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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Family
- Published: 12/19/2019
Presents from Santa
Born 1950, M, from Sparta, il, United StatesA Russey Family Christmas Tradition
Christmas Eve night was lively in the Russey house. On that night each member of the family would pick out one gift randomly selected from under the Christmas tree and open it. This routine was particularly tough on the youngest of the brood, because the oldest (Dad) opened first while the rest of us waited. And no other gifts were opened until all had the opportunity to experience that gift.
There were seven gifts to be opened that night. Mine was number six. Mom and Dad always opened theirs with no ceremony. As I remember, my two older sisters followed in the same manner. Not my older brother. The presentation ceremony was just as important to him as what he unwrapped.
Everyone shared in his experience. Each and every one of us, separately. That, of course, added to the anxiousness for me and my younger sister.
After the gift unwrapping was over Mom and Dad would head off to bed. The rest of the family would stay up late into the night watching the Christmas tree twinkle.
The oldest siblings would share readings of Christmas stories. Eventually someone would read “T'was the Night Before Christmas!” and some of us would even try to stay up long enough to see that jolly old man in the red suit.
To make that wait easier, Mom had baked a batch of Oatmeal cookies (my favorite). The plan was to share them and a glass of milk with Santa.
All the older siblings, who stayed up, took special delight in convincing the two youngest that we would meet the man in the red suit in person.
My younger sister and I would have to try to convince the older siblings that we were more nice than naughty. Honestly, though, I think mom and dad put them up to that particular interrogation.
There were always presents from the family perfectly arranged under the tree on that night before Santa arrived. But never any from Santa Claus. He was supposed to bring them sometime during the night after everyone was asleep. That's what we were told, which may explain why we never saw him. We had to be asleep. As long as we stayed up he wasn't going to come.
I remember the year I believed it was no longer cool to believe in Santa Claus. I don't think I told Mom and Dad that I no longer believed, but I must have thrown out plenty of hints. The problem was Mom and Dad were not ready for me to give up on believing in Santa's existence.
An exception to our Christmas Eve tradition happened the year I gave up on believing in the jolly old man in the red suit who brought presents. There was a gift under the tree from Santa Claus with my name on it. When my turn came to open a present, I was directed to open it instead of one from a family member.
“Santa brought this especially for you to open tonight” Mom told me. “He heard that you no longer believe in him. Maybe it’s a box of air. Afterall you said you don’t believe in him.”
She looked me in the eyes and asked, “Do you believe in Santa Claus?”
I was probably eight or nine at the time and I was sure there would be more presents from Santa under the tree on Christmas Day. You better believe I told Mom that I still believed. I wonder, though, how those Christmas day gifts from Santa with my name on them would have been explained away if I had said “no.”
In all those years of waiting, I never did see Santa Claus.
I would be hard pressed to say which Christmas adventure I miss the most. Cutting the tree down and decorating it or staying up late with my siblings telling Christmas stories and waiting on Santa.
The tradition would continue in that big house for a few more years. The Russey Family Christmas Tradition, though, ended in 1964. The older brother and sisters had moved away and my parents, my sister, and I had moved to a new home. An artificial tree had replaced the real tree. The trips to the Christmas tree forest with my dad were over.
I did not continue the natural tree tradition my father had begun. I had succumbed to the artificial Christmas tree phenomenon by the time my son came along. My wife and I did enjoy, however, decorating our unnatural tree with our own children. We both managed to save a couple of decorations from our parent's family trees.
We shared those memories with our children and now with grand children.
The new Christmas tree tradition is different now, but it is still special.
Presents from Santa(Ed DeRousse)
A Russey Family Christmas Tradition
Christmas Eve night was lively in the Russey house. On that night each member of the family would pick out one gift randomly selected from under the Christmas tree and open it. This routine was particularly tough on the youngest of the brood, because the oldest (Dad) opened first while the rest of us waited. And no other gifts were opened until all had the opportunity to experience that gift.
There were seven gifts to be opened that night. Mine was number six. Mom and Dad always opened theirs with no ceremony. As I remember, my two older sisters followed in the same manner. Not my older brother. The presentation ceremony was just as important to him as what he unwrapped.
Everyone shared in his experience. Each and every one of us, separately. That, of course, added to the anxiousness for me and my younger sister.
After the gift unwrapping was over Mom and Dad would head off to bed. The rest of the family would stay up late into the night watching the Christmas tree twinkle.
The oldest siblings would share readings of Christmas stories. Eventually someone would read “T'was the Night Before Christmas!” and some of us would even try to stay up long enough to see that jolly old man in the red suit.
To make that wait easier, Mom had baked a batch of Oatmeal cookies (my favorite). The plan was to share them and a glass of milk with Santa.
All the older siblings, who stayed up, took special delight in convincing the two youngest that we would meet the man in the red suit in person.
My younger sister and I would have to try to convince the older siblings that we were more nice than naughty. Honestly, though, I think mom and dad put them up to that particular interrogation.
There were always presents from the family perfectly arranged under the tree on that night before Santa arrived. But never any from Santa Claus. He was supposed to bring them sometime during the night after everyone was asleep. That's what we were told, which may explain why we never saw him. We had to be asleep. As long as we stayed up he wasn't going to come.
I remember the year I believed it was no longer cool to believe in Santa Claus. I don't think I told Mom and Dad that I no longer believed, but I must have thrown out plenty of hints. The problem was Mom and Dad were not ready for me to give up on believing in Santa's existence.
An exception to our Christmas Eve tradition happened the year I gave up on believing in the jolly old man in the red suit who brought presents. There was a gift under the tree from Santa Claus with my name on it. When my turn came to open a present, I was directed to open it instead of one from a family member.
“Santa brought this especially for you to open tonight” Mom told me. “He heard that you no longer believe in him. Maybe it’s a box of air. Afterall you said you don’t believe in him.”
She looked me in the eyes and asked, “Do you believe in Santa Claus?”
I was probably eight or nine at the time and I was sure there would be more presents from Santa under the tree on Christmas Day. You better believe I told Mom that I still believed. I wonder, though, how those Christmas day gifts from Santa with my name on them would have been explained away if I had said “no.”
In all those years of waiting, I never did see Santa Claus.
I would be hard pressed to say which Christmas adventure I miss the most. Cutting the tree down and decorating it or staying up late with my siblings telling Christmas stories and waiting on Santa.
The tradition would continue in that big house for a few more years. The Russey Family Christmas Tradition, though, ended in 1964. The older brother and sisters had moved away and my parents, my sister, and I had moved to a new home. An artificial tree had replaced the real tree. The trips to the Christmas tree forest with my dad were over.
I did not continue the natural tree tradition my father had begun. I had succumbed to the artificial Christmas tree phenomenon by the time my son came along. My wife and I did enjoy, however, decorating our unnatural tree with our own children. We both managed to save a couple of decorations from our parent's family trees.
We shared those memories with our children and now with grand children.
The new Christmas tree tradition is different now, but it is still special.
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