Today is December 12th. It is not a significant date for me personally, but it does remind me of the song, “The 12 Days of Christmas.” I am sure you all have heard this melody. One of my favorite versions of this song is actually an ice skating performance by Olympic medalist, Scott Hamilton. I was obviously too young to remember watching this on television, but Mom taped to VHS the 1990 Disney’s Christmas on Ice performance that year. We watched it probably every year growing up, as ice skating was a something our family enjoyed…not only watching during the Winter Olympics, but also trying our own talents on the frozen pond out in the field. Let’s just say, I never landed that “Double Triple Axel.” 😉
Pulling out the Christmas DVDs and VHS tapes last week, I found this recording. Exciting! Even better is that captions played too. I was shocked! In watching some of the performances, I got to travelling down memory lane and complied some of my favorite Christmas memories:
12. Caroling: Whether it was with the youth group (the van rides were memories in themselves), my family (we sang at the nursing home), or friends in Denver (we went around the neighborhood, to the fire station, and then sang at the town square by the lighted tree in Arvada)–singing carols and giving baskets of fruit was something I always looked forward to each year.
11. Family ski trips at Wolf Creek: It’s true–
10. Handel’s Messiah: Last December, we attended a performance at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton. It was just the orchestra and the four soloists: a soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and baritone. Beautiful. If you’ve never listened to the entire oratorio, I recommend it.
9. Coming home for Christmas breaks in college and on Christmas Eve (post-grad): The song, “I’ll be Home for Christmas” took somewhat a literal meaning.
8. Calling the grandparents: It was really sad when my hearing no longer permitted me to talk to my grandparents at the same time as my family. (I had to call separate using the internet captel.) But that won’t be the case this year!!
7. I am not sure where the tradition started, but after the Christmas Eve service, we drove around town to see Christmas lights, then came home to watch Jim Henson’s Muppet Christmas Carol. When it finished, we sang Christmas carols by the lighted tree.
6. The gingerbread candle family: When I was about 7 or 8, Mom purchased a candle making kit and we made gingerbread candles for Christmas. (You would not believe how many years the gingerbread scent lasted!) Since there were four of us sisters, we each took a different mold structure and when they were set as candles, we painted them. Best part is that Mom still has the candles and sets them out each year.
Guess which one is mine–
5. Christmastime by Michael W. Smith: It was the most anticipated album of the season!
4. Community performance of the Nutcracker held at Adams State College: It took place every other year and was always very well done! The youngest ballerinas in training made the cutest mice…how could the Mouse King be intimidating after being associated with them?
3. Decorating my room with Marcia: Sharing a room meant sharing the fun in decorating for the holiday. When we finished, we liked to fall asleep with the Christmas lights twinkling throughout the room.
2. Dad’s French toast: Christmas brunch! Bonus, we got “cutie”-sized oranges in our stockings.
1. “The Little Drummer Boy,” Whiteheart version: 1993. Pure rock, drums…best ever.
What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions or memories?
My Life with NF2 
Haha! This is fun! I remember many of those things too. Good times! I would like to point out, however, that even though I may be represented by the biggest of the four gingerbread men, I did not paint that one. I painted the third one (the one I think that reprints you?!). I’m not sure who painted which other one. I feel like mom painted the last one, Megan painted the second one, and you painted the first/biggest one. 🙂
Oops, silly auto-correct on my phone… That one word should say “represents.” 🙂
haha. I painted the 2nd one (red lipstick and all!); Marcia’s was the biggest gingerbread man and Megan painted the smallest and last gingerbread man. 🙂
Correct!! Marcia painted the tallest candle, you (Melinda) painted the second one tallest one, then you (Melissa), and mine was the shortest one. Almost backwards as to how our birth order really is!! LOL=)
Yeah, we just set them up by size of the candle. I never thought of putting them in the “correct” sibling order. It wouldn’t look the same I suppose
Rememer when I face planted it while sledding with the family? It was the first time David came for a visit to the family…. super funny photo we have of that moment too!!! HAHAHA:) Love you Melissa!
I don’t remember the face plant part, but I think I have a copy of the picture. What I remember is my last sledding experience: you, Marcia, Mom and Chris W. Mom lost her car keys as she had a hole in her coat pocket. I thought we were going to be stuck on the mountain. haha
Wrapping gifts with my mother while watching Christmas programs on TV. She made the most beautiful bows and loved to give gifts. She always had the house decorated and I miss her terribly,), but I will see her again and I praise the Lord for that gift (the most precious gift ever given) GRACE.
Wrapping presents is like an art! It can be so unique and beautiful…especially bows! I always use too much tape. LOL. Sometimes we would catch Christmas programs like Lawrence Welk on PBS. Those reruns were great.
You have a very special memory! Thanks for sharing.
Mel,
I was thinking about what you said about phone calls. With many phones today you can see who you are talking to (Facetime or Skyp). Are they good enough for you to read lips? Also about missing hearing the Christmas music. I once saw a none hearing dance group that would feel the vibration on the floor and be able to dance to the beat.
I finally subscribed to your blog so I don’t have to wait for Tanis to tell me how & what you are doing. We pray for you often and enjoy how you have such a great attitude and praising God for all He has given you and your family.
Uncle Glen
Hi Uncle Glen!
I do use Skype and for the most part, I read lips really well as the camera is set still (sometimes laptops get tricky). If the connection is bad, it makes the person I am talking to fuzzy and that affects the lip reading. But if under normal conditions I am not understanding, the person can also type the few words to help me out. Works nice. 🙂 I Skype Megan a lot. That is fun.
I had a few Deaf friends in CO. Yep, music can get loud. LOL. Whiteheart’s “Little Drummer Boy” would be epic to hear this way. 😉
Love and Miss you both!
Melinda!!! Hey sis!!! I so remember and recall every one of these memories and although I really like them all, I’d say the ones I talk the most about is the driving around to see Christmas lights after the Christmas Eve service, afterwards watching the Muppets Christmas Carol, and then singing songs around the Christmas tree. Such great memories packed into each of the 12 listed!!! Great list:D XOXO, Megs
There were so many–to chose 12 was hard. 🙂
Remember that one time when we spent the afternoon on the bunny slope up at Wolf Creek?! That was too much fun as I helped you down the ski run each time… what a great day! Ooh and remember that one time when we were up on top of Wolf Creek pass with the Bricks and it was blizzard like condition but we were all sledding together… that was crazy!! Love ya, Megs
I remember taking Marcia cross country skiing up at Big Meadows and hearing an avalanche occur on the other side of the mountain! Crazy but cool too… glad it wasn’t heading our way though. Thanks for this post… got me thinking about great Christmas memories. Can’t wait to see everyone in January!!!! Only 2 1/2 weeks left:) XOXO, Megs
Oh wow. That is crazy! Last time I went cross country skiing, I had no winter jacket, so I used a blanket around me like a
shawl. Worst experience ever…not to mention you and Melissa about fell over from laughing so hard. haha.
I think we were snowboarding and it was that experience that I decided I am done due to balance. It was fun though…or the times we took wrong turns and went down that one slope that had a funny name, like a snake name or something, and the powder was always so fresh and so much that you just got stuck. haha. School ski trips in sixth grade were also quite the memories. haha.