Three-year-old Jonathan’s eyes lit up as the colored bulbs lining the exterior of the house turned on.
“Christmas,” he said excitedly.
He probably won’t remember it decades from now, the happy memories created as he grows up. It’s what reminds me to keep the camera out and pen to document what I can so he and 1-year-old Oliver have those memories.
Funny enough, I don’t remember too much from holidays from my childhood. It comes in flashes and the limited photos I have found.

I do have one memory, one without any photo to help recall it. I walked into the living room in the middle of the night and saw a figure seated next to the coffee table, where we left cookies for Santa Claus. There was a feeling of fear and excitement because “OHEMMGEE, it’s Santa…” and “oh no it’s Santa, I am awake and out of bed.” I rushed quickly and quietly to bed. The next morning I went into the living room. Next to the coffee table was a pile of clothes in a laundry basket. What an imagination.
I have flashes of my mom trying to drive her van up my aunt and uncle’s driveway off Deerhill Drive. It seemed it was always snowy and icy for the holiday and hard to get up the steep slope.
I can recall a lot from Christmas 1990 as it was the holiday I received a hot pink camera, which took 110 film, as a present. It’s because of the camera I can remember – I took a lot of photos, not greatly framed photos, but a lot of photos. Photos of what I received – the Wiz, a backpack and locker (the best of both worlds in my fifth grade eyes) and the slot machine my aunt and uncle got for me. I adored it. A lot of photos of our chocolate lab. I also took lots of photos of the decorations at my aunt and uncle’s house, and a basket full of pastries. Looking through the photos, I see where taking photos of every single thing began especially food and decor.
It was that Christmas, the first of many, without Grandma and Grandpa Reardon. Grandpa passed away in early 1990 and grandma was the previous year. I would always be grandpa’s elf and help him pass out presents to every one.
I wish I could remember more of the holidays with my grandparents. If I wrote it down, it’s gone by now.