Ghosts of Christmases past

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I grew up during the 1940's,a time when Christmas was celebrated quiet different from now. Growing up in a remote corner of of the British Empire, and living in a small isolated community probably made it even more unique. Children of today would have difficulty believing what I'm writing here. No preparations for Christmas began before Christmas Eve, that is of course, except for the purchasing of a few items for the children's stockings, which we knew nothing about. There were no malls to visit with the sights and sounds of Christmas, No Christmas music, coming from every corner. On the afternoon of Christmas Eve my father would go cut a tree, sometimes he would have to make more then one trip before before mother was satisfied. The tree would be left outside until after us children had hung our stockings and gone to bed. This was always a night when it wasn't difficult to get us to go to bed. After all tomorrow was Christmas and we would awake to a beautifully decorated Christmas tree,(at least we thought so) and stockings that had been filled by Santa Claus. I remember that we had a brick chimney with a block that could be removed. I was told that Santa came down the chimney and though that hole. Consequently, I would not go to bed until that brick had been taken out of the chimney, after all this was the big night and I was making sure that the jolly old man didn't miss me. I remember one Christmas Eve, I was probably about 5, dad was having a really difficult time removing the brick, but I was adamant, I wasn't going to bed until that brick was out. They tried to convince me that he would come in another way, but I was having none of it. It must have taken nearly an hour, but I didn't budge from the spot until I knew That Santa could get out of that chimney! One thing hasn't changed, like all children I'd wake early on Christmas morning, and rush downstairs to see what Santa had left. There would be the beautiful Christmas tree, and YES, there was something in my stocking! No gifts under the tree like today, just some things in my stocking. Any kind of fruit or candy was a rarity, in these all but forgotten days, so it only on occasions like Christmas when you would find such things. There was always an apple and an orange in my stocking, also a chocolate bar and some wrapped candy. One Christmas I received a colouring book and some crayons, another Christmas it was a wind-up toy truck. I think that we enjoyed Christmas as much as the kids today who have so much. I wouldn't want to see kids today going without fruit, and such things, but there must be a happy medium between what it was like 60 years ago, and the commercialism of today. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and to those who don't, have a great day. Blessings.