No Austrian blown-glass ornaments for us

By Scott Beveridge

Looking back I can't help but think my parents were insane for the way in which they orchestrated Christmas for their three kids in the early 1960s.

Dad, a steelworker, always picked out a tree in advance of the big day and it would remain on our front porch until we were sent to bed on Christmas Eve.

He and mom, who worked full time then as an office clerk, would decorate the tree while we slept to fool us into believing in the morning it had been decorated and laced with gifts by Santa Claus.

It had to be a struggle for our beered-up dad to untangle strands of electric lights, which were already old with frayed wires by the time they were passed down to us. Each socket held a blue bulb that became sizzling hot when illuminated. The traditional red and green Christmas was not our style.

Mom insisted on attaching to the tree silver icicles one tinsel at a time while dad likely popped another nerve or six until he exploded in anger.

An then she would finish the tree by hanging on its branches a bunch of white Styrofoam ornaments.

In short order the blue lights would melt into many of the plastic Santas, snowmen, stars and such. It didn't matter so much to her because those ornaments were cheap and all she could afford. Yet her holiday trees were beautiful and unlike any other in our circle of friends, neighbors and relatives.

How Frosty, shown above, survived such torture is anyone's guess.

But I'm glad it did because that's my favorite holiday decoration, despite its odd red belly button.

Source: http://scottbeveridge.blogspot.com/2010/12/no-austrian-blown-glass-ornaments-for.html

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