Christmas Catalogs
The day that the JCPenney's Christmas catalog arrived at our house was a day of pure delight. My sister and I would go through that catalog page by page circling with different colored pens what we wanted. We both dreamed big and circled far more things than our tiny house could have possibly held but I don't think we ever truly thought we would get what we circled. We just enjoyed the wishful hope of circling toy after toy.
Christmas Decorations on Main Street
Malvern National Bank always kicked off the holiday season by putting a large Santa Claus in their window. Actually, several of the stores on Main Street had large Santas in their windows over the years but I seemed to always notice the banks first. The lamp posts that ran up and down Main Street were also decorated with Christmas greenery and ornaments.
Gaudy Christmas Decorations at Grandmother's House
My grandmother knew how to decorate for Christmas. She had so many decorations that she hid all year long. But once Thanksgiving was over she had us help her pull out all of her decorations and up they went. She decorated doorways with plastic holly leaves and huge red poinsettia. Her tree was always huge and had more tiny elf ornaments than you could count. She also loved what my husband now calls decapitated Santa heads as ornaments on her tree. You couldn't walk through her house without seeing some kind of Christmas decoration. Yes. She went way overboard. Yes. Many of her decorations were just plain gaudy. But I sure have fond memories of those overboard, gaudy decorations heralding in the holiday season.
Christmas Parades
Malvern may be a small town but they always had big Christmas parades that my family went to every year. I can remember being so excited as we waited on that last Christmas float...Santa Claus. Everyone lined up on Main Street just to watch the parade. Since Main Street ran the length of the town, there were always big crowds at the parade. I can still remember being held up just to see floats when I was little.
Nativity Scenes
Nativity scenes were all over town especially those plastic, light up ones. A few years ago my sister had her husband build her a stable and wanted to put one of the plastic, light up nativity scenes in it to display. I helped her look all over for one and as soon as one showed up in a store it sold before we could get to it. Those things are HOT ticket items now. When we were growing up, they were everywhere and they were cheap!
Christmas today isn't heralded in by store catalogs any longer. Christmas lists are now emailed. Most of the towns I've lived in since growing up don't decorate very much for Christmas. Some of my grandmother's Christmas decorations were passed on to me and my cousins. Truthfully....I believe I have a little gaudy Christmas in me. Christmas parades are still heralding in the holiday and for the ones I've attended Santa Claus is always the last and best float. Nativity scenes are still popular. So much so that finding a plastic, light up nativity scene may require a large squad of people canvassing stores in multiple cities. Even though many Christmas traditions have changed since I was growing up, I'm thankful that taking time to focus on Christ's birth is still the best way to herald in the holiday season.
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall
call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23
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