Thread by @MoriahJovan

#ChristmasMemories Playing this collection over and over again:

youtube.com/playlist?list=…

#ChristmasMemories Staying upstairs on Christmas morning until we had our beds made, rooms tidy, & were completely dressed while dad went downstairs to see if Santa'd been there, exclaimed in shock @ what he had brought, & started aforementioned Christmas music while we waited

to come downstairs, mom solemnly leading the procession, while we waited, trembling with anticipation like the back ends of happy puppies. #ChristmasMemories

#ChristmasMemories On an evening before Christmas, going to the #CountryClubPlaza and #CrownCenter to see the lights, eat at Putsch's cafeteria, wander around Halls looking at the pretty displays and window shopping. #KC #KansasCity

#ChristmasMemories Driving around town looking at light displays other than the Country Club Plaza, seeing the small candles in windows of random houses.

#ChristmasMemories On Christmas Eve, going to my ancient great-grandmother's house for a buffet of finger foods, DIY sliders (ham, cheese, etc), Christmas punch (recipe coming), home-baked Christmas cookies, and receiving tiny gifts, usually the Lifesaver Book. 😍 Lifesaver Book.

#ChristmasMemories The punch recipe (the almond flavoring is the key): 10 c water
1 tsp almond flavoring
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1 c Reallemon juice
2 c sugar
6 oz orange juice concentrate

#ChristmasMemories The smell of a real tree with the ancient strings of C9 bulbs, ShinyBrite ornaments, 3-foot-high blow mold candles, aluminum trees with color wheels, satin ball ornaments, flocked dancing Santas, silver icicles that stuck around like glitter,

#ChristmasMemories LARGE white iridescent ceramic Christmas tree, the fluttery large candy cane "wreath" for the front door, the advent calendar with Tootsie rolls and a long-forgotten verse (will post later)

#ChristmasMemories #KansasCity Harzfeld's window displays with large animatronic dolls, downtown decorations, the huge crown the hung over Petticoat Lane (at Zona Rosa now), Macy's Santa Claus and train (at Union Station now) going through Macy's Christmas Wonderland

#ChristmasMemories #KansasCity Huge animatronic Santa Claus at Crown Center, Mayor's Christmas tree, my mom's baking (yeah, I can bake like that--do I want to? sometimes)

#ChristmasMemories Every other Christmas driving to gma and gpa's in Mulberry, Kansas (pop 300 now) on Christmas Day.

#ChristmasMemories All those things I miss because I never saw the hard work that went into making MY Christmas magical.

I will add more as I think of them.

#ChristmasMemories

#ChristmasMemories Verse at the top of the advent calendar:

December 1st till Christmas is the longest time of year.
Seems as if old Santa never will appear.
How many more days till Christmas?
It’s mighty hard to count,

But this little gift of candy
Will tell you the exact amount.
Untie a piece of candy
When the sandman casts his spell
And Christmas will be here
By the time you ring the bell. #ChristmasMemories

#ChristmasMemories

#ChristmasMemories Looking through my mom's recipe books and cards at the Christmas things.

#ChristmasMemories Oh, look!

#ChristmasMemories

#ChristmasMemories This has been good for my soul. I'm listening to somafm.com/player/#/now-p… Department Store Christmas playlist and I moved my office Christmas tree so I can actually see it.

#ChristmasMemories Back to my ancient great-grandmother's Christmas Eve get-together. What I remember most is the tiny, sparsely lit and decorated tree on a sideboard tucked away behind the red velveteen couches in the bay window.

#ChristmasMemories Here's a better pic of the advent calendar. This is the one I re-created for my kids. I have no pix of the one my mom made for me.

#ChristmasMemories I wouldn't call this a Pinterest FAIL, because it looked cute in the daytime, but did not look good at night. So instead of having a snowman Christmas tree, I made Melty the Snowman.

#ChristmasMemories Something I made for my mom. (Yes. Hand-quilted.)

#ChristmasMemories My family's stockings. #protip Don't make it big enough to put an elephant's foot into it. They look sad when they're not packed. Smeared over XX and XY's names so you can't see my fabulous gold embroidery.

@threadreaderapp #unroll