of course, I know Christmas is not all about gifts, but for children there is a certain magical wonderment of Christmas.
Second Chances
I recently considered the importance we place on Christmas traditions when reading a magazine article that featured actress Drew Barrymore with her new baby girl.
Barrymore grew up as a childhood star in the fast lane battling the pressures of being a celebrity. Revived and refreshed with her new family, she said something that struck a chord: “I really wanted a wonderful, traditional home for my kids. For people who didn’t have the strongest families or traditional families, if you can create that, you can have a second chance. It just makes me so emotional because it’s a miracle.”
Now as an adult, I feel like I am getting a second chance to experience and create my own family Christmas traditions…of holiday cookies and milk left out for Santa, fudge making and the reading of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
A few years ago, my older daughter asked Santa for THE Barbie Dream House (quite an upgrade compared to my 1970s version – complete with an elevator, flat screen TV and penthouse Jacuzzi).
Santa worked hard at delivering her gift on Christmas morning. The look of joy and excitement when she spotted the toy on the fireplace was priceless.
Not only was I excited that my daughter would have the opportunity to enjoy the toy I had pined over all those years ago, I secretly couldn’t wait to play Barbies in that mack daddy mansion.
I believe in second chances.
I believe in miracles.
I believe in Santa.
Do you have fond or not-so-fond Christmas traditions as a child? What was one of your most memorable traditions? Did you have an ultimate favorite gift you wanted as a kid? What was it? As an adult, are there any new traditions that you’ve started with your own family? Do you believe?
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About Author
clearly kristal
I grew up on the outskirts of a small California town in the Central Coast. In the 1970s, I was raised on a communal farm with two hippie (sometimes hick) parents, three sisters and a brother. By the late 1970s, we relocated to the "city." After watching countless episodes of the popular TV sitcom "Brady Bunch," I struggled throughout the years to assimilate into mainstream society. Eventually, I graduated with a journalism degree from a four-year college (a first in my family). For the last 15 years, I have been a professional communicator and consultant for several Fortune 500 companies (working for “the man” as my parents would say). However, my dream has always been to write – creatively with a passion for telling the story of my own experiences and unique upbringing. I started this blog with the hopes that my clear thoughts and epiphanies could have a positive impact. I also hope to someday publish my memoir. Now living in suburbia with a loving husband and two beautiful children, I hope to offer some perspective into my daily life blended with my past - because moments matter.
I remember the first Christmas after my parents were divorced, I was in 8th grade so not a believer anymore (in Santa that is), and in the middle of the night I awoke to my precious newly-single mother trying to haul in my big hanging basket chair that I soooo wanted. She had gone to the trouble to hide it in the garage and drag it’s awkward and heavy frame and swinging basket chair into the house, by herself, in the middle of Christmas Eve night, even though both her children were in Jr. High/High School and she could have easily asked my brother to help her the next day. It was so important to her that we wake with surprise gifts under the tree as if they were from Santa. Looking back, I’m sure part of it was her desperate need to try to keep something the same, even though things would of course never be the same.
Now with my own family, we have created many new traditions and we are loving giving our kiddos these memories to hopefully pass down someday. But every Christmas, I am reminded that one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is a healthy marriage role model, one that will endure all adversity – I read the Corinithians love scripture to remind myself how to do it since there are times it is not easy or does not come naturally. So on Christmas morning, I encourage everyone to let the kids catch “mommy kissing Santa Claus” and give them the great gift of the security your marriage brings them.
Rachel: Thank you so much for sharing your precious, loving memories as a child. It is amazing how a memory like that will stay with us forever and make a lasting impression – one of unconditional love. I also admire how you pay tribute to one of your greatest loves – your life partner. I also agree a healthy, happy marriage is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. Merry Christmas!
Hey Kristal,
I finally got around to reading your Barbie dream house post. I know as a child it must of been a hard pill to swallow that I got the Barbie dream house, but if it’s any consolation, I sure did enjoy it! Love, Karla
Thanks, Kar. That means a lot to me.