STORYTIME TAPESTRY

The Newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world

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Dec 16, 2005? 

Today??™s Announcements:

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The Christmas Contest is in full swing and I am very happy with the amount of submissions I have been receiving.?  From now on to accommodate the volume, the Special Treats will also be contest submissions.?  Please note, it not because they are better stories so do not vote for that reason, they are put in at random as special treats just because I have many stories and I need to get through them as quickly as possible.?  In other words they share the same literary value as the main newsletter stories. ? 

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Today we welcome a new writer, F.A. Goodwin, author of You Reap What You Sow, as writer 272, for Storytime Tapestry. Please email and give the usual big welcome.?  Let F.A. know how much we appreciate our wonderful writers.

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Now on to the good stuff..........

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Today's Christmas Stories
~**~**~**~

? Christmas Time? 

? F.A. Goodwin

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Christmas time is a time of cheer
A time of joy and love that??™s sincere
Love is spread throughout the house
Discarding grudges and leaving them out
When Christmas comes it sparks happiness
Sharing and caring, showing love at your best

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With winter winds we wait and wonder
What we??™ll see, snow or harsh thunder
With snow on the ground we have a perfect scene
But there??™s always a scrooge
Who provides his mean
Not letting the spoil ruin the joys
The fun is implanted in inspirational toys
Gathering of family and friends for fun
Is usually the way things are begun

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First with the patching of separated guest
Then meeting and greeting and all the rest
Now it??™s time to eat and relax
Because in a while the gifts will get unwrapped
Saving this event especially for last
This brings Christmas it??™s glittering class
It is not always the gifts that makes the show
But giving your love to someone you know
Christmas time only comes once
So enjoy it, have fun and don??™t be a dunce

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Written By: F. A. Goodwin
the author of You Reap What You Sow

FGoodwin34@aol.com

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~**~**~? 

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The First Christmas ? 

Lynne Stevenson

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The Christmas of 1986 is one that I will never forget and set the? Christmas? tradition in our family that lasted until 1993, the last Christmas my cousin, Mary Dudley Nelson was alive. This was the first Christmas that my son and I spent separated from his father. It was also the first Christmas my father spent? separated from my mother and for seven? years, we developed our own celebration with Mary Dudley and her husband, Mack, and our Great Aunt, Belle Sexton.? 

? ? ? ? ?  I was a single mother making minimum wage at a local Roses' Department store. I was? given? the title and job responsibilities of being the Department Manager? over Ladies' Wear, Maternity, and Lingerie. I loved the fact that my new job gave me an outlet to occupy my mind while I was going through a rather rough patch in my life.? My son was five? years old and was going to a day care center located at a? local Baptist Church. We had our own apartment and my father stayed with us virtually all of the time, even though he had bought his own trailer and parked it on a lot he was renting? from a family friend.? At night he would go 'home,' but in the morning, he'd be right there to take my son to day care and me to work, often bringing us breakfast from the local Hardee's restaurant.? 

? ? ? ? ?  I was able to scrape up enough money to have my telephone installed and my father was at my apartment one day about a month before Christmas? when Mary Dudley called him. One of my other cousins had somehow gotten my unlisted? phone number and she gave it to Mary Dudley.? My father mentioned to her that I was having a hard time scraping up enough money to give my son the? nice Christmas he deserved and keeping my bills paid at the same time.? She told him to tell me not to worry about it that we could come up to? her house Christmas Day and she,? Mack, and Aunt Belle would give him a big Christmas. All we had to do was show up and they would take care of the details.? One day on my lunch hour? I managed to pick up a few small gifts? for them. There was no way I was going to go and not take them any presents.

? ? ? ? ? Christmas Eve I worked until 6:00 PM. I was physically and mentally exhausted? and suffering from an acute ear infection. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and die for about twelve hours. Of course with a five? year old screaming at the top of his lungs that he wanted his presents and he wanted them NOW, I didn't fall into bed until about 12:00 that night.? My best friend, Ruthie Jackson and my boyfriend (and current husband of 16 years) Ernie put my son Mike's toys under our tree,? after I finally collapsed. I never did figure out what they did to? get him to go to sleep, but they did. This was the year that Teddy Ruxpin was popular and as soon as? he heard his Aunt Ruthie playing it, he came running out of his bedroom to see what was going on.? Ruthie told him that if he didn't go back to bed Santa would take back everything he? brought. He quickly returned to bed and didn't get back up until about 6:30.? ? 

? ? ? ? ?  The presents under the tree included:? Teddy Ruxpin, of course, complete with several outfits and story tapes; a remote control car that my boyfriend played with more than Mike did;? some? coloring books, two wooden puzzles, several Little Golden picture? books, and a huge? box of Crayola crayons. He also got several outfits of clothes? and a new pair of Reeboks.? There? weren't a lot of presents under the tree that year, but he didn't seem to notice.? After he spotted Teddy Ruxpin, that was 'all she wrote.'? All other presents were soon forgotten, until we? went to Mary Dudley? and Mack's. ? ? 

