It's December!

Well now the longest wait known to mankind would have officially begun; the countdown to Christmas would have been underway out there in the country. Any indication of it approaching would have been noted and talked about between my cousins and me over and over again. That aunt with the bright red lipstick took such care in buying her presents. She truly made her list and checked it more than twice. Even the paper she used for each gift was taken into consideration. There was a room where she would pile the presents in wait of Christmas. Whenever my cousin and I were at the house we'd go in that room and touch and feel and hold the gifts to our ears to see if we could possibly get a hint as to what was inside.We noted each sticker used to keep the present wrapped; each illustration on each tag. I don't recall we ever figured anything out.

When the creek froze we'd spend hours down there talking Christmas; exchanging anything we might have heard. Some evenings we'd lay on top of the ice under the stars and tell each other what we thought so and so was getting us. I can still hear the ice crack and the wind blow through the baren trees along the creek's bank; hear the blades of creek grass grind in winter's capture. I don't remember feeling cold. Rather we would get so excited it might as well have been summer!

More blogs to come about Christmas and those 4 houses full of relatives sitting along a rambling stretch of country road!