Christmas in Huntsville - Part I

It's just not Christmas unless I make it to Alabama. When I was very little, we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Grandmama and Grandpapa's house. I remember one year when Michael and I stayed up looking out the window to see if we could spot Rudolph's red nose in the sky. Another Christmas, our car was broken down, and Mr. Stewart helped Daddy repair it on Christmas Eve. I think it was 1987, and it was actually snowing that year. I guess it was about dinner time when it was finally working again, and Mr. Stewart, whose family was already in Huntsville, followed us (or we followed him) all the way from Memphis to Huntsville to make sure we didn't break down. That was also the year that I received a diary for Christmas. I wrote in it something like, "Ham, ham, ham. All we eat is ham. Ham for breakfast, ham for lunch, and ham for dinner. I'm sick of ham." Can you tell that we had country ham for breakfast, ham for Christmas dinner, and leftover ham for other meals? My mother, of course, read my diary and told everyone what I wrote in it. They were all tickled about it, but I was not. I never wrote anything else in that diary.

I remember being upset the first year my parents decided that we were going to celebrate Christmas in Memphis, and then go to Huntsville. They were tired of lugging all the Christmas loot to Alabama and Georgia, but I didn't think it was Christmas without being with all our extended family. We adjusted, and all the family started getting together the day after Christmas. I'm the oldest grandchild, and my brother, the second oldest grandchild, now lives in Huntsville with his family. My youngest brother and my cousins are either recent grads or still in school. As we all get older, I know that we'll have to end the crazy Christmas festivities, but I'm still enjoying celebrating Christmas with my family in Alabama.

Peyton, Joel, and Aunt Michelle

Uncle John with Nash

Ray, Grandmama, Grandpapa, and Shea w/ her new USC bear

from Uncle John. She insists he's Winnie the Pooh.

Present time! We don't exchange many gifts anymore, but the kids still get gifts.

Claire, Aunt Jami, and Shea

Grandmama reading to Shea.

Uncle David has taken over Grandpapa's breakfast cooking duties.

We still have country ham for breakfast along with eggs, grits, bacon, and biscuits.