Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's

This is a letter I wrote and read to my 91 year old grandmother this year.

Christmas at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s

My best memories of Christmas at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s come from when I was about 8, 9, 10 years old.
The day after Christmas we would pile into the Bronco and make the drive up north to Cleveland. As a child it took forever to get there! But it was worth the wait, because as soon as we pulled into Grandma’s and Grandpa’s driveway the familiar feelings and memories from the years before would come back, and I always knew what to expect.

Grandma and Grandpa were at the door to give us big hugs and say “Merry Christmas”.
There in the foyer was the Santa and Mrs. Claus with her apron full of candy canes. Into the rooms I would go, checking to see if everything was as I remembered it. Yes, there was the dollhouse with the teeny furniture, and the bear with the Bowling Green sweater. In the living room the cast iron cat sat by the fireplace just as always, and in the hallway cabinets were the photo albums I loved to look through.
In the family room was Grandpa’s leather recliner, which was supremely comfortable, though we didn’t get to sit in it much because Grandpa was usually in it. There was also the creaky 3-legged chair that I always had to sit in at least once, and the stack of newspapers and Reader’s Digest.

Grandma always had the table set and ready for dinner, and the children’s table was also set, usually with a foil wrapped chocolate or other treat on the plates.
The tree was gigantic to me, and the gifts that had already been opened were lying in their boxes, so I could always look and see what gifts Grandma and Grandpa had given each other. There was always the Higbees box which mystified me, as we didn’t have that store in Springfield. It must have been a wonderful store since there seemed to be a Higbees box every year.

When we were all settled in it was time for dinner. The dinner was always delicious, and Grandpa would proclaim his pleasure over our clean plates and pronounce us great eaters. The dinner highlight for me was always the cookie plate. The cookie plate had every kind of delicious cookie I loved. And it was so pretty, I liked just looking at the cookies and how the buckeyes sat so nicely next to the sugar cookies, Hershey Kiss cookies, and lemon bars. I always tried as many cookies as I could, and I was allowed to have as many as I wanted.

When it was time to open the gifts I could always expect a special gift from Grandma. I remember when she made me matching dresses for me and my doll, and sometimes I would get a Jo-Jo. Then Megan and I would have to talk about our sock monkey dolls, and I would wonder why Megan’s dolls were called Co-Co, when Jo-Jo was obviously the more fitting name.

Christmas at Grandms’s and Grandpa’s was always one of the best parts of the holiday for me. Playing with my cousins, drinking tea out of one of Grandma’s special tea cups, and getting a dollar from Grandpa were all things that made the times at their house so special to me. I am so glad that I was able to have those times as a child. During the Christmas season I am reminded of so many of these things. Each time I pass a cookie plate I can’t help but compare it to Grandma’s, and it is NEVER as good as Grandma’s!

Merry Christmas Grandma!
Love, Amy