Christmas Evening

My earliest memory of Christmas – beyond attending mass and opening Christmas presents – was traveling to Detroit in the late afternoon/early evening for Christmas with the Barner family.   While my aunts and uncles rotated the hosting of Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas was reserved for my grandparent’s house.   Thanksgiving was important because that was the day that our family members “drew names” for our Christmas gift exchange.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed eating Thanksgiving dinner just as much as everyone else, but the true excitement of the day was “drawing names”.   My Aunt Millie and her family were living in England for part of this time because my Uncle Joe was in the Air Force.  They were included in the “drawing” so for some of the years there was an international flavor to our family Christmas.

Adults drew adult names and kids drew kid’s name.  I don’t know who came up with the plan, but I thought it was perfect.  There was a $3.00 limit on each cousin gift and a $5.00 limit for adults.   I secretly wished (until now) that my cousin Gene or Ruth Ann would draw my name.  Gene was a boy, so I was sure to get something that a boy would like because the gift would come from that family.  One year I received a train car with a working search light  for my Lionel train set from my cousin, Beverly.  After that I thought that it would be ok for her to draw my name too.

My grandparents bought each grandchild a gift as well.  It’s easy to see why I loved Christmas evening so much.   After the morning haul from Santa Claus, and practical gifts from my parents, I was assured that I would receive two more gifts that evening.

Another thing that everyone could count on was my Uncle Harry giving each of his nieces and nephews an envelope with a dollar in it.  Uncle Harry was my grandparents only son, and for my earlier years, he was single.  An envelope with each niece and nephew’s name hung on the tree. The dollar inside was cold, hard cash allowing a value seeking individual such as myself the opportunity to purchase up to ten army men for my army men collection, or perhaps, twenty Fifth Avenue candy bars.  A true bonanza.  (My mom wouldn’t let me do that but a guy can dream, can’t he?)

At one of our family gatherings my Uncle Harry was dressed in an army uniform.  I didn’t know it at the time, but the gathering was because of the uniform.  Uncle Harry was going off to serve in the Korean War.  Everyone thought he was handsome in his uniform.   Years later, when GI Joe came into being, I expected that GI Joe was inspired by my own Uncle Harry.

When the next Christmas came he was in Korea, but he hadn’t forgotten us.   The envelopes were hanging on the tree when we arrived at my grandparent’s house.  Another Christmas, another dollar.   Uncle Harry came through all the way from Korea.

The following year the envelopes were visibly absent when we arrived.  The cousin gifts and grandparent gifts came through as planned.  After all of the gifts had been opened, my grandfather pulled out a huge, brown cardboard box.   It was from Korea.

While I’m sure that there were gifts for everyone, I only remember five.  Gene and I received a model boat.   The boats were replicas of the popular Chris Craft speed boats from the early 50’s.  Our boats were light green with cream and brown trim, about eighteen inches in length, and were operated by a C cell battery.  I showcased mine in my room from December of 1952 until I went off to college in 1965.  I packed it, along with my Lionel train set, for storage until it went on display in my own home in the fall of 1977.  Two years ago, it moved to my son, David’s, family cottage where it holds a place of high honor.

The other three remembered gifts were for Uncle Harry’s three sisters, Aunt Ruth, Aunt Jean and my mom, Kate.   They were three silk paintings obtained while on leave in Japan.  They were rolled in three cardboard tubes.  Each was unique.  The paintings came with a set of directions.  Slips of paper with the description of each of the paintings were to be prepared.  Each of the girls would draw a piece of paper and the accompanying painting would be the prize.   I remember two of the paintings in great detail.  There was a beautiful blue painting that featured a sailing frigate.  The second was a picture of two fish on a light green background.  I don’t remember the subject of the third painting, but I expect that it was flowers.  (I don’t care for pictures of flowers.)

The drawing was truly suspenseful.   The three sisters were happy to receive such a fine gift from their thoughtful brother.  If they secretly prized one painting over the other, they hid their desires very well.   As for me, I had my fingers crossed, and my prayers answered, when my mom drew the picture of the beautiful blue pictured frigate.  Aunt Ruth received the picture of the two fish and Aunt Jean lost with the picture of the flowers.

When my Aunt Ruth passed, her picture of the fish passed on to my mom. The blue frigate picture hung in a place of prominence in my mother’s homes for the remainder of her days and was later joined by the painting of the fish.

This will be my first Christmas without my Uncle Harry, but I expect that if that drawing for the three silk paintings can remain in my memory for sixty-five years, he’s safe there too.