Christmas Season was the most special time of the year. Our mother would put up and decorate the real Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. My brother and I didn't realize that our mom had a sadistic streak in her - we figured all moms were like that.The entire house was decorated and the pine aroma that came from the tree was wonderful.

Around the second or third day after Thanksgiving, the wrapped presents started showing up under the tree. Mom would only do this during the week knowing that when we got off the school bus we would trip over each other getting inside to see what the new additions were.

Let me back up a bit to the Christmas of 1951. I would have been 2 1/2 years old and brother Cliff was 5. I think I was still sleeping in a crib because this was the safest place for me to be at that age. Well, one Christmas morning, very early,  Cliff came and helped me out of the crib and we went straight to the Christmas tree. Now Cliff being 5 and most likely in kindergarten he could read a bit - at least he could read his own name. So, he started opening his own packages and any present that he couldn't read the name, he gave to me - mine, mom's, dad's, grandma's, etc.

I couldn't understand at the time, why my mother was crying when she and my dad came in the room after their long winter's sleep, after all, this was the most joyous time of the year. I don't think I was punished - at least I can't remember being unhappy that Christmas, but imagine my shock the next Christmas when Cliff and I got up and tiptoed to our bedroom door only to find out later that one end of a rope had been tied to our doorknob and the other end was tied to a hundred pound chest of drawers across the hallway in our parent's room.

After that, we never had to be told about opening presents before our parents awoke..........we just didn't do it on Christmas morning.

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