tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8688207620251526295.post2069144748703614747..comments2024-03-29T08:55:28.072-06:00Comments on Hiawatha House: My Changing Christmas CelebrationsRedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17996243850279671523noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8688207620251526295.post-91156542562332145792010-12-20T21:42:57.377-07:002010-12-20T21:42:57.377-07:00Thanks for the great effort in commenting about yo...Thanks for the great effort in commenting about your Christmas as a kid. I enjoyed making the fridge etc. I did it in the summer in the backyard. You should have made this a post of your own. I'm sure more people would see it.Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996243850279671523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8688207620251526295.post-56785334267409348512010-12-20T20:43:18.406-07:002010-12-20T20:43:18.406-07:00Gee, I had a whole nice comment ready here, and th...Gee, I had a whole nice comment ready here, and the 'net kicked me off! Sigh...<br />I distinctly recall a few Christmases when I was a kid, likely all of them before I was 10 years old.<br />I remember one year I got a play stove/oven, fridge, and cradle. All had been made by Dad out of plywood, which he then painted with the "knobs" and burners etc. How he put all that together without making noise etc. I'll never know! I played with them for years, and eventually they became storage units in my closet. I am guessing they are still there.<br />I also recall another morning when I awoke to find a brand new 10 speed bike in my room! Again, how the hell that got there without waking me is pretty impressive. It was just what I'd wanted, complete with foam covered handle bars. Rode it around for years!<br />And then there was the Barbie camper. I had only 1 Barbie (who dated GI Joe, him being the only bachelor doll around, plus he had a horse, which suited my tastes just fine, thank you). The camper was a HUGE motorhome of yellow plastic. Glory! Dad so patiently helped with the "some assembly required" which at least called for quite a bit of sticker applications. Looking back on this, he must've either been very amused, or very bored, but either way, he was helpful and gracious. I'm pretty sure I wasn't.<br />A couple of years ago that same ENORMOUS camper landed up - with my mother's insistence after 20+ years of saving this precious object - in the back seat of our rental car on the way to Vancouver. Mum wanted my nieces to have this relic of pop culture (circa 1981? a regular museum relic) and so I dutifully dragged it across the Rockies, must to the bewilderment of my boyfriend. The nieces quickly took to the camper as the perfect new play space for their pet hamster, and quickly installed the little critter inside. <br />These days, Christmases are a lot quieter and more casual. I'm thousands of miles from family in Canada, but have a new home to make cozy and festive here, and new friends and family to spend time with. I'll still insist on taking a tour on Christmas eve to check out everyone's light displays - small dog still included for the ride! Some things never change...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8688207620251526295.post-13404250282475545532010-12-20T20:24:05.082-07:002010-12-20T20:24:05.082-07:00Yes, bummer you couldn't come for a visit, but...Yes, bummer you couldn't come for a visit, but then again, it's snowing like crazy, and turning to freezing rain....so maybe just as well!?<br />I distinctly remember a couple of Christmases as a kid...well, at least defining moments of them. Can't quite recall how old I was in any one of them, but certainly 10 or under.<br />I remember one year, likely the earliest of these, that I got a play fridge, stove/oven and cradle for my dolls. Dad had made these himself out of plywood, then painted them. When I see the cheap plastic Playskool crap they sell for kids these days, I think how lucky I was! And how the hell did he do all that work and I never noticed?! I played with those for years, and eventually they became storage containers in my closet. I have a feeling they may still be there yet...<br />I also remember a morning when I woke to find a brand new 10-speed bike in my bedroom. Again, how the hell did you get that thing in without waking me up?! Just what I'd wanted, right down to the foaming handle bar covers. Rode that thing all over for a number of years. <br />Another great Christmas was the one when I got the Barbie camper. I only had 1 Barbie ever, and she dated GI Joe, probably because he had a horse (and I was always horse-crazy) and, well, he was the only other doll around. At any rate, there was the HUGE motorhome in all its 1970s glory, waiting for some minor assembly, and a lot of placing of stickers. Dad patiently helped with placing them all, which, now that I think of it, was probably either very funnyt o him, or a real bore. Either way, he was wonderful about the whole thing. Go figure that Mum has held onto all our childhood toys over the years, only finally letting them go in the last few. And joy to me for having to drag that Barbie camper and several other bags of goodies all the way to the left coast to my nieces...quite the thing to have cramming up the back seat of your rental car, with your boyfriend wondering why the fuss?<br />The nieces immediately saw the potential in the camper, and quickly introduced a pet hamster to a fun new play area! <br />These days, Christmas is a lot quieter. I love to decorate the house and be all cozy and homey (especially with a new, shared house with my fiance this year), and cook the dinner etc. Otherwise, we're low key, less fussed, and that's just fine. I'll still insist on going around - dog included - on Christmas eve to look at everyone's light displays, before going home for snacks and bedtime. <br />Some things never change.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8688207620251526295.post-22943928659523375822010-12-15T09:17:05.649-07:002010-12-15T09:17:05.649-07:00Thanks for dropping by. I wish I had divided this ...Thanks for dropping by. I wish I had divided this into at least three posts as there was much more that could have been covered and it would have been more meaningful. So there's a hot tip for you! Do it in sections. Have a great day!Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996243850279671523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8688207620251526295.post-62639701628446647732010-12-14T21:19:53.321-07:002010-12-14T21:19:53.321-07:00Quite coincidentally Red, I'll have something ...Quite coincidentally Red, I'll have something soon on this exact subject. Perhaps more than one. Thanks for the inspiration.PeterDeManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03669673190309431400noreply@blogger.com