In reminiscence of Christmases when I was a child, I treasure the simplicity of those times. As a family we weren’t all stressed out and weary from the “rush” of it all. We had family time... singing around a player piano, trimming the Christmas tree and a nice Christmas dinner. Those were good times.
Each Christmas my brothers and I received only one or two items. I remember the simple things I played with over time as a child.... paper dolls and coloring books; play dishes and baby dolls with clothes; a doll house with furniture; crayons, pick-up sticks and jacks; checkers, simple card games and dominoes; Big Little books and Felix comic books (comic books cost 10 cents back then); roller skates which clamped onto my shoes. I remember my brothers especially liking marbles (do boys even play marbles anymore?), Monopoly and baseball-related items like bat and ball or a catcher’s mitt.
Perhaps the key for today is just keeping things simple and not over-spending (today’s “toys” are expensive); not wearing ourselves out with endless shopping trips, but choosing to spend family time together. Because of today’s pressures on every side, it is more important than ever that we just enjoy one another. The ones we love are more important than the things we get.
© 2013 Arlene Schwartzkopf