Cozy Christmas memories (all) + Christmas train (UA)

Thanks for sharing with us, vampiresska.

I don't really have single Christmas memory that stands out. For me it is more the general feeling Christmas or in our case Christmas Eve evoked as a kid.
It is evening time and dark outside, family is dressed nicely and has gathered in the living room, the tree is lit with dozens of candles which creates a very special natural and cozy lighting. Father is reading the Christmas story from the bible (the only time in the year this book gets opened 😁, the kids recite Christmas poems or play a Christmas song on instruments. Always eyeing the presents laying under the tree while doing so.
Once their 'duties' are done they are allowed to open the presents. What follows is pure carnage. 😆

It was a magical time of the year. Something that at least for me got completely lost as an adult.
But the memories remain.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! 🎄

Maybe your parents did enlist Santa's help that one time 😉

It's a great Christmas story. Kids grow up and they stop believing in Santa but they should keep believing in magic a little longer.
Sadly I had a cousin who was an a**hole (for reasons not of her own choosing) and told us Santa didn't exist before I turned 5 so that took care of that stage.

My favorite Christmases were the ones I spent with my grandparents.
My grandmother was a great cook and the house smelled like what I hope heaven smells like if it exists. We would decorate the house together, cook and prepare everything for when the grownups would arrive.

My grandfather was a born storyteller. He would tell us stories about Xmas all day long and at night, he would make up a Xmas story on the spot just for us. Every year a different one that would explain something about Xmas like how Santa ended up with a red hat. Or why he had elves helping him. I wish I had a recording of him telling us those bedtime stories.

After my cousin told me Santa was a myth, I was kinda bummed. My grandfather tucked us in but he could tell we were not in a hurry to get to sleep as we used to be and he wanted to cheer us up so he disappeared for a while and came back wearing my grandma's nightgown and a santa hat to make us laugh. He had grabbed tinsel from the tree and sprinkled it all over our bedroom singing in a falsetto until we were cracking up so hard, we couldn't breathe. Then he sat down and told us how Mrs Santa met Santa as if we still believed in him.

I miss him and I miss my grandma every day. They never had much and they went through horrible times during WWII but they never complained and they worked hard all their lives so that their children had a roof over their heads and food on the table. And their house was always full of laughter and music, as were their hearts. That's what magic is, right?

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