Christmas 2015

We're usually out of the country at Christmas, but this year our late travel schedule got us home in time for the holiday. The drive up to Benicia to visit Richard's brother, split into two days, is fairly easy; we were ahead of the big traffic jams. 

Grapevine sky

Jan and Doug celebrate a traditional Christmas replete with legacy ornaments on the tree and stockings on the chimney.

 Most of the ornaments are handmade and laden with memories of Christmases past.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.

Everyone came over Christmas day for lunch and presents.

Nephew Bill

Niece Joey.

The grand nephews have become little gentlemen. Both have great manners and very loving temperaments. 

Grand niece Colette, multi-talented and sweet.

Doug, Jan and the Grandkids. 

We didn't get to celebrate with the Flip side of the family this year, but as you can see they
had a great time and someone got a selfie stick as a present.

A good time was had by all.

While looking for old Christmas pictures to add here,  I this one of Eilleen, my sister, and me on Christmas morning.















Then I found a letter I wrote to Santa Claus when I was in second grade, so the year would be 1949. I didn't get the requested skates until at least a year later. The ink on the letter was green and I think we used fountain pens at home. At school we were still using pen nibs and an inkwell.

Dear Santa Claus. I would like a Barbara Ann Scott doll. She is a very pretty doll. She is a living person. Bright hair and skates and a lovely red dress with fur at the hands and neck. 

I should have quit right there and squeezed a respectful salutation into the space at the bottom. Like,Your faithful servant,  or....Yours humbly, or to lay it on a little thicker (after all this is Santa Claus we're talking about)Yours in eternal admiration,   

A girl in the romm that i am in has a Barbara ann Scott doll thats where I got how she looks like. I hope you can get me one they are nice dolls. I amm in grade two. my sister is in grade seven. I have a long way to cath up with her. She can sing very well. I hope i learn to sing like her. She pested her father and got then. Eilleen is my sisters name Jill is my mothers name Joe is my fathers name, and Helen is my name. When I put my sister pested her father for her I forgot to put what they were they were fancy skats I would like them to and I want skats for christmas. The is the longest letter I ever wrote I made mistakes because mummy made mistakes tell me how to spell the word and I do not no just now for..

In the final page I'm blaming my mother for my errors (no wonder I didn't get the skates)
and trying to craft a big exit with a joke for Santa. Isn't it hilarious??? Santa must have been floored by my sense of humor. HA,HA,HA..the potatoe (the Dan Quayle spelling) was cold.

once she got the word right What do you call the names of the elefes down at the north poll? I do not know all the names of your rain deers just a few. there is lots of silly questions there is a man picked a potatoe out of a fire and droped it out the ground and said it was very cold. Helen Killeen, 1251 Dominion Street

Actually, I can still remember a few of those second grade jokes...they were mostly "Little Moron" humor....

"Why did the little moron salute the refrigerator?" Because it was a General Electric. HAHAHAHA