'Tis the Season

Since I started doing my holiday shopping, I have been feeling quite nostalgic. At least I prefer to think of it as nostalgia rather than some sort of regression. It occurred to me that the most fun presents to buy are the ones for kids--not that I enjoy Walmart or Toys R Us; but there is just something about toys that brings out the child in each of us (I think). As I was driving home from work one day, mentally going over the names on my shopping list, I had a "light-bulb" decorating idea. I was so eager to get started, I headed immediately to the antique store to begin my own shopping. I rearranged my family room furniture and began putting together a collection from my own Christmas memories--the pink stove, refrigerator and sink set we played with for hours (now I've discovered cooking & washing dishes is rarely fun); a large container of Lincoln logs my brother sometimes let us girls play with, too; the pink GE radio with the round station dial that Kathy & I both fought to control; a metal baby highchair much like one we once owned; and the "wrong" typewriter that Santa brought the year I requested a secretary typewriter so I could be like a grownup. Every night before I go upstairs, I turn off all the lights except in my display, I smile as I sit back in my chair and just enjoy for a moment the joy of being a kid at Christmas. It's true what they say--Christmas is for kids & we are all kids at heart. (If I could figure out how to post a picture on this blog, I would share a picture of my childhood corner)