Thursday, October 15, 2009

Traditions Party!


It's time for our last party in the series from Marie at Emma Calls Me
Mama! Today's party celebrates traditions surrounding the Holidays.

(Sares, Cousin, Sister)

When I was little, we pretty much had the same routine around the
Christmas holidays. We would all load in the car and travel down the road
3 1/2 hours to my parents hometown. We would have Christmas with
both sides of the family, but we always stayed at my Mom's parent's house.
My Aunts, Uncles and Cousins all stayed there too. There would be 12-14
of us crammed into the little two bedroom house my Mom and her two
Sisters grew up in.


There were 5 of us little girls very close in age, so the gifts were usually
very similar. Each Christmas morning Santa would leave us a stuffed
animal or a doll, or both! They'd all be lined up in a row waiting for us to
wake up.
My gift this particular year was the bear on the far left and
the doll
behind it!

This is a picture of my Pappy and my Mom. At least I think it's my Mom!
Sometimes it's hard to tell because she has an identical twin sister and
they often look the same in old pictures. They are playing cards, another
favorite family tradition, usually played at every get together to this day!

If you'll notice all the red stockings, this was my favorite part! They had
our names spelled out on them in gold glitter on the front and were stuffed
to the gills with Christmas goodies of every shape and size! It was a the
Christmas jackpot, although they look empty here. It must have been
too early to stuff them or after the big opening.


Christmas morning and I'm surrounded by presents and wrapping paper
in my red nightgown. I still remember how silky soft it was.

You can't tell in any of these pictures, but one of the things I remember
most about a visit to Nana and Pappy's is that my Nana used to keep lots
of extra "housecoats" on pegs behind the spare room bedroom door. Every
morning, the Moms would grab one of these robes, usually ugly, no offense
Nana, and go and get their morning cup of coffee. Then a couple of them
would make their way to the porch with Pappy to have a morning ciggie.
Talk about family bonding time right!


My Cousin and I discovering our treasures, often we would have to open
the same gift at the same time so the surprise wouldn't be ruined, or
be very careful not to watch while your neighbor was tearing into
theirs. It could be dangerous, the surprise ruined. We still have to
do this on occasion. No kidding.

I'm in the purple Polo shirt smiling for the camera here.

We always had so much fun. We'd play games, later the Atari which even
the adults got in on, created skits, played with our Christmas gifts and spent
hours outside exploring the yard and nearby "creek" which was actually a
drainage ditch that ran down a hill! My Nana also had a neighbor named
Ann that we would always go and visit, she was very sweet to us.


All these traditions came together to make up the traditions I remember
as a child at Christmas. It was a special, magical time when all we had to
do was play. The only downfall...sharing one tiny bathroom with all
those people. Mornings could be torture waiting for my Pappy to come
out of the bathroom!!!

If you'd like to see more Holiday Traditions be sure to hop over to Emma
Calls Me Mama or feel free to join, it's not too late, she always has the Mr.
Linky button up the night before the party. All you have to do is post your
memories and traditions and add your link at her site and you're ready to go!

Thank s for joing me on my stroll down memory lane!


29 comments:

Dusty Devoe said...

Great pictures and memories Sares! Jed sure looks like his Mommy in one of those pictures!

Abatevintage said...

Sares, what a lovely post. I think you looked adorable in your purple polo. How fun to remember good times. I love it.

Thank you so much for visiting my little Isabel she loves to blog, but I seem to be her only visitor and she wanted to have more people visit her, so I told her I had some friends who would enjoy stopping over, and since I have been blogging for about seven months wuh times flies I thought of a couple of you ladies and sent her over, thank you so much she loved your visit she is on the other computer talking about them already. I hope your day goes well. Thank you for entering my giveaway and posting a button I aprreciate your support. I got ya down for this Sundays drawing.

Blessings,
Heidi

carole said...

Hi Sares:
I saw your name on Mary's blog {Isabellas Closet} and love how you used the word "stanky" : )
I really enjoyed your travel back in time about Christmas. That was the family way and it gave me thoughts of my childhood : )
You are delightful!!!
I will come back.
peace
carole

laterg8r said...

love all those old pics TFS :D

bj said...

I wish I had known about this...I would sure have joined in.
i enjoyed seeing all your memories!!

Alyssa said...

Those are wonderful pictures and memories - so glad you shared them with us!

Alyssa
lifeoflyssie.com

GwendolynKay said...

Love the old pictures and memories you have shared. My christmas' when young were similar. It wont be long till it is here again.
Blessings!
Gwen

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

What a wonderful post full of memories! Thank you for sharing them with us and please drop by and pay me a visit, won't you? Love all the living rooms below too. Especially the first three. Have a wonderful weekend.

Blessings,
sandi

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

I meant rooms 1, 3, and 4!

