Stories to Tell

I'm taking an online class over at jessicasprague.com that helps to spark ideas for storytelling. I have a few assignments and thought it would just be easiest for me to blog about my memories. I hope you will enjoy my ramblings (memories) and I hope it will spark some of your own memories. I'd love it if you would leave a comment about your own traditions too.

Assignment: Roots--Describe a Childhood Christmas
The anticipation of Christmas morning heated the 2-bedroom trailor that the 5 five of us nested in 1981. Curiosity had already gotten the best of my brother and I. Close quarters made it nearly impossible to avoid the closet that was made home to the assortment of gifts my mother had purchased and hid beneath blankets and other storage items.

Friends at school had been revealing wish lists for weeks and, of course, we had our lists too. Although Santa had always been generous in the past, we knew that this year, he would have to be more conservative.

(Sidebar) On occasion, mom would allow us to tag along to the L&J bowling alley where she would bowl in a league and we would drop quarter after quarter into the latest video games in the arcade. Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Joust, and Asteroids were among the ones I can remember. We spent hours playing those games and nagging mom for more quarters. (I don't know how she could concentrate on the bowling with all of our whining. I know my brother would say that I was the only one whining;) That same year, miniature Pac Man Arcade games hit the market and everyone was talking about getting one. Truth be told, we didn't really talk about it because we just knew it wasn't in the budget.

Somehow, those blankets got jumbled around and, in time, a few of our unwrapped gifts were revealed to my brother who quickly pulled me to his side. I'm sure we stood there way too long. Mouths wide open with excitement. To our surprise, there was a PacMan arcade game stowed away. From that moment, the countdown until Christmas Day felt like an eternity away. For a 1st and 3rd grader one day of waiting felt like forever! And so, I'm sure we passed the days away by sledding and playing in the snow. We sure did get alot of snow back then and we had the best sledding hills in the county.

On Christmas Eve I can remember laying on the couch while the rest of the family played games, made cookies and all of the other festive goings on that I can't really remember. I felt really sick and slept most of the evening. Sure enough, Christmas morning arrived. I can still remember the look on my brothers face while opening the package that was the same size as the one we had scoped out...you know, the PacMan Arcade. Low and Behold, as the red and green holiday paper was pulled from the box, that little yellow icon smiled upon us. He lifted the cardboard flap a little too easily and newspaper clippings began to tumble out. With a little help, he discovered that the box had been filled with handmade ceramic figures. Disappointment, denial, and then a demand for answers as to where the game was hidden was witnessed on both of our faces. Straightfaced, my mother said there was no game. Even though we never believed that there was no game, I can't remember how much time lapsed before we were rewarded with the trophy game. I can't remember getting in trouble for snooping, but I do believe it was the last time we searched for our gifts before Christmas morning.

We spent hours playing that game. It is one of my most memorable gifts ever and I don't know how my mom scraped up the cash but she made a whole family delighted with it's purchase.

By the way, the next day, I was admitted to the hospital with Bronchitis. My brother spent those days mastering the game while I sat bored in a hospital....but that is another story to be told.