Grannygoodpaints Place: Yet Another Memory from the Distant Past
I could remember way way back when I believed in Santa Claus. Don't remember now just how old I was. On that particular Christmas, we all piled into my dad's ancient car and set off for a trip of about 200 miles from the coast of New Jersey to my birthtown which was just outside of Scranton, PA. Of course, the road was snowy and dad had to stop twice with flat tires...he would mumble something about them being baloney skins (I thought they were really made out of that stuff!). He'd get out his little patch kit and sit by the side of the road fixing an inner tube that seemed to be full of the same patches and before long, we'd be on our way again.
By the time we reached my grandparents house, it was dark and snowing. Gram and Gramps came out on the porch and gave us bear hugs and Grandma gave us a wink and said to go down into the celler. Now Grandma's cellar wasn't just any cellar. Its where she kept her fresh baked goods and rows of canned peaches and other things from the garden. We found little cakes made just for us grandkids and we found an opened jar of peaches and some spoons. Oh....what a feast we had. Then back into the house where we were put into bed - 4 to a bed cause other grandkids were there too. In those days, everyone went to the bathroom for the last time of the night before going to bed because Grandpa's "bathroom" was an outhouse at the end of their property. To get up in the middle of a wintery night meant you had to dress warmly and rush out and rush back in. Well, seems that's just what happened to me and shake and jiggle all I could - I still had to get up put on boots and winter coat and tip toe down the back stairs. It was then that I saw mom and dad, my grandparents and some aunts and uncles out in the livingroom, putting toys around the Christmas tree. It was then that I realized they were Santa Claus! I never said a word...just snuck out the back door and back in and up to bed. I never spoiled the fun for the rest of the kids - but the next year I just up and said "aw...I don't believe in Santa Claus anymore." Mom nodded sadly as though "there's she's growing up."
Anyway, that's yet another one of my distant memories...both sad and happy and sweet and one I hope to never forget.
