On the cusp of Christmas Day, I thought I would share a magical Christmas memory, and explain “when you get paid in collards there’s no money for Christmas.” My dad was a doctor, but we were far from rich, as people automatically assumed. My dad was kind and big-hearted, and more often than not, took payment in the form of:
- a bushel of collards,
- a bushel of turnip greens,
- a bushel of green beans,
- a bushel of cabbages, and
- the yuckiest-looking, stinky, fishy-smelling fish I’ve ever seen in my life.
Oh I’ve got some stories about those bushels, and especially that fish! Stories for another day. Just remember, when you get paid in collards, there’s no money for Christmas, and not much else. I remember that year well…
- when I was five
- when I still believed in Santa Claus,
- when I listened for reindeer hooves on the roof,
- and woke to a huge pile of presents under the tree on Christmas morning, or at least, it seemed so.
Funny…that year Mama said she didn’t have any money, but in my memory, it was a most magical Christmas! Today I marvel over the precisely drawn knobs and cabinet doors on a simple cardboard box, which was the kitchen counter for the dollhouse I asked for. I ran across it recently when going through forgotten boxes under the bed, smiling at the memories.
If you look past stains, peeling paper, and browned, scotch tape edges, you can see the charm of the old “kitchen counter.”
As I recall, I asked for both a dollhouse and a drum.
And here is the dollhouse!
Opening the bottom doors of the old washstand, reveals the dollhouse. Entirely covered with “wallpaper,” it had “pictures” on the walls, and the doll bed in the corner.
The kitchen counter fit nicely on the opposite wall.
Wish you could see the blue princess doll bed she constructed out of a coathanger, part of a wooden box, a piece of foam, and bits of fabric and lace. It even had one of those halo canopy things with pearls and cascading fabric around the head of the bed. I can just picture her staying up late laboriously putting it together. I kept it for many years, until it finally fell apart. The kitchen counter and the “prince accessories” are all I have left.
You know a “Prince” has to be outfitted properly to woo his princess. He has to have a Prince’s tunic, (blue), and a special cardboard hat (hand sewn with blue thread).
And of course, he has to have his (cardboard) shield (decorated with rhinestone and heart-shaped thingy), and sword (made from a hatpin).
She made the drum from a tall Quaker’s oatmeal container. In my mind I pictured….well, I don’t know what I pictured…but I remember being a bit disappointed by the homemade drum. I didn’t play with it much, but this tomboy played for years with the dollhouse and accessories!
My Grandmother usually spent Christmas with us, but rarely gave gifts. That year was the exception. She gave me 2 little reindeer she made.
Grandmother, who I’m named after, was OLD…utterly ancient. She had little money, and lived in an old white farmhouse in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She married my 40-something Grandfather when she was 16, and they had 9 children. My mother was the baby.
Funny about her name…”Grandmother.” My brother called her “Granny.” My cousin, Ray, called her “Granny.” Most of the other cousins called her “Granny.” As I was about to follow suit, Mother told me emphatically, “YOU are to call her “Grandmother.”
I still have those little reindeer from over 60 years ago that she made with pipe cleaners, bits of styrofoam and sequins.
Where she got all those things I can’t imagine. This was waay before Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, or Joann’s Fabrics even existed. I can just picture her scrounging through a meager stash to find the right supplies with which to make these engaging little fellas. At the time I wasn’t impressed, and couldn’t understand why Mother gushed over them so. KIDS! I was so clueless and ungrateful. I didn’t appreciate Grandmother’s efforts with arthritic hands until it was far too late to tell her so. By some miracle, the little reindeer survived many moves and purges. They are oh-so-precious to me now.
The only thing we ever gave her for Christmas was…not scented bath powder, not perfume, and not a knick-knack, but a big paper sack full of groceries, and I remember thinking, “GROCERIES??” But Mama said she was giving what Grandmother would never buy for herself. The sack was overflowing with boring things like post cards and stamps, lots of canned food, a great big jar of spiced peaches, and always a box of chocolate covered cherries. I like to think I inherited this from her because it’s my favorite food treat at Christmas too.
So as we’re about to enjoy another Christmas, I’ll be thankful for what I have, for the precious family who remain because nothing is ever a given.
And I’ll be ever so grateful for the unspeakable gift of God’s Son.
Wishing you a very merry Christmas!
Sharing with these link parties….
Florence
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Thanks for sharing. How blessed you are to have these sweet memories and treasures. I have a handmade purple turtle my grandmother made from scraps of quilt material. I remember her working so hard that Christmas to make something for all of us. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Thank you Debra! Would love to see your purple turtle! Those things become so precious, don’t they? Wishing you the best Christmas of all!
What a beautiful post. Merry Christmas.
Thanks Kim! Wishing you a blessed Christmas!
I love this Christmas memory Florence, it’s so sweet. I can envision the dollhouse in the bottom of that cabinet. It’s a clever idea really and I think many little girls (even today) would be a pleased as pie with something like that! The reindeers your grandmother made are adorable, I love them! Did you ever find out why you were the only one that had to call her grandmother??
Merry Christmas!
Tania
Thanks Tania! My mom was a stickler for showing respect and she wanted her Mother honored properly, whereas she didn’t have as much influence over the others as she did over me. Thank you for your kind & sweet comments. Merry Christmas!
What a sweet, sweet story! It absolutely brought tears to my eyes. And what a clever idea for a doll house! I might think about doing something like that for Dani.
Love the creche bowl, too!
