groups

I remember one Christmas back in the mid 80's when my brother and I were both volunteer firefighters - him for Coweta County, Georgia and me for the City of East Point. It was Christmas Eve and he had invited me to his station for dinner and to run some calls with them because "it would nice to have help from the big city." Well, we had finished supper and we were cleaning up the kitchen when we heard "Engine 4 is on-scene, we have smoke showing." To say the least we were a little confused because we were Engine 4 and we hadn't received a call. Afraid we might have missed something, we called the 911 center and they were just as confused as we were. A little checking turned out that we were picking up "skip" (interference) from a department several counties over in Alabama!

view link

One of my favorite memories was Christmas of 1988 I was 13 years old and all I wanted that year was a pogo ball. It was a new version of a pogo stick. Had a ring around a ball and you stood on the ring held the ball with your feet and bounced on it. I got it for Christmas. My grandparents were there for dinner and my papaw decided he wanted to learn how to use it. So after dinner we went into he church parking lot and took turns learning how to bounce on it. My dad pastored a church and we lived next door to the church so we had plenty of room to practice. HEaring my papaw laughing as he bounced across the parking lot and seeing him fall and get right back up was so much fun! It was a memory he enver forgot even when his mind got bad. Sadly we lost him two years ago on November 23rd. But it is a memory that makes me smile and cry every time I think about it!

I remember a Christmas, approx. 1961, I was getting into typing, shorthand, etc. and wanted my own typewriter so much.
Dad handed me a package and when I opened it, it looked like a luggage case. I remember thinking I had received a piece of luggage...

Dad told me to open it and inside was the best looking smith corona typewriter I could ever have asked for.

Well, you said tender or funny.....here goes...

In 1969, I seen my Dad that afternoon and he was so happy and cheerful. Really late that night I got a call to get to the Hospital fast. It was about a 45 mins. drive there, Don and I tossed the 3 kids into the back seat in the p.j.'s and hit interstate which was getting covered with ice.

Don waited in the car with the kids, I went running into the hospital and seen the family sitting together. I went to my sister and told her everything would be alright.....I was to late. He had a major heart attack as he locked up the house that night, my step mom heard a thump, went to check and found him on the floor. The Dr. told me he was gone when he hit the floor.

I buried Dad on Christmas Eve....remember them asking what his favorite song had been to play at the service and it was How Great Thou Art.
We went on with Christmas as the children were babies but for me, it was grief.
About 6 yrs. ago, Don lost his Dad, as we stood in the receiving line at the viewing, the Church started playing music and the song was How Great Thou Art....I broke down. No one had requested it. Don's Dad was one that always had a joke and knew how to make me blush....I remember us commenting as the people cleared out and we were alone that both of them were together with him telling my Dad jokes.

I think it was Christmas 1981. Sunny morning, got up, went to church, came out from church and my car wouldn't start. I had parked my car in the shade that morning. It was a balmy -47 degrees, in the sun!!! In the shade?? I don't know, oh well....

I was born in Germany and we had special traditions to follow. Our Christmas tree was never put up until Christmas eve, the night the "Christ Child" came - St. Nick came on December 6th. My brother and I had to stay out of the living room while my parents decorated the tree, after they were done they rung a little bell to let us know we could come into the living room. I never forget how magical our tree looked to me, with real candles lit galore, from top to bottom (we did not get electric lights until I was about 14 years old). Needless to say, we always had a bucket of water next to the tree but we never had a fire. There is a certain way to put candles on a tree without burning the tree down.
Before opening present, we all had to stand around the tree and sing Christmas carols. Although my mother could not hold a tune, she enjoyed singing as loud as she could.
Those memories are very precious to me.