Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance — each beautiful, unique and too soon gone.
Last night it rained. I never heard it so I was surprised to find everything still a bit wet this morning. The sun keeps trying to break through the clouds but hasn’t quite made it. It is a warm day, in the mid 40’s. Today is a baking day for me.
I have a memory of a day much like today, a warm, cloudy day, the day before Christmas. I think I was nine or ten. My mother sent me on an errand to the white store probably for milk or bread, staples we seem to run out of often. I could barely believe she expected me to do a plain, every day errand on Christmas Eve, but she did. I took my bike out of the cellar, walked it around front and then rode down my father’s grassy hill, the one we were never to ride down but the one we always did. I remember riding around the corner, passing the brick house, stopping at the next corner to check for cars then pedaling as fast as I could straight away on the next street and around a corner to the stop at Spring Street to check for cars all the while muttering and bemoaning my fate. I made that trip to the white store so often I can still see the streets and the houses in my mind’s eye. There were two odd houses. One was the brick house near my street and the other was a ranch squeezed on a small lot among houses built in the 40’s. It always looked out-of-place. I remember putting the package in the front basket of my bike and using one hand to hold it so it wouldn’t bounce out at bumps in the road. My other hand was steering. The ride home that day seemed endless, far longer than the ride to get there. I think it was the bumps and the package and the day before Christmas.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: bike basket, brick house, errands, memories of Christmas, milk and bread, rain and clouds, ranch house, riding down hills, riding my bike, Spring Street, warmth, white store
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
December 22, 2014 at 12:47 pm
Its getting quiet. I am enjoying a coffee, a cookie and my copy of “St Nick-elodeon Holiday Tunes 2014”
We have no snow, but we have the Playoffs, beat the Bears for a second time this year – The Lions are dirty they shriek, whatever . It is warm and Tottenham Hotspur have won three in a row and might go to Wembley on March 1. It will be warm all week. That’s ok, I am thankful
I detoured to Ackroyd’s this morning to pick up the “England style” sausages, some sausage rolls and some meat pies. They are relaxing in the office fridge but their life expectancy is very short.
I am listening to Ian McGlynn, I don’t know Ian McGlynn but I am learning
December 22, 2014 at 1:07 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I will reward myself with more coffee when I finish here. I have yet to post my tunes. I will crank up the music when I bake. I do love singing along.
The Patriots received an early Christmas present with their 1 point win over the hapless Jets. They get a first round bye.
I love the meat pies and sausage rolls. I think I’d be quite happy to add them to my menu. I understand their short life expectancy.
Enjoy the music and your day!
December 22, 2014 at 1:34 pm
Sunny and warm here today and they had predicted the same for tomorrow but now the predictions says cloudy, still warm though.
I drove to Falköping this morning to get all I needed for Christmas but naturally forgot two things so I’ll have to go tomorrow too, Anyway, Almost no channels play Christmas music yet?! It’s the regional channels of course but they have too much talking in between. But suddenly I found a commercial channel that only plays Christmas music now and till Christmas.
Suddenly they played a Beach Boys Christmas song and I was surprised to hear how bad it was 🙂 🙂 🙂 I guess their sound really doesn’t work with a Christmas theme 🙂
Still no Christmas movies on tv either, today they showed the movie Lost in Space, I missed most of it but I think I liked the tv series better.
I loved to do errands before Christmas, especially for neighbors because they always gave me some money if I did and they were extra generous around Christmas time 🙂 If it was for my mother I always was allowed to buy something little to me too 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
December 22, 2014 at 11:17 pm
Christer,
Warm but it never got sunny today. Big rain storm is headed here for Christmas, and it will be warm.
I do the same thing-forget one or two items so I have to go back. I really don’t mind.
One station here has played Christmas music since late November, and there are others which have been playing them since early December. The TV is filled with Christmas movies, all of them with happy endings including several versions of A Christmas Carol.
All our neighbors had plenty of kids so I only did the free errands for my mother.
Have a great evening!