Memories of Christmas Pageants

If you have never read this book or seen the TV program or movie based on the book, it is a "must". I never laughed so much. If you ever directed or were in a Christmas pageant, you will certainly identify with the characters and enjoy this little book.

When I was growing up in the country in rural south Alabama, we always had a Christmas pageant at our little Baptist church. There were both adults and children participating in the pageant and those who could sing were always in the choir (along with some who couldn't carry a tune!).

We would start practicing soon after Thanksgiving. Two sisters, Vilettia Jones Mixon and Lena Jones Cowen, were always the directors and they kept the costumes for the next year. Once they selected people for the characters we would represent, we were given our lines to learn. The only part I remember playing was being an angel and wearing wings made from two coat hangers fastened together where the hooks would meet. They were covered with white cloth and the edges outlined with shiny silver tinsel. I think they pinned them to the back of our white robes we wore. I loved being an angel! The shepherds and wise men wore men's plaid bath robes. (I don't know who they borrowed these from. Our dad never owned a bathrobe.) The men wore towels around their heads for turbans. And the wise men; ah, I remember their shiny robes and jeweled head pieces. One of my favorite songs was "We Three Kings". Another of my favorites was "Away in a manger". Living on a farm and having animals, etc., I could not imagine a baby sleeping in a feeding trough.... Or anyone sleeping in the barn with all the animals, etc.

Mrs. Mixon's son Phillip shared with me recently that when they were moving from the family home and cleaning out the attic, he found the Christmas pageant box of costumes his mother had stored. She has been dead for many years. The costumes should have been put in the "Christmas Pageant Museum" - if there is such a place.

It was always so cold in our little white frame church. We all hovered around the big pot belly stove when we were waiting our turn to be on the "stage". The last time I remember being in a Christmas pageant was when I was a senior in high school. And that year I played the piano and felt so grown up. I had graduated from wearing the angel wings. Today when we are singing Christmas songs at our church, Elba United Methodist, my mind travels back to those days of the Christmas pageants and I remember all the words to those songs of long ago and I don't need a hymn book.

Some Special Christmas gifts when I was young

Some gifts are so special that you just don't forget them. I remember my dolls and the beautiful outfits my Aunt Bob (Barbara) crocheted for them. Little caps, sweaters, and booties. When I was 7 or 8 I got a beautiful Horsman Doll (from Martin's Dept store in Elba I later learned). Mother took us there to pick out a doll and that's what Santa brought. I chose one with hair that had Shirley Temple curls and eyes that opened and closed and had eye lashes. She had a little red mouth with a hole between her teeth and this is where I would put the nipple of the bottle to feed her. Then she would wet her diaper. This was like a real baby and I loved holding her and playing with her. I remember naming her Sara Frances! 

In the spring when were playing outside in our playhouse (not a building, but a space outlined with boards or bricks which marked off rooms, etc.), we decided to have a funeral and bury Sara Frances. I think it was because a neighbor's child had died and we had heard the adults talking about the funeral. We found a wooden box and used it for the casket. We put the doll in the box and then put the lid on the box. Then we dug a hole in the ground and put the box in the hole and covered it up. We gathered my grandmothers pretty pink cabbage roses and put on top of the grave (and got in trouble for this). I don't remember who all attended the funeral but probably my cousin Tom, neighbors (Cowen family), and my sisters and I. After the funeral, we started playing something else and forgot all about my doll until the next day. I hurried and dug up the box when I remembered where I had left my doll, and I have never been so heart broken. The skin of my doll was wrinkled and peeling away from her pretty face and her eyes had gotten damp and fell back into her head! I remember crying and wrapped her up in "Swaddling" clothes and played with her anyway. I never left my dolls outside anymore! My grandmother explained to us that this is what happens to people when they are buried - that they decay. I've never forgotten this sad experience. From this time on, we stuck to burying and having funerals for baby chickens and animals on the farm. I think I was in Jr. High school when I went to my first funeral (an old neighbor, Mrs. Emma Foley Lewis) and it wasn't at all what I expected funerals to be. I didn't go to another one for a long time. 

Christmas traditions of our family

Yule logs are a tradition for our family as well as fresh cut Christmas trees. This photo shows our Christmas tree in Wurzburg, Germany in 1954. We wanted the branches closer to the floor so we cut off about 12" at the trunk of the tree. We used this cut to make this  yule log to hold one red candle. We still have this yule log

We have displayed this same yule log for 53 years. It has lots of splits in the top of the log as it has aged.

                                                            

             Another larger yule log was designed for our big mantle in Minneapolis in 1978. We ordered a load of firewood to burn in our fireplace and when it arrived I was amazed to see those beautiful birch logs! They were much too pretty to burn in the fireplace. We drilled holes in one of the logs and made a beautiful yule log which we still have. It adorns our fireplace mantle. I usually use fir braches for greenery but this year used pine instead since it came from our yard.

