Christmas Thoughts

My thoughts of Christmas go back to my days of dating in High School. (wow, does that take me back a ways). There was a huge outdoor ice rink that the Fire Department made every year by flooding this field with their fire hoses at Rouge Park. They had lights on so you could skate at night, and little benches where you could sit down with a nice cup of hot chocolate and talk with your sweaty. Very nice Christmas thoughts come to mind when I think of the ice skating that we used to do at Rouge Park in Detroit.

I remember playing hockey with the guys. Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, and Sid Abel, were some of the names that we used emulate from the famous production line of the Detroit Red Wings.

Another Christmas thought was sledding down the world famous...well maybe not world famous, but we sure thought it was.... Dead Mans Hill. It was a hill that was very steep and had a rope to pull you back up the hill. You could get going pretty fast, and if you weren't careful, you may end up crashing into the stream that was at the end of the hill. Most of the time it was frozen, but once in awhile, someone would get soaked. They finally made some steps but they still left the rope there so you could use either one. That sure made it a lot easier carrying your sled back up.

Other thoughts of Christmas that come to mind is going out to cut down our Christmas tree. It was an all day event. We would get up early, go out for breakfast, and then off to the woods to find the perfect tree. Bring it back home and decorate it. I can still smell the fresh smell of pine from that tree that would fill the room.

Still other thoughts were of my brother and me on Christmas Eve. We had a bunk bed that we slept in. I had the bottom and he had the top. ( he always got the top.) We would stay up for a long time talking. Just like every other kid on Christmas Eve night was doing.We always had a real hard time going to sleep. The great anticipation of what to expect when we woke up in the morning was almost unbearable.

Thoughts of Christmas memories and traditions are a great way to build family unity, relive, share, and pass down those great moments from the past to our children and grand children.

What are some of your Christmas thoughts and memories during the holiday season?