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

Precious. Precious. Precious. Thank you for sharing these, with us.

The Old Parsonage said...

Oh Sares what wonderful photos and memories! You sound like you had the best childhood.

Everyone call my Dad "Pappy" and we have housecoats too! Where is your family originally from? We have roots in Central PA, near Johnstown Pittsburgh.

So glad that you showed Christmas photos - it's coming you know:D

Leann

Pony Girl said...

Yes, Jed does look like his mommy in that first photo!
Not sure what was going on with my feathered hairstyle, LOL!
Thanks for taking me down memory lane, I loved those days we got together and I'm sure glad we still do! :) xo

Abatevintage said...

Sares, thank you for stopping by today, and your prayers and thoughts for Sherry. I think she needs all the prayers she can get at this time. How awful for her.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Blessings,
Heidi

Martha's Favorites said...

Sares: What sweet memories! You were so cute! How wonderful to have these pictures. Thank you for sharing, I feel I know you that much better. Blessings, Martha

Jodie (everything vintage) said...

Awe Sares, this is sooo sweet! Those Christmas memories at the Grandparents were the best! With the great company and all those pretty presents, I'm sure you were spoiled and felt like you were a little princess! Your smiles show it!!!
Now, I bet anything that you are having just as much fun spoiling those beautiful little nieces and baby cub! Right? ;)
everything vintage

Michaeljacksonlover1 said...

Hi Sares you won my award come visit my blog and read how to get it on your blog if you don't know how to I didn't know how to but my mom told me how to do it so I just put down the instructions just in case.Have a wonderful day.Bye

Your Friend,
The Thriller is gone

Kelly said...

What comforting homey memories. I too has the stocking with glittered name and had forgotten until you reminded me of it. Thanks so much for sharing you pictures and memories and also for commenting on my post.

Desert Rose said...

Wow...sure am glad you did not post any pictures of those "lovely robes" we aunties wore! Yes, that picture does look exactly like Jed! Thanks Sares for another trip down memory lane!!!

cowgirljlynn said...

I don't know how we ever did it in suck a small house, but we always had alot of fun!!

The imPerfect Housewife said...

I bet those are some of the best memories of your childhood, Sares!! All of you in that small house I bet was actually fun, especially for a kid. GREAT pictures and heck yeah, who didn't love Atari??? Have a great weekend ~ ♥

A Southern Rose said...

Sares, I loved all of your pictures! It brought back so many memories! All of you were so precious! Grandparents are the best! I remember us all staying at my granny's house and it wasn't very big and about 4 of 5 of us girls would sleep together in one bed. She wouldn't use the heaters at night so she would put her homemade quilts on top of us. They were so heavy and she would put about 4 of them on us! We couldn't move! We were warm though! When we got up in the morning, we could see the steam coming out of our mouths because it was so cold in there! I love all of your pictures!

Hugs,
Lee Laurie

❀~Myrna~❀ said...

Great Pics & Great Christmas Memories! Thanks for sharing8~)
~Myrna Lee
http://daylily777-myenchantedhome.blogspot.com/

Mollye said...

Hey Sares, Loved visiting today. And I read every single word of your Christmas mornings. Beautiful memories that you'll always treasure. Thanks for the trip! Mollye

Marie said...

Hello sweet Sares - thank you for sharing your sweet holiday memories! What fun it must have been to have that many family members all in one house! Very cozy! Love the photo with all the stuffed animals in front of the presents.

Thank you for joining me for the party!

Blessings,
Marie
http://emmacallsmemama.com

Betty said...

Hi Sares ...I just love your family pictures ..I love looking at these old photos ..don't you just look at every inch of them? ..I look at the background to see the TV's the furniture, drapes ..even the glasses people are drinking from ..and of course the clothes and hairdos ...Thanks for sharing your sweet memories.
Hugz ..Betty

C. JoyBell C. said...

I LOVE photos like these! Vintage family photos like these!!!!

Sares, your cousin looks exactly like the doll that's sitting on her lap!!!! :)

I remember all of our traditions... so many of them...I just loved how I'd get to see all the "great uncles" and "great aunts" in the family...sitting around the coffee table with hot cocoa, arguing over religion! hahahahahahahaha!

hhhmmm...I miss my grandmom.....

Susie Jefferson said...

This is great Sares - and especially so, since you actually have photographs! (I don't - my parents never bothered, unfortunately - probably because we only had a very unreliable Box Brownie camera). Traditions like this are a delight.

Rebecca said...

These are just wonderful sweetie! Thanks for sharing your memories and photographs. HPS!

Back Porch Blessings,
Rebecca

Beverly said...

Happy Pink Saturday, Sares.

I loved sharing in your memories of Christmas with your family. We are so blessed to have families that love us. And, you are such a cutie.