Merry Christmas, Baby – Open Book Blog Hop #154

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

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Topic #154

What is your fondest holiday memory?

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Welcome back to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop! If you’re new to the series, the authors included are grateful for your reads and appreciate, even more so, when you share our writings with your friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Be prepared to become a regular reader.

As you may know from earlier posts on the blog and interacting with me online, I celebrate Christmas this time of year. In a post from last Christmas, I wrote about the Fuzzy Mouse. It’s a decoration of which I have very fond memories. But, that mouse is not alone. There are so many fond memories that I keep from the holidays of my past. My parents always made sure we had a good Christmas, because my mother sometimes did not have one at all. She vowed to not let such a thing happen to her children. I’d love to assure her that she and my dad did a spectacular job.

From making cookies to having special breakfasts, wonderful presents and magical decorations, trips to shows and shows at home…there is so much to unpack. While growing up, there’s no doubt that Christmas was my favorite time of year. I remember the tummy butterflies in anticipation. It was so fun to decorate, and help my mom get things ready.

This year, I packed my 17 month old in the car with the 9 month old dog, and trekked North to celebrate. As I type this, I am sitting at the dining room table, smelling that wonderful smell of home, having breakfast, and watching holiday shows on AMC. Things are pretty perfect.

The wreath from our daycare’s fundraiser hangs on the door to the 3-season room, where a giant paper mache snowman I won at a Christmas party years ago (JC Penney Days) watches over the wrapped gifts. Fionn barks at the sliding glass doors and the birds outside, side-eyeing an animated Santa-Mickey. Little K makes her Poppy go around showing her all the things, pressing the buttons to activate the music and motion on the keepsakes we’ve gathered over the years.

And, it doesn’t stop there.

Tomorrow, there will be cinnamon buns and a Disney Parade, gifts and laughter. It’s hard to pinpoint just one memory, as I make more to log with those of the past. There are those who are missed, but the memories of the moments we had bring happiness. I hope that they see us now, and smile.

There was a year, way back when I was a girl, that I received two Cabbage Patch Kids for Christmas. My grandparents worked their magic and wrangled two of these rare iconic toys that year. A following year, I got a preemie and a pet. I was lucky to get them, too. People were beating each other in the streets over them, and there were not enough to go around. How they managed two, I vaguely recall something about the Coleco Company in the area and a connection. Yup, they did do Cabbage Patch.

I had a bald baby boy, Bobby, and a little yellow pigtail girl, April. Yes. I do remember their names. The pink cat I got was Peaches. I forget my Preemie’s name (and now I feel bad about that). She had a little yellow tuft. They’re still in the house somewhere. You could change their clothes, and they had real diapers. It was a lot of fun.

I was super grateful to my parents and grandparents for that.

Let’s hop on over and see what memories the other authors have to share with us for the Holidays.