Christmas Past -- 1960's Arizona

Take a trip down memory lane in Arizona... click on the photo
Love the silver tree!

Arizona Christmas seems so long ago…. And it was ''never'' to five of you… But a lot of the traditions of my own childhood, were passed on there to my own family… (Altho I don't recall caroling ….and in ''my day'' only Santa wore a Santa hat…). There are many more Arizona photos that refused to scan for me….I will have another go for next years Christmas Blogg!.. I had chronicled our Arizona Christmas 1968, ''primitively scrap booked'' ! to send home to Grandma and Grandpa .

The first photo in the album with John and a sleeping Santa, actually was Christmas 1969 in Victoria, but I can assure you there is a sleeping Santa in the Arizona photos too !

Note how sparse Santa's Throne surroundings were in the 4the photo… Strictly business I guess.. and in the last photo.. not much better with a silver aluminum tree .

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John must have just sensed that a memory about Arizona would be appropriate to share!!
Christmas that I remember. (from John)

I remember all of them. I also remember how hard mum and dad worked to make them special. I also remember waking up to find Dad a sleep on the same couch as the Presents from Santa. He was a sound sleeper. Santa didn't even wake him when he dropped off the Presents.

I also remember a Christmas in Arizona! Actually, I remember a few! Santa arriving in a big red convertible GM! I remember a neighbour who said, we need to bring sand from the desert onto our lawn so Santa could land his sleigh and another who said, Santa uses a Convertible GM because it is too hot for the reindeer! Then one day we actually saw Santa and his elves whip past in the Red Convertible Checking out the neighbourhood to see if we were naughty or nice!

But there is one that I will never forget! Jim and I were very little and we went to a family who had a little boy named Tommy! It was a difficult time for us as well. We were going through a divorce. It is strange and funny but you remember a very digested version of events as a child but, I do remember the feeling of a loneliness, and sadness and desire for answers about all that was going on around us. I remember in a strange way, people coming in and out of our lives, babysitters, and neighbours young men in suits, ( missionaries). Good people, Bad People , People who were scary but I didn't know why. There was an Uncle Ted who was not our Uncle but was called Uncle. A happy, mum a sad mum, a strong mum and a weak and scared mum. But, a loving mum!

The borders in my time line are week and memories a little fades but I also remember Uncle Ted's kindness, his gifts, and kindness, and baby sitting us as well. I sort of remember him babysitting while mum went out with other people. I remember wondering why our Dad (John) was not a part of all of this but in all of the mix up and strangeness in our lives at that time one particular even stands out very strong. I think being the oldest and also maybe having the same name as my first Dad I was a little bit more concerned and feeling at a loss during this time. But, there is one particular experience that gave me strength love and never ending gratitude for Mum! She taught me one of the most valuable lesson I will ever learn! It is Charity! I don't know who the family is but I remember a little boy named Tommy!

It was Christmas Eve I believe. Mum, came to Jim and I and asked us to take something away from under our tree to take to a family that had just lost their father! It was strange and weird. Why take away a gift from someone to us. Why give something of mine to someone I never met! Why Why Why! Who was this? Why were we going out at Christmas Eve. We were hustled into a car and sped off. It was just more of the same disorientation and mix up. I wasn't excited to go at all. Why Why Why?

I remember arriving at the door of a very small and plain home. It was dark so I couldn't see the yard. But when we went in there was a very sparce room and a very tiny tree with no decorations. Two Children! One little boy. What also surprised me was that the two children were crying. They seemed all upset! They had runny noses and I did not want to give me gift to these kids. They weren't even nice! They never said, hi or thanked us for coming. It was just more weirdness in a weird Christmas!

Mum, comforted the lady, laid out some homemade food on her table for some reason the Mother of the Children is not very clear in my memory! I think she had reddish hair but did not seem to be tidy. I think she was young. But, I remember it being a little scary when she came so close to us. But, I do remember that when we pulled out our gifts that we took from under neather our tree and gave them to the boy he was so excited and happy! He danced around the room with them and the mother hugged our mother! They Boy ran up and hugged me! " It is Christmas!"

We made his Christmas! And I felt so warm and good! It is a feeling that I never forgot. It is a feeling that has come back to me many times in my life. It is a feeling that has polished my parenting, it inspired my life work and my career! It is a feeling I try and share with others!

It is maybe one of the biggest gifts I have ever received--- the joy of charity! Though I do not know all of the details I do know and can still feel that feeling! My own feelings of disappointment, and discouragement, my sadness that my own home was going through difficult times vanished into joy and love for a runny nosed boy who I had never met but who needed the gift more than I did. Who was so joyed at having one present when I had many under my tree at home. Who would never have his dad back! I would have a chance to visit mine sometime. Not too long later Uncle Ted would become my Dad! 32 years later I would visit my other Dad! Mum set an example of Charity! But, by far the greatest gift that I received from this incident was Hiroko! It planted a seed in my heart that I would one day marry someone who was charitable. A person with charity is kind and loving no matter what! I married a beautiful person who is so charitable and kind! Who loves and gives with all her heart! She is the greatest gift that me or the boys could ever have.