December 6, 2008

A Christmas Story




Far from the nearest town , our log cabin on a hill in rural Northern Alabama was nestled in a forest of evergreens -pine, cedar , holly and fir. It was home to many critters - wild turkey, guinea fowl, ducks, fox, squirrel, rabbits, possum and racoons, some of which ended up on the dinner table.

All summer long we preserved the many fruits and vegetables of our labor for the winter. The chickens gave us fresh eggs each day and fried chicken on Sundays, the cow fresh milk and the pigs bacon, sausage and smoked ham. Once a month we would travel to town to buy large sacks of cornmeal , flour, sugar and lard for our daily bread.

My two sisters and I went to church in town every Wednesday and Sunday. Younger sister Linda and I would say a special prayer every Christmas for the thing we wanted most : Snow. God please give us snow for Christmas this year. But our prayers went unanswered and we were beginning to wonder if what they taught in church was true.

I was ten and out of school for Christmas vacation. With no money to buy gifts we had to be very creative. I was sewed a sock doll for Linda , wove a bracelet for Wilma, and made handkerchiefs for Dad.

Each day I would go into the woods to get pine and holly to decorate the house. I also gathered hickory nuts, pecans, chestnuts and walnuts. We had a huge fireplace that heated the house and a crackling fire where we'd gather and read Christmas stories and the bible.

The night before Christmas Linda and I once again prayed for snow. We jumped in bed knowing full well that such a miracle would never happen.

Christmas morning we awoke to the smell of Wilma's bacon cooking as she called us to breakfast. Instead of the usual grits in the bowls on the table there was something very pure and white that looked a lot like ice cream. Linda and I both stammered in surprise : " Ice cream for Christmas ? " No, sillies, " Wilma replied, " Go look outside. "

We opened the door to a most wonderous sight. Every tree wore a sparkling dress of white . Snow ! I was beginning to think that it was something I'd only read about in books or see in movies like White Christmas that my brother took me to see.

Linda and I agreed that our first white christmas was the best we'd ever had and we were finally convinced that there was a God . It just took him longer to find us because we were way out in the country.

14 comments:

  1. "Linda and I agreed that our first white christmas was the best we'd ever had and we were finally convinced that there was a God . It just took him longer to find us because we were way out in the country." hehehe!

    This is a truly lovely story, thank
    you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hii, I just want to say Merry Christmas 2008. :))

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is a story for you to write down and read to your new grandbaby every Christmas. Your talents abound!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a beautiful, heartwarming story! I love tales like this.
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for sharing that glimpse into your childhood. I'd agree that you should begin an illustrated booklet for your Lea/granddaughter!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awesome story Carolyn.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for 2 Day, Shady Gardener and Mr. Brown Thumb thanks for stopping by and leaving your nice comments.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's a great Christmas story. It kind of reminds me of the Walton's...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your story of the first snow touched my heart, Carolyn, and now this will be another memorable holiday shared with your first granddaughter, Sweetpea (my daughter's nickname besides Jilly Bean). May the blessings of Christmas surround you and bring you joy thoughout the New Year. (By the way, I ate many varmints growing up also ... didn't see 'marsh bunnies' ... ahem ... muskrat on your menu :0)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks, Carol and Joey. Glad you enjoyed my christmas memory.

    Didn't see any muskrats in our area, Joey. I think they live in swampy areas.

    I am certainly blessed this Christmas and look forward to celebrating with our precious little bundle of joy.

    Christmas blessings to you and yours.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Such a dear and sweet story. We don't get snow in Oklahoma very often, and I can remember it twice in my childhood. Thanks for sharing your story and bringing back my memories.~~Dee

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your other commenters are right, Carolyn - someday your little Sweetpea will love this story from her grandmother's childhood as much as we all love it now.

    But I couldn't help thinking that bowls of snow on the table would only work in the country where the snow was clean - the story would not have been so sweet if the snow in the bowls was yellow!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...