The story about how your grandmother made the reindeer reminded me of when my teeter-totter needed new seats. Both my grandfathers got in on the act, unbeknownst to the other as far as I know, and made one. My paternal grandfather’s seat was exact. Precise. Exactly like the one it replaced. My maternal grandfather’s was rather crude and rough. (Perhaps he didn’t have the pattern?) I loved the crude one the best. Besides the fact that he and I had a special bond, something about that seat just spoke to me. I knew the love that went into it. And I knew he did the best he could with what he had to work with. Not that PaPaw didn’t, but I dunno. This was different. Thank you for causing that memory to pop up. I do think about it every now and then and never tire of it. It always gives me the warm fuzzies. Wish I could hug both those men. Oh, darn. The tears are really welling up now.
So glad to know it touched you Wanda. How sweet of your grandfathers to make the teeter-totter seats! Funny you liked the crude one the best. Oh I know what you mean about those special memories! Merry Christmas too!
Your story brings to mind what my mom made for us at Christmas. There were three of us girls. On Christmas, two of us got Barbies and my one sister got another kind of doll. They were housed in a suitcase-like container that was meant for hair dryers. The best part of all was that she knitted all of the clothing. There was an elegant green gown with white mohair knitted into the bottom. There was also a snow set consisting of a jacket with a hood and pants. There was also another pink gown. It was so elegant. I know I played with Barbies with my sister when I was fifteen.
Wow! Those knitted clothes with mohair! I can just picture it! I remember the hair dryer cases too. They would make the perfect doll cases. I played with the dolls and dollhouse a long time too, sitting there cross-legged on the floor. Can’t even get in the cross-legged position anymore! Ha!
What a beautiful memory. I have many great memories about my Grandma as we called her.
Merry Christmas!
Thank you Koleta! Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
Thanks for sharing that wonderful story about that Christmas so long ago. It is so special that you still have those reindeer after all of these years. Merry Christmas!
Thanks Carol! I appreciate it, and Merry Christmas to you!
Florence, I absolutely love this story. I am feeling especially nostalgic this Christmas, missing family and really treasuring all the memories and items I have left. I really enjoyed reading your stories and know, that you feel as I do, that those precious items are indeed more precious today than they were when they were brand new. xoxo Merry Christmas.
Thank you Kim! That means so much to me because I love YOUR stories! In fact, I believe you inspired me to write this. Merry Christmas and on to you my friend!
Florence, thank you so much for sharing that wonderful story. I laughed and cried. It is so true that as children we didn’t appreciate the things our parents and grandparents did for us. Chocolate covered cherries are also my favorite Christmas treat too. Merry Christmas to you and your hubby. sb
Sharon, I’m so glad it touched your heart! You’re so right, we don’t appreciate what our parents & grandparents do for us until we become adults. Your comment made my day! Happy New Year to you!
I bet you played for hours with the dollhouse. Thank you for sharing those precious memories of Christmas past. The reindeer are so precious and it shows how much your Grandmother loved you. Merry Christmas.
Oh I did play for hours with that! Thanks so much and Happy New Year!
I love this story so much. And I love that I found your blog this year. Merry Christmas, my newfound friend!
Thank you Kari! And I love YOUR blog! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
What a sweet memory, Florence. Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
What a precious family memory Florence! “Grandmother” was always “Granny Browne” to the Summer’s and your Aunt Ruby was “Grandmother.” So sweet to see the pictures of what remains of your dollhouse and those little reindeer! Aren’t you glad they survived all the years and moves? Thanks for sharing!
Yes I am glad they survived Becky! So precious to me now! Interesting too, to hear what you called “Granny Browne.”
When we were young girls we tried our hand at building some Barbie sized furniture in Granddaddy’s workshop down in his basement. He was your mother’s older brother and we DID call his mother Granny Browne. I’d love to have just one thing from her, but I think Aunt Mary Anne was the one who oversaw removing the things from the old house in Tuscaloosa, and she probably sold the property, which later became a restaurant there called “The Plantation”. It did not last long as I believe it burned. Odd that Leora, one of Granny’s children, fell into a fireplace there while Granny was outside, and the little girl died.
Thanks Ellen! Love hearing your perspective. You & your sisters were the crafty ones…I can’t imagine attempting to build Barbie furniture. You were always the clever one who could make such cute Barbie clothes!
Florence, what beautiful memories you must have of your dad, mom and grandmother! The gifts your mom and grandmother made are amazing, clever and crafty. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas this year!
Thanks Keri! I did have a wonderful Christmas…hope you did too, and wishing you a Happy New Year! I was so glad to find all that stuff under the bed!
Oh my goodness, Florence I so enjoyed reading this post! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up either with seven children for my parents to feed and clothe and like you, many of our gifts were handmade. One year my Dad built a dollhouse and my Mother made all the furniture and Barbie clothes. While Dad’s garage was out of bounds from November to December 25th, my Mom most likely waited until we were all in bed before starting her dollhouse projects and stayed up until the wee hours to work on them. I couldn’t tell you many of the store-bought gifts received as a child but I sure remember each and every one of the homemade ones from Mom & Dad. How wonderful that you still have some of your handmade gifts. Thanks for the trip down memory lane! xo
Oh my goodness Marie! 7 children! Your mom was very clever to make doll clothes AND furniture! Isn’t it the truth about the store-bought gifts vs the homemade ones? Yes you do remember those! Glad this post struck a chord with you!
Oh, Florence, what heartwarming stories! You really were blessed to have such women in your life. No wonder you’re so crafty:) Hope you had a lovely and blessed holiday! xo Kathleen|Our Hopeful Home
Thank you so much Kathleen! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Appreciate you coming by to visit. Happy New Year!
How beautiful Florence. You gave me goose bumps reading about your Christmas past. It made remember once again that it’s not the big thing that money can buy that are important, but rather the small, meaningful things that become treasures for a lifetime.
I’m so glad to know you enjoyed the memory with me Michelle! Yes, isn’t it funny how the homemade gifts are remembered much longer than the store-bought ones?