Page 160 - People & Places In Time

Following the demise of our familiy Christmas in Exeter, the focus shifted for mom and me to Carol’s home in Merced. Here was a new set of traditions with Carols husband Jeff, their daughters and a whole new cast of characters.
Mom would arrive several days ahead of Christmas eve and I would ar- rive Christmas morning. This was Christmas morning with Gusto. Not before nor since have I witnessed more commotion surrounding the opening of presents. We were joined by Ted and Shea Riehl, Jeff’s parents. While all had presents to open; at the center of activity were the twins, until finally the floor was no longer visible beneath wrapping paper, tissue paper, boxes and whatever. Presents were lost and found, broken and repaired and Christmas chaos prevailed.
Later in the day my sisters and Jeff’s closest friends, Warren and Judy Westerberg would arrive with their young children Nick and Jane. This relation- ship of famillies at Christmas time, and throughout the year, between parents and their children remains intact today. Friends become as important to Christmas tradition as family.
A festive Christmas dinner came later in the day though my sister could never master it without her mom’s help. A particular hi-lite in one year was Jeff setting the Christmas duck aflame on the Bar-B-Q; Christmas was never simple at the Riehl household.
In years to follow, with my wife Jackie we joined the festivities in Merced by parking our Airstream in my sister’s driveway for several days and thus extend- ed our Christmas greatly. But once again, this became another favorite though short lived tradition that was not continued.
Continuity of tradition should never be dismissed in its importance to our happiness. Christmas is indeed the best time of our lives, these are the times and relationships we carry throughout a lifetime, they should be our happiest memo- ries. That said, the interrupted traditions that I’ve put myself through have pre- sented me an eclectic series of joyous memories paired with some of the lowest of times in my life.
Some other Christmas’ Remembered
During Christmas in 1965 or was it 66, (the years so far back have be- come hard to place) a girlfriend at the time was Cheryl Watters; living in Fresno. She was still a senior at Bullard high school and lived with her parents on Van Ness Boulevard the street familiar in the month of December as Christmas Tree lane. This historic street, for approximately a two mile stretch from Fresno High to Shaw Avenue, is lined with large, stately homes and their front yards to match. The boulevard itself is lined on both sides by old and tall Deodar Cedar trees. During the Christmas season the Cedar trees are strung with lights and most of the front yards are decorated, with the homes lighted as well. After dark, traffic is routed one way north in both lanes and is usually bumper to bumper. I can recall going
down Christmas tree lane as a very young child, most likely this followed Christ- mas at mom’s sister Corrin’s home. Anywayto bring Cheryl home from a date, at night, as you might imagine, required me to strategically merge into traffic from
a side street along the route, without upsetting someone. Upon finally reaching her home, we could pull into a deep U-shaped driveway. Placed conveniently at a point on the drive was a large tree with branches to the ground that shielded us from the prying eyes riding in the parade of cars, twenty yards away. This remains the most different place to kiss a girl good night that I’ve experienced. Of course, I was then faced with merging back into traffic beyond the driveway and slowly drive to the end of Christmas Tree Lane to return home.
My first Christmas with Holly was in 1970, at 3939 North Sherman in Fresno. Definitely this is the most difficult of my Christmas’ to recall because it meant so much to me. Holly lived with her divorced mother Mary Pagel; at the time we were both still attending Fresno State. On one particular Christmas we brought home a tree that Mary was very sure had to be the ugliest tree ever. We made it look as presentable as we could, but my future mother-in-law was quite possibly right. There are Christmas trees I can no longer remember; that tree from that year will be forever with me.
Those few Christmas mornings I had with Holly and her Mother were the first away from the family I had grown up with . . . the family who made the only Christmas’ that I had known.
Holly and I were married on July 2, 1972 making our first home in a small apartment not so far from the only house Holly had known. We continued to spend a great deal of time there for one thing we had to feed the dogs ev-
ery day. Mary had married Fred Rabe by this time, and they remained in Mary’s house. this was our first Christmas together and Hollys first not in the home she grew up in. So, still we joined Fred and Mary for Christmas morning in a familiar place. At this point in my life each Christmas seemed to include new traditions, and this year was no exception. It was the year I discovered Mimosas, we enjoyed while opening presents with Fred and Mary.
The following spring ushered many changes into our lives. We moved to our new house on north Harrison in Fresno. Located in an older neighborhood of nice homes built in the 1930’s, located behind Fresno High School. The family was whole, now that our Saint Bernard and Poodle, Berry and Athena could be with us.
The house Holly and I bought had the nicest living room I’ve had in any home. This room, just off the entry was a perfectly proportioned rectangle. Along the north wall was a fireplace with an inset mantel and a mirror we hung, while tall double-hung windows flanked each side. Opposite the fireplace was a bay window extending to the floor offering a glass surround for the graceful mahog- any plant stand supporting a large fern. Along the same wall next to this window
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