Christmas was my favorite time of year. My family did not have a lot of money and I think these years where the best time of my life. My mother could not afford a real Christmas tree during the Christmas Holiday and my brother and I wanted a real tree. So I had an idea for my brother and me to go out into the woods and cut down a little Pine Tree. We had so much fun. We located a tree, took it back to the house, found a bucket, filled it with dirt, and planted the tree. We put our Christmas tree in the living room. We decorated the tree with the ornaments we made at school and had hung the old ones my mom had in storage. My cousins laughed at our tree and called it a “Charlie Brown Tree.” We did not care, we were thrill! When my mom came home from work, she was flabbergasted and smiling that we had made a Christmas tree to celebrate Christmas.
Not only creating our own Christmas tree was a joy, but for me, wrapping the Christmas gifts that my Grandfather purchased for us was very special. I could not wrap presents to save my life; but, I had fun doing it. After my Grandfather finished shopping, he would call me to come over and wrap the presents. My Grandfather and Grandmother had 10 grandchildren and I was the one who got to wrap all the presents for all the grandchildren. It was special to me because I got to see what everyone else was getting. I also got to pick out what I wanted first. The gifts that we received were items such as socks, undergarments, and toys, not computers nor console games. It was not much, but we were all happy and thankful for what we received on Christmas Day.
Christmas memories can be good or bad, but it is what you make it. We did not have much money, but we had family and love. The material things that we get on Christmas are only here for a short period of time. I know, under that Pine Christmas Tree, my brother and I made were Christmas presents. They may not have been what we wanted and I do not remember what was under that tree that Christmas, however, I do remember spending time with my brother that day, going out into the woods, and getting us a tree for Christmas. I do not remember all the presents my Grandfather purchased for us, but I do remember spending time with my Grandpa and Grandma during the Christmas Holidays. To me, these are the best memories of Christmas; enjoy the ones you love and great memories to cherish a lifetime.