Christmas Memories: the Model T
by David Smith
Family holidays have always been very important to me because my parents always made a big deal of them. My daddy grew up very poor and he wanted to create wonderful memories for his children that he didn't get to have as a child. Christmas was always very special at our house, and I have tried to make it very special for my children as well. That Christmas of 1968 is the first time I remember watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on television. I fell in love with that show and though it has been forty two years, it has been a tradition for me to watch it most every year since. I introduced all three of my sons to the show from the time they were very small as well. I have a collection of stuffed characters from the show and they are arranged on my staircase every year. I remember being in the den with all of my family the Sunday night before Christmas (which was to be on Wednesday that year). My daddy said to us children that we were going to have a very special gift that year. We were very excited, and being children it seemed still a long way until Christmas Day, but finally the day came. We always got up at daybreak and woke our parents to go see what Santa Claus had brought us. We all ran into the room where the tree was and we had gotten a lot of nice gifts. Then we all opened our gifts from each other. In all the excitement I had actually forgotten that there was supposed to be something extra special that year. When all the gifts had been opened, Daddy said he thought he saw something else in the tree. He reached up and pulled out a piece of paper. I'll never forget the words. It read "The last gift from your Mama and Daddy is in the back yard. Hope you all like it." We all ran outside and there in the first light of the Georgia morning was an object covered over with cardboard. It was a small black model T car with a real gas engine. We were thrilled! My brother and sister were both younger but braver than I. My brother took right to driving it. It took me a little while to get up the nerve to drive, though I rode with my brother. My grandparents came later that morning, and my granddaddy drove it with my grandmother sitting beside him. We still have movies of that. That Christmas was so much fun. Seeing my daddy who grew up with so little get so much pleasure out of giving to his children really made an impression on me. I have loved giving to others myself and know that it really is more blessed to give than to receive. Click here to read or post comments. |
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