I’ve been good this year. In fact I’ve been so good, I have two Christmas stockings hanging up. Okay, maybe I haven’t been that good but I do have two Christmas stockings.
My Granny knitted a Christmas stocking for me about 68 years ago. It’s a pretty red one with BOBBY and MERRY CHRISTMAS on it. I’ve had it all these years. After I got married my wife got us matching stockings for our mantle. Of course we have stockings for our children also. My younger son would be upset that I had two stockings and everyone else in the house only had one. It was just a fact that I had been twice as good as everyone else in the family. I think it still bother him a little that I have two stockings. Can’t help but mention it every year that I do hang up two stockings.
This year I got an added treat to the stockings. We found an old picture of me at Christmas time. I was about two or three. I’m standing by a Christmas tree and on the floor there are some toys and of course my Christmas stocking. Wow! Look at that.
We got that picture framed. This year we put up the stockings on the fireplace mantle and of course on the bookshelf is the stocking my Granny made so many years ago.
This year I took a picture of the stockings to send to my younger son. Of course I sent a picture of the stocking on the bookshelf. On a shelf is the picture of me with my stocking. My son sent back wondering when the picture was taken. I thought it was in 1953 or 1954, He wrote back “Best Christmas Ever!” Well, maybe it was.
But, I’m trying to find out about another picture. We found an old negative that we are sending off to be developed. We are not sure of what is really in the picture. We think it is a picture of my brother, my sister and me. I think the picture was taken at my grandparent’s house.
In the picture there looks to be a large gift package. When I was young some of the grocery stores sold a big package that had all sorts of toys and things in a big package. It had toys for boys and girls, firecrackers and there was a little packet you could add fruit to the big package. There was big cardboard front that listed what was in the package and it said “All This for only $11.98.”
I’m excited to get the picture back and see what it really is. I’m hoping to be able to read about all the things that are in the package. Of course this picture was taken over fifty years ago. Fun to imagine what $11.98 would by back then. I do have some friends that will tell me that $11.98 was a lot of money back then. Still I’m excited to get the picture back. I may get it framed and put by my stocking picture. Then I’ll know for sure about the Best Christmas ever. Merry Christmas.
