Christmas is coming on us fast. When I was growing up in Cairo in Southwest, Georgia my dad and mama were in the jewelry business (later my dad went into antique furniture and full blast into picture framing.) I especially remember the times at the little jewelry store in Cairo. The folks coming in were all so real, indeed there was nothing artificial or contrived about their personalities. It was invigorating to me and my parents, the wonderful Christmas season. Many Christmas Eves my folks would keep the store open even to Midnight to help the people who wanted to come and shop at the last minute. And even though we were tired we would go home and mama would make us a great snack and then she would take us into our cozy living room and play grand Christmas songs on the old piano she and daddy bought back in 1940. Two of her favorites were, 'It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas' and 'God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen.' I will always cherish the wonderful memories of Christmas with my sweet mama and my daddy. Grand memorable times, indeed.
One time when I was about eight one of my daddy's friends came by extremely late on Christmas Eve to bring the little boy (me) a bike. I hollered something like. "What's That Noise Out There?" and my daddy said something like "Hush. I think it might be Santa Claus Out There!" Then Mama kind of ushered me into the other part of the house so the Santa bit could take place. I will never forget those tender Christmas times there in the town known as Cairo deep in the Southwest Portion of the Magnificent State of Georgia. The Lord bless all of us with Christmas memories of our mamas and what we in Southwest Georgia called our Papas. indeed our 'Big Papas' as we said. May God Bless all our Mamas and Daddys in this unusual year of 2009 during the magic cultural American experience that is Christmas time!
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