Christmas Stories Throughout The Years | Christmas Eve and Morning in the 1970s

Christmas Eve was always full of anticipation. After a fun night of games, songs and laughter, my three cousins and I would spread our sleeping bags out and attempt to stay up late to catch Santa. We never succeeded. Not once.

Christmas morning came early. Stockings and Santa gifts were always free game while the adults made breakfast. Later, about twenty of us would gather around the tree and take turns opening one gift at a time. One person. One gift. All the way around the room.

Christmas gift history was the year someone would wrap their gift in multiple wrapped nestled boxes. The rule: one gift – so it took multiple rounds to open their one gift. 😂 It took hours to open gifts with 20+ family member. No rushing. No pressure. Just family together. the best!

There is one gift I received I still remember as clearly as if it were yesterday. When I was eight years old, Santa brought me a giant Barbie cruise ship. Some gifts stay with you forever.

Christmas mornings taught me something I didn’t realize until much later. The magic wasn’t just in the presents. It was in the waiting, the togetherness and the way nothing felt hurried.

I’ll be sharing more Christmas stories from growing up tomorrow.