Christmas in the Beach House

From letter dated January 12, 1959

Alex has been past Santa for a couple years now, but it hasn’t been discussed until this year. Bucher let him help smuggle some of Santa things for Carli into the house Christmas Eve, and Alex was so proud to be taken into the adult half of Santa’s activities. Carli really knows there isn’t a Santa Claus, but has no intention of believing it, and we did everything possible to protect her faith in the magic of it. Whether we’ll manage another year, I don’t know.

 

We had a lovely, quiet Christmas. It began, excitingly enough, somewhat ahead of time, when the fully decorated Christmas tree fell over, delicately trailing tinsel. The children frantically picked up presents so that they wouldn’t get soaked by the water pouring from the tree stand. I pushed the tree upright, where it stood slightly askew in rather drunken dignity until Bucher could guy it properly with wire. Alex picked up the debris of broken ornaments. Fortunately we had a good many plastic ones and even some of the glass globes bounced without breaking, so it wasn’t too bad.

 

Christmas Eve we all went to the Children’s Carol Service at church late in the afternoon. It is a sweet, informal service, with all the little girls bristling with brand-new organdy and the boys shining and polished.

The minister tells the Christmas story, asking questions as he goes, and letting the children fill in parts. Then he has the children volunteer to help place the figures in the Nativity Scene. Since it is a rather large set, most of the children get a chance to participate. And they all love it. It really is a very nice way the start Christmas, with the emphasis on the Nativity rather than on Santa Claus.

 

After church we went over to the home of some of our closest friends, Hope and Shorty Long. They always have a small, informal open house on Christmas Eve, but we never have gone before because we have felt that it was a night to be with the children. This year, they particularly asked the children, and Hope even had a lovely cut-glass punch bowl and snacks just for them. We were home by nine and, for once, the children went to sleep right away.

Even so, they were up at five-thirty the next morning and ready to open presents.

 

In addition to their stocking presents, Alex got an Electrical Workshop. It really is a fine toy, and I got it this fall on sale for half price. It has two test panels and a large master control panel with a couple of beacons, buzzers, lamps, etc., to be hooked up. In addition, Alex has incorporated a motor he got from my Uncle Frank.

The set includes plans for 1001 experiments, which involve hooking things up in such a way that throwing one switch lights a lamp or throwing another one buzzes a buzzer…that sort of thing. Among the experiments are a railroad lantern circuit (controlling two lamps by means of two switches), diesel engine control (motor with speed control for forward and reverse), police signals (remote wiring between master control panel and small test panel), and automobile engine starter (motor controlled with one battery and switch).

Alex just loves this set and he’s learning a lot about electricity with it. I noticed that, at first, he usually had at least one short circuit, which Bucher would have to locate and show him, but now he seems able to work things out perfectly by himself.

Carli had been driving Alex crazy messing with his master control because she liked lighting lights and buzzing buzzer. So yesterday he worked out a little one just for her on one of the small test panels, with a light on one switch and a buzzer on the other. He figured it out for himself without any instructions, and couldn’t have been prouder.

Alex’s other choice present was a microscope from my Dad. He has worked with it a lot and just loves it.

 

Santa Claus gave Carli basket, kick-stand, and horn for her bike and, best present of all, two turtles. She promptly named them Tom and Tim.

Tim enlivened the day after Christmas by disappearing after Carli had him on her bed playing with him. She dissolved into tears and we tore her room apart looking for him until she happened to look upward and saw him quietly crawling to the ceiling, straight up her curtain. Never, with all the turtles I have had, have I seen one do that!

 

Now let me tell you about Alex’s present to me. I told you about the day he brought it home. Well, he gave it to me before either he or Carli opened the first present. If I had tried for a thousand years, I never could have guessed what it would be.

It is a small incense burner, shades of gray with a fire-breathing dragon in bas-relief, and gold handles shaped like dogs on both sides of the pot and on its top. The second package was the incense, of course. Alex couldn’t have been happier over his choice. I like incense, though it gets a little overpowering in a small house. Naturally, it will always be one of my cherished possessions.

 

The children both were thrilled with their presents and played happily throughout their holidays, even though we had a run of bad weather, which kept them penned up a good bit of the time. Alex managed to prolong his vacation by coming down with German measles the day before school started, but it was a light case and he was back in school last Thursday. Carli is due to get them this coming weekend, and I hope she does and gets it over.

 

In the cold weather, this house is apt to be damp and chilly. This year, fortunately, we have a little gas heater in the living room and this, with our nice fireplace, has kept us reasonably comfortable. There isn’t much wind, and it is quite pleasant outdoors in the sun, so the children have been able to play.