One of my favorites is standing on the stairway landing of my house gazing across the living room to set eyes on the purple-n-gold 3spd I had wanted just waiting there for me! Yours?

When I was little, between 4 and 8 maybe, my dad would take me to center city on the bus or train to go Christmas shopping the weekend before Christmas. Riding on the bus or the train was an experience in and of itself, since we didn't have a car and my little world was essentially limited to the cement sidewalks of the street on which we lived. Everything seemed so big in the city. There were these enormous buildings that stretched to the skies as far as my eyes could see. People milled about, my dad holding my hand so I wouldn't get lost in the hustle and bustle. Everything seemed so energetic. The street poles were decorated with lights and wreaths. There was the constant clanging of the Salavation Army bells. Horn players belted out Christmas carols into the cold and windy December air. The storefront windows were decorated with all sorts of Christmas images and people that didn't move. Always thought that was odd. Basically there was sensory overload, but boy, did I like it. I am speaking about downtown Philadelphia, which was only about 8 miles from our Philly neighborhood, but at that age, it seemed like we were thousands of miles from the comfort of our home. The trip into town only took about twenty minutes, but since we rarely travelled, it could have been a four hour trip in my little mind. Our first stop was always to a store called Wanamakers. There was a huge atrium and lobby in the center of the store. On one side of that atrium there was a black wall with a balcony. The wall seemed so large, but I think it was only about five stories. There was a grand golden pipe organ on the balcony. People would stand in the foyer area, just staring at that black wall. And then the show began. The organ began to bellow Christmas carols and then something miraculous would happen. That black wall turned into a sea of color, illuminated by thousands of light bulbs. Through the timing of the lighting, snowflakes fell, Christmas trees bounced from left to right, up and down. Santa flew across the wall behind his reindeer. Frosty blinked on and off. Presents wrapped in bows bounced around as well. I just stood there, my neck tilted back, my mouth agape. My dad would then do a little shopping, but I was too excited to pay attention to what he was buying. From there we would go to Gimbels to see the BIG GUY, old Saint Nick. It was only a six block walk, but that was a lot for a little kid with little legs. Finally we arrived. Dad would put me in a long line where I would anxiously await my turn to sit on Santa's lap. It seemed like forever. As I waited, dad went off to do some quick shopping, presumably for toys that he didn't want me to see him purchase. I eventually would get my picture taken with me on Santa's lap and tell the jolly old guy what I wanted for Christmas. When I was done,I would run down the ramp where dad was waiting for me. Lunchtime. Dad liked his beer so we would usually go to a bar that served food. I remember it being dark and smoke filled with a lot of adults talking loudly and seemingly being very happy. Dad would order a couple of beers and I would get a special treat, a Shirley Temple. Boy were they good. The waitress always commented on how cute I was, which I really didn't like. Wish they did that now. After eating lunch it was off to our next stop. The next stop was a department store called Litt Brothers. For the most part it was like the two other stores. Big with all sorts of clothes, toys, manequins and such. But this store had something special...a hanging monorail that went around the perimeter of the toy department. It seemed big at the time, but in reality, it was only made for children. Again, dad put me in line and then hustled off to do more shopping. I didn't know it then, but I now know he was on the floor below me buying toys. After waiting in line for a while, I finally got to board. It was so cool. It seemed so high, although I was probably no more than 20 or 30 feet in the air. The ride came to the end and my dad was there to greet me. I know I had a mile wide smile on my face. Also in this store was a place called the Enchanted Village. You would walk though scenes reminiscent of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" There were snow covered buildings and moving characters. Really, only their heads or arms moved, but they seemed alive to me. Time to head home, but there was one more stop to make. Dad had to stop for the Christmas candy. That store was incredible. All kinds of candy I had never seen. Not like the penny candy at the candy store around the corner from where I lived. And the smell...I'll never forget that aroma. My dad would buy boxes of the stuff and get a couple of extra pieces for me to eat on the way home. Whether it was the bus or the train, we usually had to wait in the cold for a while. I didn't mind, I had my candy to nibble on. Finally, transportation arrived. As soon as my butt hit the seat, I was asleep. When we arrived at our stop, my dad would wake me up, and we would walk the rest of the way home. I miss those days.

