Vintage

I could feel the crash as my sides bounced around the cardboard. “Oppers!” said a new little voice, “I’m sorry”. “Be careful” I hears from a more familiar voice, “that decoration has been in our family for generations. I hope it’s ok.” Ahh, that sounded like Johnny, it must be time for another Christmas.
I was fine, although I wasn't sure the light bulb survived, but those things just don't last like they used to, this one would have been my 38th, a little less than one a year. I have actually forgotten how many Christmases I had celebrated with this family. I was honored to be a significant part of their decorations, actually I was more than a decoration, I was the light at Christmas. I served as the night light, the light that illuminated the holiday spirit, the light that let you see the nativity on the buffet below me. Yes, I was a part of this families' Christmas, and I took my job seriously.
It was shortly after World War II ended that Bud and Mae found me in the clearance rack at Walfords Five and Dime in Toledo. I was on the discount rack and my price was marked down to a quarter. I remember it was Mae who found me and talked Bud into this as a decoration for their first Christmas together. It would be nice in the dining room. Well, they took me home, Bud put a hook into the plaster and I was placed on the wall. Then my C7 7.5 watt bulb was screwed into its base and the cord was plugged into the wall socket. Yes I came to life, I glowed, I glowed as bright as I could, happy to be a part of this fledgling families' Christmas. I was only on the wall for 3 days, actually Bud wanted to unplug me before he went to bed, but Mae convinced him that it was cozy to keep me on all the time. Bud agreed, gave his wife a kiss, and quipped: "Not bad for a two bit Santa from Walfords".


This was the start of many Christmases as this family grew. Next year, I was taken out a couple of weeks before Christmas. After I was plugged in, I noticed a little baby in a bassinet, that was Johnny, Bud and Mae's first child. Two years later, Linda was born, and with that a small carved nativity scene was placed on the buffet below me. I felt honored to have the job of providing light to the true meaning of the holiday, the gift of hope. There were seven more to come over the next two years, and all of them enjoyed Christmas and I was able to bring them the glow of hope and peace.

Being placed above the buffet in the dining room was an ideal spot for Christmas. Although the tree was in the living room, I could see it every year through the reflection of the mirror on the wall, and was there for the opening of the presents, I had the better vantage point to see, hear, and smell, the rest of the season. From the dining room table I was able to watch Mae teach all her children how to make sugar cookies. Including rolling out the dough, cutting out the shapes, baking the cookies, and frosting them. I got to see presents being wrapped, some wrapped beautifully, others a little sloppy, but always with love. I got to see Bud put together toys and bikes on Christmas Eve, I also got to hear some words I rarely heard around that house; especially when there was a missing screw or the directions were wrong. I saw lots of other Christmas events, I saw children memorizing verses for Christmas pageants, I saw lots and lots of special baking, I saw the family address Christmas cards, I got to hear Christmas carols from a stack of old 33 1/3 vinyl albums played on a Zenith console stereo, complete with AM & FM tuners. On the floor around that console, Bud would always run a Lionel Electric train, complete with a smokestack and lighted cars. I also felt a part of their Christmas dinner, the feast to celebrate the birth of our Savior as Bud always said, he always would bow toward the Nativity and say Merry Christmas in many different languages. The prayers were the highlight of the day, although the visit from my namesake was enjoyed, it was obvious that this family was celebrating the birth of Jesus. Mae always called the other things traditions and folklore to make the celebration more enjoyable.

The time between Christmas and New Years was also special. The family seemed to go into a state of calm, I guess it was that thing called Christmas spirit. Every year Bud had the whole week off work. Breakfasts were simple and sometimes slept through, dinners were almost always leftovers. The table was used as the arena for trying out new games or other toys and gifts. Many evening were spent playing those games, while the players munched on cookies and other treats, the laughter and silliness almost drowned out the Christmas albums being played on the console. One of the biggest highlights was right before New Years when Mae would bring home pictures that were taken of the holiday. Back in those days, you had to drop off your film and wait almost a week to see them. That evening people would look at the pictures and laugh or embellish stories about the captured expressions. My job was to stay up all night lighting the room and allowing those late night game players celebrate in their own special way. Then there would be a toast to welcome in the New Year, soon afterward I was taken down and packed away in a box to spend the summer in the attic. It really wasn't that bad, after all those hours of staying up and lighting the room, a long nap was welcome. The original box was discarded long ago, some years I was put in another bigger box with other decorations, some years I was placed in the attic in a box all by myself. It didn't matter, as long as I could hibernate.

