I'm sorry FD - I shared my memory in the "Star" thread.

HELLO, WHEN WE WERE KIDS WE USED TO GO TO MY GREAT AUNT AND GREAT UNCLE'S HOUSE ON CHRISTMAS EVE. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND BELIEVED IN SANTA-I STILL BELIEVE IN SANTA-LOL! WE WOULD GO UP STAIRS AND VISIT WITH MY UNCLES BROTHER AND SISTER-IN-LAW. THEN AFTER AWHILE WE'D COME BACK DOWNSTAIRS TO MY AUNT'S APARTMENT AND FIND OUT THAT SANTA HAD BEEN THERE. IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.
NOW WE SPEND CHRISTMAS EVE WITH OUR BOYS AND THEIR FAMILIES AND EXCHANGE OUR GIFTS.

Thanks foxysdad. I have a good one. Whenever I think of this, it makes me smile: When I was about nine years old, I really wanted a typewriter for Christmas. I was so infatiated with typewriters. Back then, we didn't buy Christmas trees. The gifts were always placed underneath the bed. Of course, we were told, Santa put them there. But anyway, that particular Christmas, I received a typewriter for Christmas. I was overwhelmed with joy. I couldn't wait to remove the typewriter from the box. Later, I proceeded to place the paper inside the typewriter and then started typing. Well, to my surprise, I had to push the whole keyboard down in order to type a letter. And if that wasn't bad enough, the typewriter also had a wheel that I actually had to turn in order to type the next letter. I know this seems hard to comprehend so let me explain. Imagine one round wheel containing all of the letters around it. To type a, you turn the wheel; b turn it again, etc. The keyboard didn't contain separate keys. It was just one complete board with all the keys written on it. Therefore, I first, turned the wheel to a letter, and then push down the whole keyboard. I was still excited about the typewriter however, even though it was a fake. Lol. I still tell my children the story of that Christmas and the phony typewriter. I was just a child, and I guess the typewriter was just a cheap child's toy, but inspite of it all, I still l-o-v-e-d that typewriter, and Christmas was great!

I remember those typewriters. One of my friends got one for Christmas and it was the hit of the neighborhood. It took a long time to type, but to see what you wrote on paper was magic.

WHEN I WAS SMALL WE WOULD SIT IN THE LIVINGROOM AND OPEN GIFTS .

Yes foxysdad. It was the hit of my neighborhood also. My cousins couldn't wait to see it.

WHERE I GREW UP WE DIDN'T HAVE FATHER CHRISTMAS AND GIFTS, THANKS TO THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH***BUT I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER MAKING THE 'RICE SWEET FRITTERS'' WITH MY MUM, I WOULD ROLL THEM IN SUGAR AND CINNAMON , THE SMELL WAS SO NICE, WE WOULD FILL THIS LARGE PLATE AND NEXT MORNING WE WOULD RUN INTO THE KITCKEN AND SIT DOWN TO EAT THE FRITTERS, THEY WERE DELICIOUS ,MADE WITH RICE AND COCOA, SUGAR, FLOWER, AND THEN FRIED, YES THIS IS SOMETHING I ALWAYS CHERISH , HELPING MY MUM, AND THEN ENJOY EATING ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. IT WAS YEARS LATER AFTER MOVING HERE THAT I KNEW OF FATHER CHRISTMAS, AND WHEN I HAD MY DAUGHTER ,I ALWAYS HAD THE CHRISTMAS TREE SET AND ALL THE GIFTS, WHEN SHE WAS SMALL SHE BELIEVED THAT I WOULD LEAVE THE WINDOW OPEN FOR HIM TO COME IN, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE A CHIMNEY, YES THESE ARE GOOD MEMORIES, TO SEE HER SMILE AND JOY WHEN NEXT MORNING SHE FOUND ALL THE GIFTS, I EVEN USED TO HAVE A GIFT FOR OUR SWEET DOG SAMMY, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND SWEET MEMORIES , LOVE LUCY***

How nice for everyone to share a Christmas story with all of us. Although this thread is over a month old now. I still enjoy reading about everyones' Christmas. I do have a few questions. Guess I will have to send a message to the ones I would like an answer from.
I had a very nice Christmas. Everyone was happy. Also, I think everyone enjoyed the gifts they received. A happy and perfect day.

our's is different all the time. when i was very young, my father used to perform for christmas and my mother had church obligations because her stepfather was a baptist minister. chirstmas was always a time of TONS of work for both of them and they were glad when it was over. my step grandfather and that end of the family always dreaded the holidays because the holidays are sooo much work for ministers and churches. AFTER the holiday was always the fun time and the relief and the sales at the stores. to this day, i think i still view the AFTER the holiday as the "real" holiday.

when i started performing for the nutcracker, i was in nyc each season and everything changed. christmas was different there. all the artists talked about where they were working and it was still a time of work and glamour and how much was this or that person making and going to different gigs even the bad ones because at least they are getting work over the holidays. no one discussed family things at all.

when we started splitting my time between the different states, it was skiing time in maryland and some performing, it was visiting time in nj and more traditional things, except that everyone's familes were generally divorced or headed there, even the non-performers. and then there was visiting everyone in nyc and all the shows to see, which was as close as i got to traditional anything i guess. in florida it was visit the ocean and some people love going to disney world for christmas because there aren't any lines.

to me, its a religious holiday. christmas eve is the real christmas - church and dinner and happy birthday jesus and a birthday cake for happy birthday jesus. the religious stuff is the most important part and the rest of it is silliness. for artists, they do do very well over that holiday and i'm sure the stores do a super business as well.