Christmas Past 2: Cookies and Chardonnay

As kids, Tate and I had two Christmases each year. One at Dad's which was usually Christmas eve through Christmas morning, and one at Mom's which was usually Christmas afternoon and night. 

Santa was a very different beast at these two different locations. 

If we were with Mom on Christmas eve, which we usually weren't, we would leave Santa cookies and Chardonnay. We had a fake fireplace with a TV in it, and mom would play the tape "Video Fireplace" to put us in the holiday spirit. She would always giggle at the parts where someone stoked the fire. We would play cassette tapes of Christmas music her friends Michael and Ray had made that always included the greatest versions of songs. (Have you all heard drunk Judy Garland singing The Christmas Song? "And every mothers child, will fleepobly, to shee if rainBOWS, really know howta fly..." We would laugh a lot and decorating the tree was always fun since we used the same ornaments each year (still do) and they all had great sentimental value. The presents were many and they were always perfect, because Mom hand delivered our lists to Santa. One year Mom wrapped every single little dollhouse item she'd bought me which made for 48738473 tiny little presents under the tree. There were always colored lights on the tree. We used the same stockings each year. In fact, a few years ago Mom bought the whole family new stockings since ours were looking pretty rough. (She uses HER mother's stocking which we all lovingly agree is starting to look like an antique maxi pad) The new stockings were all hung by the chimney with care...and then one by one replaced by each member of the family with their original stocking. The "new" stockings now rest patiently in a box while the old stockings hang above the real fireplace Mom has these days. 

Dads house was also super fun because there were more kids. Our little brother always had a mound of presents which was fun to watch him go through. (Fun and slightly annoying). Santa presents were always laid out, unwrapped and always looked like things that could be made in a workshop. (Rocking horses, doll clothes etc.) Although lists were not generally asked for, so presents ranged from super-awesome to completely obscure. There is one home video from one Christmas morning and it is at Dads house. My dad had just learned how to use the text feature on the camera so the frames are all filled with us opening presents underneath the word "WOW!" and "NEAT!" but luckily we stole the camera away to use it so there is some good footage of my dad. The ornaments on the tree changed annually, and there were always white lights. Every year all the kids would chip in and get my dad a really long tube of giant gum-balls. I wonder why we did that...I don't really remember my dad ever chewing giant gum-balls. It was always fun. 

The times we were with my mom on Christmas eve, I didn't expect that our absence was particularly noticeable at Dads. There were other kids there and usually grandparents and extended family. But the times we were at Dads for Christmas Eve, before my mom remarried, I always felt a little sad for her. I remember as an adult asking her once what she did on those nights...

"I ate lots of cookies and chardonnay."