I spent many Christmas seasons on the wall and got to see the family grow and expand. Johnny, who now wanted to be called John, went off to college, and he wasn't home the whole time around Christmas, but he was always there Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Soon the children starting leaving the nest and making their own lives. Every year it seemed there was either a marriage or a couple of births that extended the family. Every year the family met at Bud and Mae's for Christmas dinner and exchanging of presents. When the children were young, the exchanges took place in the morning, now they were mainly in the afternoon. Some years not all the kids made it home for the meal, but Bud and Mae managed to talk with them on the telephone. Other things were happening as we aged each year. My plastic started to get more sensitive and a few cracks started to appear. One year my light socket completely shorted out, Bud wired in a new lamp and put me up on the wall, "not bad for a two bit Santa from Walfords".

Other things changed, Mae wasn't cooking as much anymore, the total number of decorations decreased, the number of presents wrapped on the table got smaller and smaller. One year I noticed how frail and thin Mae had become. They didn't even have a Christmas celebration at the house that year. Some of the kids and grandkids came over to decorate and they talked of having Christmas at John's house. Then one year, I didn't even get out of the box until Christmas Eve. I noticed the house was very different, my glow didn't seem as warm. The Christmas songs were not as frequent and I never saw Mae. That year on Christmas night, Bud sat at the table looking at some of the old pictures and talked to me. It isn't the same since Mae passed away, it just isn't the same. You've been with us every Christmas since we were first married and we both know that Mae loved the holiday and made it special. It just isn't the same, and I could see a tear run down his cheek.

Sometime during the summer of that year, my box was moved from the house Bud and Mae had me in my whole life to a new house. I was again to be the center of the Christmas celebration for this family as the festivities moved to John's house. I only heard mention of Bud and Mae in the past tense and in glowing terms, I never saw either one again, but I feel their presence every Christmas and it fuels my glow.

After moving to Johnny's, umm John's, house I noticed similarities and differences. The differences were in the material items, not the spirit. Instead of the tree glowing with old C7 lights, LEDs were strung among its branches, the music was now being played on a MP3 based home theatre system with digital surround sound. That music was too clear. Christmas carols should be enjoyed with all the crackle, skips, and jumps of a vinyl record played on a turn table with an old worn needle playing dusty records that were slightly warped from overuse and from being part of the same stack of vinyl year after year. The train was nowhere to be found, I heard later that Linda had the train and it was running around her Christmas tree. The nativity was still in the dining room with me, although it was showing signs of age, it still was THE nativity.

There was also a curious item that John's kids called a laptop and the wireless web. They could bring up news and pictures from all over the world. They would spend time doing something they called 'surfing the web'. One night, Colby's dad, called John into the dining room. "Dad, I checked on eBay, what do you think we could get for that old vintage Santa Claus?"

"I don't know and I don't care, this one is priceless to me." was Johnny's short and direct answer.

My curiosity got the better of me and I look at the laptop screen. There was a picture of a Santa decoration just like me, I could make out the words "Vintage Santa Wall Light, like new condition". I heard John say something about even if he could get $500 for me, he wasn't going to sell. I glowed brighter, both from pride of being valuable, but also from the realization that I was now a relic. Just like Bud and Mae had passed on the Christmas traditions, some day my spot on the wall would be assumed by a different decoration. But not this year!Which brings me back to Colby dropping my box and saying "oopers". We were decorating for Christmas and I was going to be the light of the season. The box opened, Johnny gave me a quick look over and determined I was ok. "Nothing broken" he said to Colby, "old Santa will glow over us another year". It was then that Johnny told his grandson about me and how I had been there every Christmas for him and that I was like the real Santa. There was a spirit about me that helped make Christmas special for so many. He then changed the light bulb and put me on the wall and plugged in my cord. I sparked to life; Merry Christmas !.Later that night, Colby came into the dining room and grabbed a cookie from a snowman shaped dish. The family had baked a batch using Mae's recipe and then frosted them, just like in the old days. He picked up the cookie, he held it in his hand as he looked me over and in a nervous voice said: "Santa, for being old you look wonderful, I like you and I like how you light up the nativity scene. You make Christmas Merry!".

I glowed brighter. "Not bad for a two bit Santa from Walfords".