Remember Pearl Harbor - Dec 7, 1941

I was 7 years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed. I remember my parents and grandparents sitting by the big radio listening and not saying a word. I can still hear the voice of Franklin Roosevelt as he told about what had happened. I really didn't understand what was going on. My mother's brother was in the Seabees and stationed in Hawaii. He spent the remainder of his military career in Pearl Harbor after that infamous day, cleaning up the "mess". Only recently he talked to me a little about his military career. I hope to get him to tell me more one day soon. He talked some about how horrible the aftermath was.

We had a big Philco radio that was about 3 or 4 feet tall, and sat on the floor. I remember trying to get behind it to see if there were people inside! It was battery operated and the batteries were huge, and very heavy. We didn't play the radio very long at the time. It was for listening to the news of the war and pretty much our only means of communication with the world outside Elba, Alabama.

On Saturday nights, neighbors would gather at someone's home and listen to the Grand Ole Opry. The children would lie down on pallets on the floor and fall asleep while adults listened to such favorites as Lew Childre, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, and many others. Hank Williams was another favorite. I remember once he came to our school in the country for a concert. He was so drunk they had to help him up on the stage and he kept staggering around while trying to sing. I never wanted to see or hear him again. I was so disgusted. He died when I was a freshman in college at Troy. I remember it was a cold rainy morning when someone came to class and said he had just learned that Hank Williams had just died. Somehow I didn't feel too sorry for him! Maybe because of Hank Williams and his character, I have never been a fan of country music.

19 more days 'til Christmas

Ho, Ho, Ho! James has been practicing and is pretty good. He has to wait until after Thanksgiving to start talking about Christmas (or he would drive us crazy by Dec . 25).

James and I pooled our birthday money and bought this nice outdoor santa that my neighbor and friend Glenda Williams cut out and painted. She did a beautiful job. He looks so real standing in the front yard and at night he has a spotlight on him.

In most families, after the children are grown and gone from home, Santa is a thing of the past. But not for us. For over 50 years we have been playing Santa and he's still very much alive in our household.

Tonight I took James to Enterprise (for the 11th year) to the Rotary Club/Pilot Club Christmas party they have each year for mentally handicapped children and adults. This is his first Christmas party and tonight was no exception. He got a CD and a pair of gray lounging pants. McDonald's furnished burgers and fries and everybody got a backpack with goodies. They were entertained by some musicians and there was a sing-a-long which everybody enjoyed. We were there almost 2 hours.

So tonight was one down, and we have several more events to attend before Dec. 25th. I'll try to record them each day.

Note: We went away for a week to NC and SC during Thanksgiving holidays (Jim was feeling better) and it's hard to get back to doing things at home or to establish a regular routine again. It was a first time visit to Clemson Univ. in SC to visit a granddaughter. What a beautiful campus! Then we had lunch in Charlotte NC with 3 of my sisters who all live in NC and drove to Charlotte to have lunch with us one day at Jason's Deli near South Park. We visited other relatives in NC and SC before coming back home.

Letter to Santa -

Dear Santa...... last night Jim helped James write his annual letter to Santa. I asked James to draw me a picture of Santa and Rudolph, and he included a small tree between the two. We find these drawings all over the place during December.

Remember that James is almost 51 years old (Dec 8). See the article I wrote on Aug. 13, 2007, about "I believe in Santa, do you" and you will understand what this season means to James.

He likes to mail his letter to Santa on Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is ready to go in the mail this afternoon, address to Santa at the North Pole.

In case you are wondering what an adult mentally handicapped person wants for Christmas, here is a sample list: (dictated to his dad who typed the list) - Note: he has the same thing on his list every year!

THANKSGIVING DAY 2007

Santa at the end of Macy's Parade
(photo from the internet)
Thanksgiving Day this year was rainy, cold and windy. Our son James was up at 6 a.m. so he wouldn't miss the Macy's Parade at 9 a.m.! Of course he wanted breakfast as soon as he got up so it has made for a long day. I don't think he has ever missed watching Macy's parade. This year I watched much of it with him. I don't know any of the current singing groups or understand the music, etc. I did recognize Dolly Parton on one of the floats, singing one of her new songs. I always enjoy stories about how the school bands get to New York, their honors, etc. It was good to see the Va Tech band there this year. They had nice weather for the parade this year.



I went to my cousin's out in the country for Thanksgiving and brought back some food to Jim and James. There was so much food on the long tables in the barn; ham, turkey, pork barbecue, rice, camp stew, hash, dumplings, dressing, assorted veggies, lots of salads, and a big variety of desserts. Somebody made a hot chocolate cake/pudding in the crock pot and it was absolutely delicious. I haven't wanted anything else to eat all day!

I came home and watched TV most of the afternoon, which I almost never do. It was a nice lazy day today. I have so much to be thankful for, especially for a wonderful family. Many relatives called us today, including our sons in SC and TX.