Episode 40: Christmas Sketchbook

Hello, and welcome to episode 40. In this month’s sketchbook episode, I wanted to share some of my favorite Christmas memories.

We’re getting close to Christmas and here in the states, the snow is falling and Christmas lights are up on all the houses. This episode is a hodgepodge of my favorite Christmas memories, which I think is a great way to end the year.

Christmas has always been an important holiday for my family, not so much because of the gifts but because of the time we spend together.

We never went to church much, though after I married my wife, we do, as her family is more religious and church is a part of their holiday ritual.

I like Christmas.

I don't care about the gifts, but I do like the snowy weather, seeing Christmas lights and decorations, and the various treats that people make like gingerbread cookies.

In fact, one of my favorite Christmas memories is about cookies.

My dad ran a barber college for a long time, and around the end of the year, he always brought home gifts that his customers would bring him. It seemed like every day in December he would come home with some kind of gift—cheese and crackers, tickets to a show, or, my favorite—Archway cookies.

One of his customers was a distributor of Archway cookies, which are a relatively popular brand of cookies here in the states. He’d always send my dad home with packs and packs of cookies—chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, molasses, lemon. My sister and I would snack on them for weeks. The cookies were huge too, with 6-9 per package.

I don't know why, but those cookies always bring back memories for me.

Another thing that brings back memories is the smell of pine. For years we bought real Christmas trees. The house would smell of wild pine needles, and what I remember most is how they were pine needles everywhere. All over the carpet, on the baseboards, in the rooms. The trees shed their needles like hair, and after Christmas, we’d have to vacuum the entire house several times. My dad and I had to refresh a pan of water at the base of the tree so that it wouldn’t dry out.

We’d decorate our Christmas tree with ornaments, tinsel, and strings of colorful lights, all while listening to smooth jazz. My parents had a nice stereo system with huge speakers, and my dad was a fan of Kenny G, so we’d listen to Kenny G’s Christmas album while drinking hot chocolate and decorating the tree. We’d eat those wonderful Archway cookies, too.

Another of my favorite Christmas memories is snow. Everyone loves snow, but there’s one memory I’ll never forget. We lived in a condo complex, and there was a Walgreens two blocks away, so whenever I had some money, I’d often throw it in my pocket and walk to the Walgreens so I could buy a soda or candy. I was nine or ten, so I bought candy a lot. One day, after a fresh snow, the walk was slow-going and cold. I walked through the grassy clearing behind our condo complex to the edge of the neighborhood where the Walgreens was.

And I remember this intense, quiet stillness.

I stood on the sidewalk, with my neighborhood behind me, a fire station across the street, which was silent. The Walgreens sits on a major street, and there wasn’t a single car on the road. I was the only person outside, and for a moment, I was one with the glittering snow. The funny part was that when I bought my candy and walked home, the street was full of cars. I happened on the street at the perfect time, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.

Now, no Christmas is complete without presents, and we definitely practiced gift giving as a family. As a kid, I always liked looking at wrapping paper. I don’t know why. I cared less about the gift than the design of the wrapping paper. I’ve always been drawn to color—something about it around Christmas evokes an intense emotional response for me. That’s why I use color a lot in my books because I see first in color, then I imagine the other senses around it.

I remember spending one Christmas alone. My parents went on a trip back to St. Louis where we’re from, but I couldn’t go because I had to work. So I remember spending a Christmas alone, and it was awesome. I had the whole house to myself and could do whatever I wanted. I think I played video games or something. Now, I could never imagine spending a Christmas alone—too much family, too many people to see, and I’m at the point in my life where there are some family members I may never see again, so I’ve learned to always make holidays a priority.

Another interesting Christmas memory is a recent one. My daughter loves watching shows on Netflix and Hulu, and she happened to find the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. She watched it over and over…and as the parent of a two-year-old, trust me when I say hearing the same songs over and over gets old really fast. But this movie never got old for me. I love the music, the sentiment, the characters, and the dancers. It’s such a great show from a showmanship perspective—everything is perfect. I still get chills every time I watch the curtain call. I’ve equated that musical with Christmas—I can’t spend a Christmas season without watching it a few times, even though my daughter has moved on to new and different shows.

Anyway, those are random memories that were on my mind lately as I head into another Christmas season. Wherever you are, if you celebrate Christmas, I’m sure that you have memories of your own, and I certainly invite you to share them with me on the show notes page for this episode at michaellaronn.com/episode40. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, that’s fine too—share your favorite family memory with me.

I’m grateful for all of you who listen to this show, and I wish you and your families all the best this holiday season. Have fun, be merry, and don’t sweat the little things. As for me, I’ll be drinking cinnamon tea and watching the Rockettes.