Advent Calendar for 2011- Christmas Gifts

Advent Calendar for 2011-  Christmas Gifts

My early Christmas memories were filled with sharing with my Aunt Etta and Uncle Comillo and their boys.
The first big gift I remember was Dad made me a table from orange crates.  It was during the War.
That table was on the porch in the fall of last year but no where to be found in January.  It was always painted blue and yellow it seems.

 A couple years later when Sis was small we got the folding chairs to go with it and we were living at Moretti's. My chair my grand niece is using. Sis has hers.  Jesse that chair has to be nigh on  to 66 years old.

 The other memorial gifts were: the year we moved to Moretti's from Morelli's and Santa got myself and my sister a doll each. My relatives made clothes to fit them and we loved those dolls. I still have mine.
I think my Uncle made the small wardrobe that the clothes were in and Aunts and friends made the rest.
We had crocheted sweater for our dolls with bonnet. We had I believe 5 ensembles a piece.

 The next one to remember was the year I got a bicycle so I could ride to my friends. Dad had sold my horse and I was not a happy camper. We were now living in Valley Ford.  The horse came as a birthday gift at Moretti's. She was beautiful and she was  named Old Crow. I was a teen now. Our area was rural and homes were several miles apart out side the main  part of town. Dairy ranches and some sheep ranches in this community.

Other Christmas's came and went but I remember the year Mom said laughing she always wanted some Mink since her sister in law had all those lovely fur coats and jackets and stoles.  Mom had home made coats she did herself and a raincoat Dad got her at one time. I was married at this point and in the Exchange they had a Mink Mouse and Mink Hat and Mink Muffs for sale.  My husbands funds were not great so I bought my Mom the Mink Mouse pin, so she could have something Mink in her  wardrobe.

It was a fun thing between us.  She never  wanted for very much but  to live where she did and hope her family stayed close and in touch with out major arguments.  Her Mink pin was in her drawer last December and we talked about it and I have it now. She said it could have been something beside a mouse but she wore it ever so often I noticed when I would go home.  I raised mice when younger at my Aunt's and then later at the ranch of ours. Then I migrated to rabbits whom are awesome to be around and care for.  But I also loved my pigs.  They are a story book of their own.

We had great gifts through the years. Our first married Xmas together, all the family supplied all the Xmas and we got Eddie a chair.

One Christmas my husband bought me a beautiful pearl and ruby ring that matched events in our lives.
Many times we traveled to either his or my parents to share Xmas. Valley Ford or Riverside, Ca after his folks moved to California from Woodward, IA.

Last year was my Mom's last Christmas and I got her new gowns which she wore until her passing in January.

One year we got our son a car.  I will share that in another post it was probably one of the most remembered family Christmas here in this house, for my husband and myself.

Husband spent many, many Christmas's away in service.