As a kid, what did holiday break mean to you – how did you spend your time?
December 18, 2024 | Sparkle Wednesday
Christmas is just a week away! It seems to sneak up on me every single year. As a kid, I loved the week before the big holiday break. Life was relaxed and fun. I remember walking “downtown" after school to shop for presents. When I was a sixth grader, the primo gifts for girls were the Lifesavers Christmas Book, Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, or Love's Baby Soft perfume.
If you played in the orchestra or band, you might have been asked to play Christmas Carols at the bank or other local businesses. Since I played the oboe, I pretty much had to perform for all the holiday shows.
On the last day before Christmas break, there was a Christmas party at school with gallon ice cream bins filled with homemade treats. We exchanged small gifts, and the teachers would show some old-timey film, like Laurel and Hardy—Babes in Toyland.
My family would typically stay home for the holidays. Over Christmas break, I remember pulling out the skis and going "skiing” on some of the (tiny) hills near our house. Sometimes, I'd work on some sort of craft project. One year, I got a “Pair of Blue Jeans" latch-hook rug. Other than that, I played piano or oboe, hung out with my family, cooked and baked, and watched old shows on TV.
What about you? What did the holiday break mean to you – how did you spend your time?
We loved hanging onto car bumpers & were towed down the street in the snow & ice after dark. Yes, it was a silly thing to do but it was a small town & we didn't have much traffic. The Eck Sisters used to sing & dance for various Civic groups around town. Christmas was busy for us & I remember singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." We usually got paid $1 or $2. Things were different in the 50's.
I’ve always loved the outdoors. When I was young, school break meant snow forts and animal sanctuaries- dressing in boots and gloves and snowsuits.
When I was a teen, school break meant downhill skiing. There’s nothing like seeing those huge snowflakes floating down in the night sky as you tackle the long runs at the back side of the mountain.