Keeping Christmas Traditions Alive

My dad is next to the youngest of thirteen kids. When he was growing up, one of his older siblings said that there wasn’t a Santa Claus. My dad was shocked. At the time, their father (my grandfather) was already an older guy.

My grandfather told my dad not to listen to what his brother said. He said that there is a Santa Claus. While my dad was asleep for the night, my grandfather evidently made the effort of laying a ladder outside on the roof and using multiple pairs of shoes to make a walking configuration on the snow and roof. He placed the shoes up high enough so that you could just see them.

The next morning, my grandfather took my dad outside to show him the evidence that Santa Claus had been there. He said, “If you’re not a believer, how do you expect all those footprints got on the roof?” That was enough to make my dad keep believing in Santa for a few more years.

My family has some other traditions, like putting up the tree every year and taking a night to enjoy the holiday festival of lights. When I was a kid, we used to drive around through all the neighborhoods to look at the Christmas lights. We would go to the very wealthy neighborhoods to see how extravagant their decorations were.

Those are some of the fond memories that I have about our Christmas traditions. To me, the holidays were about getting together, being close to family, and sharing. As I’ve gotten older I’ve really come to appreciate the time I spent with the elders who are no longer with us.  ~ Steve Gee