Since the department stores will probably have their decorations out next month, what Christmas traditions do you have or did you have growing up?

We lived in the country on a dairy farm and I never saw a cut Christmas tree that was not a cedar tree until I was grown. No spruces, firs, etc. My dad and I would go out about 10 days before Christmas and find a cedar tree to cut and bring home. It had a distinctive smell of Christmas.

We had one of those silver aluminum trees with the rotating 4 colored light wheel that would spin. I don't recall it having a smell.

Traditionally, I've always been incredibly nice to my friends around Christmas, but then I go back to being me.

We would put up our Christmas tree two weeks after Thanksgiving.

By the way, Merry Christmas in July!

go down town to the old goldsmiths. park in the garage that autozone now uses and walk down the tunnel that connected it to the goldsmiths below front street. go to enchanted forrest (NOT the poor imitation they foist on the public these days), see santa, stop by the candy counter for some malted milk balls. then and only then was it christmas time.

We always did the drive downtown thing to see the Enchanted Forest, Santa and Mr. Bingle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Bingle , which at the time, seemed like we were going to another country. We always had a cedar tree that me, my Dad and my 2 brothers would go out into the "woods" to chop down about 2 weeks before Christmas. Of course, now all those woods are subdivisions and stores in Olive Branch. Other than the traditional family trimming of the tree we always went to the Episcopal Christmas Eve midnight service. wow...what an innocent time it was back then.....

Decorations usually go up Thanksgiving weekend, or at least are pulled out to get ready. I can't say we really had many traditions before.

Oh, we've always had the tradition of tree hunting. My mom always wanted the perfect tree, so we would go from lot to lot trying to find her tree. Sometimes it would take us hours to find one. We still do this now, but instead we are looking for 3 trees. One for my parents, one for my place, and one for my brother's house. We tend to do it early in the season (1st week of December) so it stays decorated longer.

A new tradition we just recently started was going to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. The show is awesome! Hopefully we'll be able to keep that tradition going, but I guess it's up to them if they come or not. We've been going since they started hitting Memphis 3 years ago.

tigerjeb Wrote:go down town to the old goldsmiths. park in the garage that autozone now uses and walk down the tunnel that connected it to the goldsmiths below front street. go to enchanted forrest (NOT the poor imitation they foist on the public these days), see santa, stop by the candy counter for some malted milk balls. then and only then was it christmas time.

:iagree:

We play simon Says.

Awesome. Enchanted Forest at Goldsmiths. Mr. Bingle at Lowensteins. My grandmother, God Bless Her, worked at Goldsmiths and I would ride the bus down every Thursday after school and stay with her till the store closed at 9 and I would go through the Enchanted Forest and go down to Lowensteins and across the street to the Peanut Shop for candy corn and then we would ride the bus home. Those were the good ole days for sure. When I got a little older, I helped sell Christmas Trees for the East Memphis Optimist Club on the lot at Poplar and Avalon.

Not too very long ago, I was the weekend onsite weekend manager for MIFA's Starry Nights at Shelby Farms. That was fun but very hard, cold and wet work but I love Christmas Lights.

One of the coolest places I visited during the Christmas season was in Bethlehem, PA. I was building a restaurant in downtown Bethlehem (3rd Street Ramp) in view of the old Bethlehem steel mill, Just Born Candy factory and down the hill from Lehigh University.

The project was a big deal for the city's revitalization effort and for several months I was the BMOC. Touring the Just Born Plant and seeing those little yellow peeps being made was pretty cool.

The city of Bethlehem really goes all out during this time of year and they put up many lights around the town and always have a huge star on the mountain top above the city skyline.

Heck, how many folks do you know that spent time in Bethlehem during the Christmas season even if its in PA?

Big Ed Wrote:One of the coolest places I visited during the Christmas season was in Bethlehem, PA. I was building a restaurant in downtown Bethlehem (3rd Street Ramp) in view of the old Bethlehem steel mill, Just Born Candy factory and down the hill from Lehigh University.

The project was a big deal for the city's revitalization effort and for several months I was the BMOC. Touring the Just Born Plant and seeing those little yellow peeps being made was pretty cool.

The city of Bethlehem really goes all out during this time of year and they put up many lights around the town and always have a huge star on the mountain top above the city skyline.

Heck, how many folks do you know that spent time in Bethlehem during the Christmas season even if its in PA?

I think in a previous life georgiatiger was one of the donkeys at the manger in Bethlehem.

missjtiger Wrote:I think in a previous life georgiatiger was one of the donkeys at the manger in Bethlehem.

Holy smokes! I new there was something familiar with that a$$ in the manger.

missjtiger Wrote:I think in a previous life georgiatiger was one of the donkeys at the manger in Bethlehem.

I don't mind you taking shots, but at least be funny.

I remember the Memphis Christmas Parade and watching it on TV. A few years later, they put on a stupid boat parade, and now they gone back on land, thank goodness.

Now, if one of the channels would air the MCP, I would be happy.

kpigout Wrote:We had one of those silver aluminum trees with the rotating 4 colored light wheel that would spin. I don't recall it having a smell.

Well, I did see some artificial trees as a kid. One of my best friend's grandparents had a white tree with the spinning colored wheel. I thought it was great.