? ? ? ? ?  They called me at about 7:30 to see if we were still coming up to their house, now located in? Hickory, NC.? I had just woken up and was attempting to get my son and myself dressed before my father arrived.? Mary Dudley told us to stop at the Shoney's Big Boy Restaurant on Independence Boulevard? in Charlotte and wait on her to get there. The North Carolina Highway Department had begun construction work there and she was afraid we would get lost driving up there.? Anyone who has ever driven on the old Independence Boulevard in Charlotte, NC,? during 'rush hour' between? the 1960s through? 1980s, can attest to the fact that if you sneezed in some sections, you'd veer into the neighboring lane and hit the car closest to you.? I had to navigate my father's 'land yacht', a navy blue 1978 Buick through this section and I was petrified? the entire time. We left at about 8:30 and pulled into the Shoney's parking lot two hours later.

? ? ? ? ? ? ?  There was a man riding a Tomas moped wearing a Santa suit along a section of Highway 74, outside of Monroe, NC, and Mike was thrilled? to see that Santa had not gone back to the North Pole yet. Even though it was an extremely blustery cold day, my son rolled the automatic window down and yelled from the back-seat, "Santa, I love you!" The man waved at him and turned into a private paved? driveway that led into the woods. Mike yelled "See you next year, Santa!" and the man beeped his horn and waved back at him before he disappeared from view.

? ? ? ? ?  People riding by on Independence? Boulevard must have thought we were crazy parked there in the parking lot and the restaurant was closed. This was before the advent of cellular phones and we must have sat? there for about 45 minutes before Mary Dudley and Aunt Belle pulled up beside us? in Aunt Belle's? 1968 or 1969 white with a black vinyl top Cadillac Fleetwood.? Mike hopped out of my father's car and hurriedly got into the Cadillac with them. My father, Ernie,and I? followed behind them? and we pulled into the driveway of their Hickory, NC, home almost an hour later. When we pulled into the driveway the outside trees and bushes were draped in? strands of twinkling white Christmas lights. The huge tree inside was also decorated in white lights with different colored brass and glass ornaments. There were? presents brightly wrapped under the tree of all shapes and sizes. Mike's eyes were huge when he walked into? the front door and saw all of the packages. Of course, he didn't want to eat anything, he was anxious to open all of his presents? under the tree.

? ? ? ? ?  The antique dining table was set with? Mary Dudley's Lennox Christmas china? and there was food everywhere:? Ham with pineapple chunks;? green bean casserole with fried onion bits;? turkey and dressing;? yams with marshmallows; homemade biscuits and rolls; and four different kinds of pies and two kinds of cake. We grownups had? sweet tea and coffee to drink while Mike drank milk. I had? never seen so much food in one place. Nobody left hungry and we? had 'care packages' to take home later that afternoon.

? ? ? ? ?  Since I had to be back at work at 7:00 the next morning, we had to leave before it got too late.? I hated to leave and we sat out on the front porch swing admiring the outside decorations? for a few minutes before we rounded up all of Mike's presents and placed them in the trunk of the car. Before we took them out to the car, we managed to fill? a 30 gallon black Hefty bag with all of the? ribbons, cardboard boxes, and wrapping paper? from Mike's new toy stash.? I believe Mary Dudley,? Mack, and Aunt? Belle had as much fun? watching him open his presents as he did actually doing it. Mary Dudley took pictures with her Polaroid? and we had a ball.

? ? ? ? ? ? We followed Mary Dudley and Aunt? Belle back to Charlotte. Even though I never got lost the entire time we went up there, this was an important part of the tradition.? Mike always rode with Mary Dudley and Aunt Belle to and from Shoney's. The last year we went up there was Christmas Day 1993. Instead of stopping at Shoney's on the return trip, Mike had Mary Dudley stop at the Eckerd's pharmacy across from it,? since it was the only? business that was open? and he had some money 'burning a hole in his pocket.' That year they gave him some money for Christmas? and a few? toys. I can't remember exactly what he bought, but I bought some Christmas decorations? on sale for half price that I still have.

? ? ? ? ?  Mary Dudley passed away in September of 1994. My Aunt Belle passed away about a year after she did.? My father passed away in May 2004? from complications of Dementia.? The last time I saw or spoke to Mack was last year at my father's funeral service.? He is in his 80s now and his health isn't holding up very well.? My? son is? 24 years old? and? lives on his own. Christmas? will never be the same ever again for my family, or what remains of it. Maybe one day in the not too distant future, when my son is married and has children, it will come close.? 

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Lynne Stevenson

Pugsmom37@aol.com? ? ? ? ? 

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About Me:

Biography:? I am a senior? transfer student at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC. I hope to graduate with a BA degree in English next December. My children include: Michael, my two legged son; Maggie, Bubba, Samantha, Ed, and Missy the? 5 beautiful Chinese Pugs? who own me. I? am an AKC Certified Chinese Pug breeder. I have been married to my husband Ernest for 16 years.

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? ? ~**~**~

Christmases Remembered ? 

