Christmas Eve~ 1968
I was just a few months shy of being 3 years old.
When I was growing up, one of my favorite Christmas traditions was lighting candles on Christmas Eve.
Do you remember the Gurley candles?
There were Santas and snowmen,
Christmas trees and reindeer
I think the Christmas carolers were my favorites!
My mom had a set of 3 carolers (2 boys & a girl) and a lamp post. I loved those little candles!
On Christmas Eve, my 2 brothers and I would each have a candle. We would sit them in a jar lid to contain the wax. We would listen to Christmas music & watch for Santa's sleigh as the candles burned. When the candles burned out, that was our signal that it was time to go to bed.
Those little candles burned pretty quickly too!
We have a family Christmas party on Christmas Eve with Rick's family, so we haven't been able to carry on this tradition. We do it occasionally though. When we were in Arizona, I bought a really big Santa candle & we burned it every year. I think I'll pull him out this year...a little nostalgia sounds good to me!
We also had an "Elf on the Shelf" before they were the in thing.
During the 50's & 60's small red (or green) felt, knee-hugger elf ornaments were popular.
We had one and he would always show up the beginning of December. It was always fun to find him every year. He didn't move once he came to visit, but he kept a watchful eye on us all season long.
My kids are older, so we haven't joined the Elf on a Shelf craze, but we do have a couple of elves that I put out each year...to keep a watchful eye & jot down if we are on the Naughty or Nice list. :)
I love traditions~ All the little moments that make the Holidays extra special!