Sixty B, thought you might like this other story. Wrote it about 25 years ago. Think it got an A. (It's true too) "The Day My Sister Got Screwed" She was wearing pink woolen pajamas, the kind with the little footies sewn into them. Tiny Raggedy Anns dotted the pink exterior. My P.J.'s were the same except that they were blue and had tiny Raggedy Andys on them. We played together, me with my little green soldiers, she with Barbie and Ken. Occasionally she'd devastate a whole right wing of my army with a move of her leg. Naturally, I'd pop her one in that leg. She would pull my hair in retaliation. But we loved each other anyway. Mom would yell in from the other room, "Now you kids behave" We were behind the big recliner in the living room. You could pull the recliner back and lean it against the wall. It formed a roof, a roof of a house with no walls or other rooms. But it was a place where we could be alone together in our own world devoid from the real world, from Mom, from Dad, from the rest of the house which at the time was a big enough environment by far. So many things to explore just inside that house. Who really cared about that frontier beyond the front door. The dust on the base board was becoming pretty thick. I guess Mom had forgotten to dust our little house. Oh well, Sissy could do that, she was the girl. "Look Anthony. Look what I got". She showed me a screw, a phillips head I later learned. It was about three quarters of an inch long with downward spirals and a pointed end. She held it up and then it was gone. Oh oh, don't think she should have done that. "Mommy, Mommy,Sissy swallowed screw, Sissy swallowed screw". "Now Tony, what have I told you about teasing your mother". "No, really, Sissy swallowed screw". "O.K., lets go see" I ran back into the living room, legs and arms flailing, nearly tripping on my pajama bottoms as they slid off my behind. I ran with all my might and Mommy just walked, keeping pace. "Anthony said that you swallowed a screw. Is that true"? I looked at Sissy. She looked at me, then at Mommy. She smiled and nodded her head affirmatively. The next thing I knew, the lady from up the street knocked at the door. Mommy blurted out a few explanations and then quickly left the house, with Sissy in her arms. " Mommy, where are you going"? "Where are you taking Sissy"? "Now you behave for Mrs. Majors, we'll be back in a little while. It seemed like an eternity and I guess it was. Seven hours is a long time for a little kid. Daddy hadn't come home from work yet. It was already dark. He was always home before dark. I liked Mrs. Majors, but I wasn't having any fun. I was lonely. I wanted Sissy. The little house under the recliner seemed so empty now. The door clicked and then opened. I ran as fast as my little feet could carry me. Where could my family have been for so long? Mommy and Daddy entered through the vestibule. But where was Sissy? She only swallowed a screw. That was no reason to get rid of her. She had been put in the hospital fo observation. The screw had gone down her windpipe and was dangerously close to her heart. If it turned the wrong way it could puncture the heart muscle and possibly kill her. I really didn't understand any of it then. All I knew was that Sissy was gone, the first time we had ever been separated in the three years of our lives and nine months in the womb prior to that. I wanted her back. She was my playmate. My sister. My friend. Who was going to knock my soldiers over after I had so strategically set them up? Who was I going to punch? Who was going to live in the liitle house under the recliner with me? Mommy couldn't. She didn't understand. Finally, I found out where Sissy was. The hospital was so very clean, so very white. It had a very strange smell. I had never been to the hospital before. A lady in white came and sat next to me. I wondered why everything was so clean and white. Mommy said "This is the nurse. I'm going to see your sister. The hospital won't let you see her. You're too little. They're afraid you might catch something. Now you be good for the pretty lady". But I didn't want to play catch. I wanted to see my sister. After five days, a period that seemed more like years, Sissy came home. We hugged each other and then ran to play. We went to our little house. "How was it"?, I asked? "What did you do?" "It was fun. The doctors and nurses were really nice. They gave me a lot of ice cream and Mommy and Daddy gave me some toys, just for making the srew go potty. All that for swallowing a screw? I thought about swallowing one, or maybe even a penny. I could always find them laying around the house. But I changed my mind. I couldn't go with Sissy so she probably wouldn't be able to go with me.

waking up when i was five or so and seeing my grandfather

I celebrated my first Christmas when I was 18, so that would be my earliest Christmas memories.

About age 5 sitting at the table after everybody had left because I wasnt allowed to get up till I ate everything on my plate.

When I was Young when We went to Bed on Christmas Eve there was nothing in the House,,When we woke up there was a tree all decorated and gifts under it;) Really Cool;)