Christmas Memories
The Early Years
1976-1986

I have a terrible memory that only returns to me in small pieces, often at the worst time. 

I spent my first nine years as a "Missionary Kid" in Brazil between 1977 and 1986. So, even compared to Canada in the same era, it was a different world. 

My memories, if you will, are mostly passed down stories told through my mother's lens and a handful of pictures - my mother was very diligent in taking photos but in that time they were expensive to develop and the concept of digital photography had not yet been imagined. (And let's be honest this was a season where my parents were literally using chickens as currency) 

 I suppose those early Christmas years were happy ones in spite of the fact that we did not spend it with our extended family. Nor did we have much - my sister has memories of receiving balloons for Christmas.   And there was, of course, no snowy -white , Hallmark movie backdrop in the tropics of South America. 

 

I remember one year, perhaps my only authentic  early childhood Christmas memory - I had,... found... a hula hoop hidden under my parent's bed. That , I recall, had been a very exciting thing to receive! 

Of course I faintly recall children's Sunday School Christmas performances with singing - and gifts wrapped not in regular paper but some sort of hard to fold, metallic cellophane-like material. 

We would always unwrap very carefully and fold our paper wrapping - especially the coveted larger pieces for another year and I do not recall doing differently until I was well into my teens.  

Every year we would receive Christmas cards through the mail from our native land, Canada. Full of colour, winter scenes and sparkles. Sometimes the cards were even indented with textures that outlined the pictures.  After Christmas my mother would ceremoniously bring out the good pinking sheers from her sewing box.  Then carefully, and what I perceived to be very skillfully , she would cut out the pictures whose backsides contained no writing and those would saved to be used the following year as the gift tags. 

I can recall singing at least one traditional carol as to this day , from time to time, I'll be humming away "Noite de paz.... noite de amor..... " to the tune of Silent Night.