A repeat post...

In a post over at Lily Valley, Karen ask if we had a favorite gift or item from childhood.  Though she was remembering Easter, the Christmas I write about below is one of my best childhood memories.  I think it will be new to a few of you.  I hope you enjoy it.

Did Santa ever come to your house? I am sure he was at mine...in the form of one of my sisters. It is the Christmas I will never forget.  Though you would think I would remember how old I was I am not sure...I think I was about seven years old.

It was late in the evening, either dark or almost dark.  I don't remember if I knew my sister, Fran was coming home or not.  Either way, in her and her husband came--and they had a big, big box full of stuff for all of us. I remember the box ripping apart.  It had toys and clothes--I can remember most of what I got, and it was wonderful.  But to just to have Fran home was joy beyond measure. 

A ham was fixed for Christmas, and it is the first time I ever remember having ham.  I could not stop eating it....every time I could I would sneak in the fridge and get a piece of it.   My mom kept telling me I was going to be sick from eating too much. Oh, my, how I loved it.  That night I paid the piper though.  I started throwing up and don't remember how many times or how long it took to stop...Fran got up and took care of me.  It was almost worth it just to have her caring for me.  I can remember her telling mom to go on back to bed, that she would stay with me.  She would wring a wash rag out and wash my face with such loving care.

Don't get me wrong, we all loved each other, but Fran is sort of the special one...I think special memories are attached to her by all of us.

She would do anything on a dare, and not afraid of anyone or anything.  I can remember when she was in high school, her and the algebra teacher got in a big, big argument.  She was sure she was right, and he  just assumed the book was right.  I think he even came to our house talking to her...not sure how right all my memories are because I was maybe not even in school then.

Anyway, I think they argued back and forth for a day or two or three, each working and reworking the problem.  He finally had to agree that Fran was right.  Anyway, that is just a sample of what she is/was made of.

Back to that Christmas, she brought the game of Tripoly home...I was too young to actually play...so I just sat by her side.  I don't remember how the game is played, but a free hand is dealt.  Well, she  would look at her hand and whisper to me to see if there was this or that card in the free hand...and if there was, I would sneak it to her.  I would have did anything in the world for her.  Of course either her husband or one of my brothers caught her and put a stop to it.  But she was having fun just sneaking and getting by with it.

All my sisters and my brother always came home, at least once a year after they moved away, and I always hated seeing any of them leave.  It was just always worse when Fran left...