So many things can bring a memory to mind: a scent, a song, a taste. And one time of year — the most wonderful time of year — brings back more memories than most: Christmas! Our favorite music, our favorite foods, so many favorites happen every year when December rolls around. Part of the reason we love Christmas so much is because of memories of Christmases past. We love to tell and retell the stories with our families and friends. Some of these stories are hilarious, some leave us a little wistful, and others are pure joy and nostalgia.
And so, as a little gift, Knoxville Moms team would love to share some of our favorite memories with you!
We hope they remind you of wonderful times with your own families. Maybe your mom helped you appreciate the little things by putting a little swatch of different wrapping paper in each sibling’s stocking so they knew which presents were theirs. Maybe you opened presents on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas morning. Maybe you didn’t have any traditions at all growing up, and now you’re determined to make some with your own family! Whatever your story, we hope you enjoy ours.
“My nostalgic memory is when I was elementary age, and my grandparents AND great-grandmother and my older sister spent the night on Christmas Eve. It was so fun to see everyone in their pajamas. We didn’t have enough beds, so some people were sleeping on couches, and it felt like a big sleepover party. My grandpa read ‘The Night Before Christmas’. My great-grandmother told me about a Christmas Eve when she was a little girl living in a cabin with a tin roof, and she heard the reindeer hooves on the roof above her bed that night. Her daddy got scared and ran outside with a shotgun to see what had made the noise. Her story was so detailed and felt so real (and historical, even?) that I strained my ears until I fell asleep listening for reindeer hooves. That was my most magical Christmas.” – Rachel D.
“Christmas Eve breakfast at my grandmother’s house and Christmas Eve dinner with extended family at Great Grandmother’s house. I can’t imagine doing Christmas any other way.” – Kailey R.
“The year was 1996, cell phones had JUST become a thing. I was in 6th grade, and I BEGGED my parents to get me a phone. Like I was completely obsessed with getting a cell phone and talked about it constantly. There was no chance on God’s green earth my parents would have actually gotten me one. Okay so it’s Christmas morning, and we’re going through all our stuff, all the usual, then I get to my stocking last because it’s usually candy, maybe a CD or something, but I pull out a small wrapped box. Everyone else had finished with their stuff, and my mom actually said, ‘Oh, dad, look she’s opening this one, watch!’ I was confused, so I start opening it slowly, and no freaking kidding, the picture on the box was a CELL PHONE. I couldn’t believe it, thought it was a prank that they just wrapped a gift inside that box. But once I got it open, I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was an actual phone! I started SCREAMING and jumping up and down crying, I was so excited! My brothers looked shocked, my grandmother was so confused, my mom looked horrified, and my dad was CACKLING. I was completely beside myself while I pulled off all the plastic and wrapping and finally pushed the send button just for fun, then I heard the phone say ‘Hello?’ Stunned, I pushed it again: ‘Hello?’ I pushed the end call button, and it said ‘Goodbye!’ I pushed all the other buttons and they made beeping sounds. Only then did I pick up the box and read the actual label: CELLULAR PHONY. My brothers and dad still laugh about it to this day. And yes, that cellular phony is in the kids’ toy box at my parents’ house, because we could never, ever get rid of it. It was the saddest I have ever been on Christmas, but now, oh my lord I aspire to that level of pranking my own kids.” – Mary Beth U.
“A favorite memory is of playing Dirty Santa with my Dad’s family. They brought the heat and at times it got heated which only made it more hilarious. There was a replica toilet that when you lifted the seat was a clock. There was also a GIANT pair of purple satin undies with a ruffle butt — giant as in 3 people could fit in it. My grandmother got that one year and refused to let my Uncle Chuck have his favorite dessert since he brought it. When he passed away, everyone laughed over that memory.
A favorite memory of my Mom’s family is that after a LONG day of going to 2 places to visit, we’d go to my grandmother’s, have heavy appetizers and play Pictionary. It’s usually girls vs boys and we still talk about epic games of years past — mostly because the men cheat so badly.” – Ashley B.
“So, I’m a bit of a Christmas nut and mix that with extreme anxiety/excitement, I would wake up around 4am every Christmas morning. My sisters and I always slept in the same room, I always had to sleep on the floor #youngest, but if they heard me stirring early they always yelled at me to go back to sleep. Which never happened. So we would open presents around 5am EVERY Christmas and then my sisters would go back to bed and I would play all day long.
I also would get so excited/anxious that there were at least 2 years of my childhood we missed Christmas Eve mass because I would spend Christmas Eve throwing up.
My dad would also set up the camcorder and video our Christmas opening every year. I have all the tapes and they mean so much to me, especially since my dad passed away nine years ago. It’s so fun to watch those videos of my childhood and see my excitement over everything.” – Stephanie L.
“My brother always used to sleep on the trundle bed in my room. We strapped a watch with a light-up face to the post of my daybed and checked it a bazillion times until it was 6am when we were allowed to wake my parents.
We always had pullapart bread (some call it monkey bread) for breakfast Christmas morning made by my dad, which made it seem extra special because he never cooks AT ALL. But for some reason he decided that was going to be his thing.
My mom always puts an orange in the toe of our stockings.
We have an angel for the top of our tree hand sewn by my grandmother and we always watched White Christmas while decorating the tree.” – Sara H.
“It isn’t a Christmas Day tradition, but my mom, my sister, and I baked Christmas cookies together every year for as long as I can remember. Beginning when I was in middle school and my sister was in high school, we added a flour fight that was hilarious and completely worth the cleanup. When my sister and I moved away for college, we would wait to bake Christmas cookies until we were all together, even if it wasn’t until Christmas Eve. Now we’re scattered across three time zones and don’t see each other in December and we each bake our cookies separately and it’s basically the saddest thing ever. But the flour fight memories live on and we have to have a group phone call to talk about it every year.” – Christine D.
“My favorite part of Christmas morning was walking into our living room to see a MOUND of presents under the tree. There were 5 of us kids, so there really was a pile. The funny part is that I didn’t care much about opening MY presents, I wanted to watch everyone else’s face as they opened theirs.” – Audrey M.
