Christmas Memories

Some Christmas Memories:

From before I was born: My parents lived in Roosevelt, UT and my dad was the choir director at the high school. One night, some of the kids from the school came Christmas caroling. They sang the "Hallelujah Chorus" a cappella! We've talked about that for years, and I've always wanted to do that...but I'm afraid to sing that song without accompaniment!

From the I don't know if I was born or not file: I know this happened in Loveland, but my parents had 2 Christmases here before I joined the fray. Anyway, the story goes that they were caroling with some members of the ward and someone wanted to know what "Figgy Pudding" was. So someone made some...and we've never had it again. Apparently, it was nasty stuff. Not because the person who made it did a bad job, but because it was just nasty stuff. (Maybe they followed Gonzo's recipe from the John Denver and the Muppets Christmas Album. "It's made with figs...and bacon.")

I don't remember this one, but I was only 2: My mom told me this story again just last night. They were unwrapping the Nativity Scene and I was on my mom's lap. As my dad put each piece up, they talked to me about them. When they got to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, I kept saying "I know." My mom thinks it's because I remembered seeing it happen for real.

Finally, one I DO remember: When I was 4 or 5, I swear I saw Santa Claus in the living room. Seriously.

A few years later: I got up at 4 in the morning because I saw a light on (my bedroom was in the basement by this point, but I think it was before Craig moved downstairs.) My mom was still up!

The Advent Calendar: We don't do this anymore, but for years we had an Advent Calendar made out of felt. (I remember when we made it, too.) We would have to put the pieces of the Nativity up one day at a time and there were scriptures and such for each one. Then it evolved into us just putting the pieces without the scriptures. Eventually, I think we just put the whole thing up at once (except for Baby Jesus...which we saved for Christmas Eve.) Then the calendar disappeared altogether. I'm sure we still have it, but we don't put it up.

Christmas in Idaho: I need to find this picture. We did a Nativity Scene and Neal had the toy shotgun. He was Baby Jesus' body guard. Priceless!

All I Want for Christmas is Contacts: My senior year of high school, I got contacts for Christmas. I was sick with a nasty cold, so my head wasn't quite right. I opened the package (which was one of those velvet covered jewelry box thingies) and there were 2 round pieces of clear plastic. I was SO CONFUSED!!!!!!!!! I had to have it explained to me.

Christmas 2000: Okay, it wasn't over Christmas, it was just after Thanksgiving, but we went to California to attend the Annual Frederickson Family Christmas Party. We were the entertainment! We were missing our Bass (Craig was on his mission at the time), Neal's voice hadn't changed yet (he was only 12), but we made it through. It was a lot of fun! It was awesome to meet family that I'd only ever read about in Sense & Nonsense (the family newsletter.)

The Once in a Lifetime "Silver Bells" Performance: We had a 2-year tradition of Progressive Dinners a couple weeks before Christmas. (Okay, I don't think that qualifies as a tradition, but for 2 years in a row we did that.) Shauna, Melanie, and I were in one car, heading I don't remember where. We started singing "Silver Bells" and we had the most amazing harmony. It was AWESOME!! And we have NEVER been able to recreate that harmony. It was totally spontaneous and apparently, unrepeatable!

No Angel Display is Complete... without my picture. I haven't done it this year, but for the past several years, I have slipped a picture of myself into our Angel Display.

My Christmas Week Traditions: I don't have many, but I try to keep them up. I read "Christmas by the Book" and watch the Muppet's Christmas Carol. And now that I got the book back, I'm reading "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham. (Read the book, don't see the vastly inferior movie version, "Christmas with the Kranks".) I also eat way too many peanut M&Ms.

Warm Fuzzies: I can't think of any more specific memories right now. Christmas is a conglomerate of warm, fuzzy (and some caroling in the freezing cold) memories. These days, I look forward to the yummy goodies the contractors bring us at work. (I'm eating chocolate covered pretzels from our roofer right now.) I kind of miss the years when Craig and Neal worked for the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. We got all kinds of yummy goodness then! Okay, so maybe it's better that they DON'T work there anymore.

This year: I love seeing Christmas through Emily and Rebekah's eyes. (I especially loved getting a Disney Princess Christmas card. Hmmm...wonder who picked that one out.) It's like reliving your childhood to have little kids around at Christmas, for me anyway. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!!!!!