A Warmer Christmas

The times may be changing, wars are coming to an end and soldiers will be home for Christmas, this year. So, let's take time to slow down a bit and enjoy a warmer Christmas.

My childhood Christmases are something to remember:

Getting all dressed up and going to the Orpheum Theater to see another version of the Nutcracker downtown, in Los Angeles, brings me home all warm and fuzzy. Ready for a hot apple cider and a plateful of warm, home baked cookies or a bucket full of hot buttered popcorn by the Tree, guessing who's big bowed box that was, way behind there. I can smell the pine from the Christmas tree emanating throughout the room, and this year we have a fake one. How funny!!!

When I was a young girl, our family lived in Los Angeles. The air in December was frosty, but the skies were still clear and daylight was tolerable, even for winter. It was the night that made me shiver. During the November - December months, my family had traditions to accomplish and everyone had to be on board.

We all dressed up, in the evenings and went to one place or another to see what was going on, and plan for another outing in a couple of days or a week later.

Taking a ride to Alvero Street, we would walk and see all the decorations of a Hispanic nature. These were colorful places and there was no shortage of Nativities to view, large or small. Another day, we may to through China Town and see another culture. They were not really into the Christian celebrations, but preparing for their own celebrations for January. I remember seeing lots of animals made of Jade and paper hangers and dragons of many sorts. I am 63 yrs now, but these visits began when I was eight years old.

You haven't lived, until you driven to Mrs. Goods Doughnut House, the week before Christmas. Before the door opened, the most amazing fragrance of fresh donuts and pastries hit you in the face with a warm puff of air. And, man alive, these donuts were airy light and fresh. Yummm!!!! Each of the children would get to choose 2 donuts, of any flavor, the parents ordered 2 for themselves, then 2 extra donuts were for company. The rest of the evening would be driving around town looking at the decorated houses and how beautiful the big lights were. Some were steady, some were blinking and some were just floodlights that people had focused on their house in shades of color that rotated from one minute to the next. Because it was California, the only snow was fake on the lawns. But we loved seeing it anyway.

The Museum at Exposition Park had the big Train display up the wooden staircase, and it was exciting! There were three levels high of trains going in different directions and cities for them to pass through. They even had mountains and tunnels for the trains to enter and exit.

Two major Department stores, The May Company and Broadway, downtown took up whole city blocks and every window at street level was a themed Christmas event. Each year was a new adventure. The mannequins were dressed in the latest fashion and playing in snow or running across a field to Christmas trees, to pick one out. You get the picture, they were perfect and happy scenes with love, toys, dogs, presents and joy. Loud speakers played the music of the Season at every window and little candy canes were passed out by store employees at every corner. We always forgot how cold we were when we got to the store windows. It helped that there were those warm grates in the sidewalk. I would stand there for a few minutes letting the warm air flood up my pant legs. That would last for a few minutes and my pants were cold again.

We were all wrapped up in our best winter coats,with mittens and ear muffs, topped with a warm hat to keep the steam from rising from our heads. When the nose got too cold, I would double up my long knitted scarf, my Mom made, and pull it over my nose to blow warm air into it.

We learned to look out for the Hot Peanut carts, they also carried those big pretzels. Other carts along the way sold candy canes, salt water taffy, and still others, hot chocolate with marshmallows. Memories . . . so good to have them sometimes.

My Mom says she never remembered her homemade fudge coming out right. But it was always right, to me. One year it would be chewy and we'd have to scrape it out of the dish. Another year it was crumbly and a bit on the dry side. But a child always loves the cooking of "Mom", so to me it was "Just Perfect"!

We always had a two pound box of Sees Candy at Christmas, and sometimes the caramel lollipops with it. Dark and Light lollipops. The assortment of chocolates had my favorite "Maple Logs", my Mothers "Creams" and my sisters "Almond Clusters". I forget what else anybody liked. Everyone was allowed candy on Christmas Eve, because that was when we got our tree, every year. The lots were practically giving them away, by then. My Dad always had to cut the bottom off to keep it fresh and again, because it would be to tall for the living room ceiling.

Once the tree was set in place, we would all trim it. One child, each year was chosen to top the tree with the water bubble Star. This star was in our family for three decades. Yes, we used the foil icicles. The only year we tried the Angel Hair, everybody had small cuts so we never used it again. But then remember, our tree was only standing for about a week and a half, each year. It always came down on New Year's Day. My Mom was a great packer, too. She was meticulous about how the decorations were put away, each year.

There were lots of Christmas Cards coming into the home, on a daily basis, from Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve. We hung these up and looked at them every day. How special my Aunt's cards were. She would always send the best cards, with the foil and laminated. "I'll just bet she had to go to the bank to get the money to send to everyone", sometimes I'd say to my brother or sister. The photo cards were " keepsakes", my mother would tell me. She saved these in a special box and put them out again, the next year, waiting for an update photo of that family.

If you have never seen the "Dancing Waters" before, you have missed an event of major proportions. It's hard for me to remember, just where this was held. I think it was at Exposition Park, but I could be off. Do me a favor and tell me where it was, if you remember. This may have gone on from about 1953-1958. I suppose it was moved along by technology. Sitting outside on cold benches became an unpopular thing to do.

Well, there were lines of water jets, along a mirror pool (about a football field long). These jets of water were timed to music. But more than that. . .they sprayed straight up, or side to side. They may squiggle or come out in short burst. And all the time, exactly right for the beat of the music that was playing. I remember, distinctly, the music because it was when I 1st saw "Fantasia" at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, that we went to the Dancing Waters a week later (the same music was playing).

We love our traditions, another one was the excitement stirred up by Christmas Movies. "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" , was the 1st cartoon I remembered, on TV. This was with Burl Ives doing the Narration. The week before Christmas,Specials were showing . "Miracle on 34th Street" with Natalie Wood as the child who didn't believe in Christmas was very moving. But watching Bambi and A Christmas Carol would end an evening for us. These were special presentations, when the whole family would be in the living room, kids on the floor with pillows in pajamas. Jimminy cricket was the announcer for Bambi. Even though The Wizard Of Oz was made in 1939, it was brand-new to me every year at Christmas Time.

The television stations used to shut down at about 11pm, back in the day. A big countdown, surrounded by what looked like a bullseye board in the background showed the numbers going backwards, until one musical note rang forever. Sleep time Christmas Eve!

OK, my memory is not clear which of these movies I saw at the Movie Theater and which were Television Specials. So I'll just list them. You can look up the time sequence, when you have the time.