I hope the holidays are going well for everyone.  I’ve decided to get in the holiday spirit by sharing some of the best Christmas memories I have.  Some are of my youth some are more current.  I’ll continue to share a memory each day until Christmas eve.  I know it’s supposed to be until Christmas but I think I’m going to be a little busy on Christmas day don’t you think?

Day One: Christmas Lights

Putting up Christmas lights has always been a wonderful Christmas tradition in our home.  We didn’t have a Griswold display but it was still nice. I can remember my mom and by big brother getting up on the roof and putting up lights all around the house.  My mom spent hours going through each light string and making sure each bulb and line worked.  This became a tradition for my mom and brother each year.  When my brother moved out of the house I took his place.  I can’t say I loved going through each light and line making sure everything was working.  Most of the time we would get the lines up and half of a strand was out. We had to go through each light again to get it working only this time it was out on the roof in the cold. I guess it wasn’t really about putting up the lights but spending time with mom. My favorite light display was the one that spelled Tiffany on the roof with a heart next to it.

After my mom fell off the roof in 2002 she hasn’t been back up to put lights up.  If she does get any up it’s not the display we used to have. I like to put mine up in October before it snows and ices up.  Then I can’t take them down until March. Yes, I have Christmas lights on my house for half the year. Of course we only light them for the month of December.  I love the feeling I get when we light them for the first time each year.  It’s a little jolt of Christmas spirit.