? By Nell Berry? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 

12/30/03

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? When I was a child growing up, I can??™t recall ever having a Christmas tree at home. We had huge ones at school, the one room schoolhouse I attended from the first to the fourth grade.

Of course, there was no electricity out in that area of Dealtown, MO, so we did not have Christmas lights on it.

? The first Christmas tree we had in my recollection was the one given to me on the last day of school at J. Minnie Smith School in Poplar Bluff, MO before Christmas vacation, by my fourth grade teacher. We decorated it with red and green paper chains made of construction paper and we strung popcorn and hung on it also. There were other various ornaments which my sister and I made but I can??™t remember what they were.

? During the years of my children growing up, we had several trees of various species, such as one that was an aluminum one and we did not care for that one.?  The other trees we bought were usually Scotch pine. We bought one that we wanted to plant after Christmas in our yard, but it did not survive.

? When we moved here to the farm several years ago, our first Christmas our son-in-law and our two sons went out in the field and cut down a cedar tree. They are very pretty at first, but soon begin to dry out.

? Anyway, my daughter, Catie being one who loves tradition and old fashioned Christmases, wanted to make it look authentically country or old fashioned.?  She suggested we string popcorn and cranberries, as well as making paper chains to hang on it.

? That is what we did. It looked so pretty. I crocheted some ornaments to hang on it and we bought a few old-time looking ones at the dime store. I can??™t remember if we strung lights on it or not.

? Nevertheless, we got it looking pretty old fashioned.

? The next morning we looked at the tree and something had eaten the popcorn off of it.

? This house we live in is an old farmhouse and that was before we did extensive redecorating. No one had lived in this house for over ten years and there were definitely signs of deterioration from the weather and from not being lived in. One of the signs of deterioration, were holes big enough to throw a cat through, through which field mice could and did make their entrance.

? Apparently they were hungry mice, because they ate the popcorn off the tree. They probably ate some of the cranberries, too.

? However, the old fashioned tree and ornaments served their purpose for the few days we kept it up and since then we have not had a cedar tree. Nor have we had popcorn strung on one and no mice have been invited. Sometimes they come, even if they aren??™t invited though. We have plugged up all the holes they used as entry ways but somehow they still find a way to get in once in awhile.

? Just this year, the last week before Christmas, my husband and I were sitting at the dining room table one morning and out came a mouse from the back of the wood stove. I did what any red blooded American grandmother would do; I screamed and drew my feet up off the floor and my knees up to my chin.

? My husband did what any red blooded American grandpa would do and saw the mouse run over by the kitchen range in the kitchen and he began to stomp it as if doing a dance. He missed of course, and we haven??™t seen that mouse since.

Nell Berry

nmberry@mcmsys.com

~**~**~

Where Has Christmas Gone?? 

By Nell Berry? ? ? ? ? ? 

12/4/05

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Where has Christmas gone?

What happened to the day?

We know that Christ was born,

It??™s in His name we pray.

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Where has Christmas gone?

Who took Christmas away?

No matter who removed it,

it??™s still a holy day.

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For Jesus is the Reason.

We celebrate His birth.

Without Him there would be

no peace and joy on earth.

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Jesus was born of a virgin,

to be our sacrifice.

God sent His Son to save us,

our Savior, Jesus Christ.

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So, let Him be glorified,

His birth we celebrate.

Put Christ back in Christmas

and give praise to Him this day.

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Bio: Nell Berry is a published author of one book, Growing Up In Missouri and Other Short Stories which is available from Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and publishamerica.com. She has written numerous poems, as yet unpublished. She lives at Mark Twain Lake, in Missouri with her husband of 55 years. He was 75 on Halloween and Nell will be 75 her birthday, Valentine??™s Day, 2006. They have four children, nine grandchildren and two great granddaughters.

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? SENIOR WRITERS

Chief Writer: Sharon Bryant

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? Agee, Vance;? Apted, Violet;? Baker, Kathy; Batt, Al;?  Berry, Nell; Blaine, Pamela

Boda, Ginger;? ? Buhagiar, Victor; Cassady, B.J.;?  Cavalera, Robyn; Crider, Mark;? 

Deming, Barb; Doherty, Maria; Gilbert, Robert Jr; Goodier, Steve; Halley, Ellie Braun;

Harris, Kathy Anne;? Hunt, Sharlette;? Hymes, Christina

Jacobson, Gary;? Kiser, Roger Dean; Kerens, Claudia; Kevin, Tim Jenkins, Pamela;

Liles, Norma; Lilly, Jodi Flesberg; Lock, Joyce; Mazzella, Joe;? Morris, Deepak;

Ojeigbe, Georgewaters;

?  Petry, Dianna Doles; Roberts, Susan;?  Shiveley, Debra; Shaw, Bob; Sims, Richard; Streidel, Saskia; Swarner, Ken; Vaknin, Sam; Verhoeff, Jan

Walker, Bill; Walker, Joe;? Warner, Gorden K; Walsh, Sue

Weymouth, Barbara; Whirity, Kathy;? White, Robert;

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