Let's read them.

When I was growing up in Northern WI my grandfather used to select our christmas tree sometimes years out. He would visit them and make sure brush and obstacles were cleared so it grew even all the way around. In 1963 he got hurt in mine and it was then put on me to get the tree. He drew me a map. On ski's carrying snow shoes and one backsaw off I went. We had over 60 inches of snow on the ground and before I got there it started snowing hard. I got to where the tree was. Stepped outta my shoes, took one step toward tree and fell through snow into creek with about 24 " of water. Was wearing wool everything. Water made it so heavy hard to get out of hole. When did started right back. By time got home could hardly move from waste down. My Grand ma had heated sauna and dragged my ass into and thawed me out. They took pics and from waste dpen looked like I was 4 or 5 hundred pounds as all the snow had stuck to pants.
Was lucky no frostbite or other problems. Went back 2 days later & got tree.

Ho, ho, ho...

Come on James, you must have some stories.

RETSFCL, that sounds like a real old-fashioned type of Christmas with all that snow.

Here's some of mine..........My childhood was before TV so people entertained themselves, at my grandparents where we spent Christmas they'd arrange chairs around the "front room" plus a piano and all the neighbours came in for a sing-song. Christmas Eve we ALWAYS had rabbit pie for supper and Christmas Day tea-time we had winkles with celery which I loved. I have memories of being surrounded by many adult legs and a great deal of noise also of my brother attempting to saw off part of the piano with a saw from his new toolkit. My grandparents had those old fashioned feather beds and I remember sinking into my feather bed and in the dark listening to the sounds of the adults laughing and singing downstairs, it was a very comforting feeling. One big event which I don't actually remember myself was when I was quite small, all the adults had put their unfinished drinks on the floor under their chairs and gone into the dining room for a meal and I decided to sample the drinks. I staggered into the other room wailing "Nana, I's falling, I's falling!"

No, I don't think so -- let's keep the Season bright.

When I was 6, my brother 8, we stayed up all night, in the living room, in the dark, right next to the tree, to catch Santa. In the morning, were we surprise when my dad turned on the light and all the presents from Santa were spread around the tree.

shucks all the memories of xmas for me were awful. Shit! Xmas meant nothing to us we were so dam poor. Hell I wore a shoe and a boot for ten years. We hung our stockings up for Xmas and the health department made us take them down.

Had a pair of tennis shoes one time. Wore them out all the way to the name on the ankle. I remember every Xmas the old man would go outside fire his shotgun and tell us Santa commited sucicide.

I remember as a kid I would ask my father to build a fire in the fireplace Christmas Eve just in case Santa forgot that we were Jewish.

Let's see, me buying my dad a present, on "the day" him literally locking himself in his room until the event was over. The wrapped present sitting around for months, until I would decide to give up and take it for myself, then a few times him wanting to borrow it, and me saying you had your chance. Ahh the memories, like that almost every year, until he died anyway.

It was Christmas Eve 1941. I didn't know how Santa was going to arrive. My big brother (all of thirteen) showed me all the search lights which were there to guide the Sleigh around the barrage balloons. And they worked! Magic.

That was quick thinking on his part.

Strange that I can remember a bit about Christmas before the War and after but I don't remember much at all about Christmas during it. I know that my grandmother kept a Christmas cake from 1939 to 1945, said she wouldn't touch it until her three sons came home and it tasted great after all those years!