Diane Rusch Zinn, Christmas Memories

No one Christmas stands out as a totally unique holiday experience, so these are simply moments I always think of.  We opened presents on Christmas Eve when I was a child, then visited my mother’s family on Christmas Day and had dinner with my paternal grandparents.  After we were married, we almost always had Christmas with Dick’s family in Wichita.

Age 6 – Gazing at the night sky with my dad on our front porch, knowing I would soon see Santa flying high and asking my dad if he could bring me a sibling

Grade School Years – Gathering at my grandmother’s house at 238 S. Grove (right across from East) with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins who lived in Wichita  The only gifts we cousins received were from our “rich” uncle who showered us with such things as a small box of shiny dimes or nickels (worth around $1).

High School Years – Asking for that beautiful white sweater set at Wolf’s; receiving a yellow one.

Early Marriage – On Christmas Eve, making our way to Dick’s parents’ in Wichita after a long day at work when our oldest daughter Lauri was just a year old.  The turnpike was literally invisible because of the wind-driven snow.  It was a slow, tedious trip.

Later on – Seeing the delight and hearing the laughter when Grandpa did his tinsel dance for the grandchildren as they decorated a Christmas tree.

Best of all – Telling our daughter(11) and son(9) after returning home from Christmas Eve service that we had a very special gift to tell them about.  Their response, “Oh, good, are we getting another dog?”  Our response, “No, you will be getting a little brother or sister next August.”  They were ecstatic and became the best big sister and brother we could ever have hoped for.  What a blessing for us, because two years later, we had the same announcement for our last child’s birth.

Grandchildren Era – Staying up until 2 AM assembling a huge 3-story Barbie house.  It took four of us, some to hold, some to connect, some to hold our mouth just right.  The elevator finally cooperated and went up and down as it was supposed to.