My brothers and I always seemed to find our way onto Santa’s nice list despite all the fights, the rowdy play and the times our parents’ commands went in one ear and out the other.
As the snow began to fall and the Christmas countdown began, we tended to put those tussles and wrestling matches aside in hopes that the big man would fulfill all our wishes — and boy, did he ever.
I can still picture Christmas morning in the McCarthy household. My brothers and I would enter the living room before my parents woke up to see what kind of magic Santa left behind. Our eyes popped out of our heads seeing the stacks of presents, some from Santa and others from my mom and dad. The stockings overflowed with candy and trinkets. It was as if Santa and his elves spent all night turning the living room into a wonderland of presents.
“Gee, Santa really gets the job done,” I thought as I gazed at the pile of gifts.
Let’s rewind a bit to the early beginnings of the holiday season at the McCarthy household. Outside, the snow would begin to fly across Western New York. The Thanksgiving feast had come and gone, meaning the decorating was in full force with almost every room decked in holiday cheer. It was all hands on deck. My dad set up the artificial tree and ensured the lights were working. My mom prepared the garland and everyone pitched in to hang the ornaments as tunes from Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Burl Ives and Bobby Helms filled the air from the record player.
Beneath the tree, a Christmas village was bustling with activity. The stockings were hung on the chimney and window stickers plastered every pane of glass. A Santa figurine sat atop the chimney, checking his list again and again. My name didn’t appear on the list, leading me to wonder if he was actually perusing through all those naughty kids.
Like any kid, the anticipation for Christmas came when those catalogs full of toys and all the latest gadgets arrived in the mail. It always seemed like a competition as to who would grab the magazines; we would receive the infamous Sears Wishbook in addition to ones from Toys R’ Us and JCPenney. We all had different things we liked. I was always ready to circle the new Madden video game while my older brother had his sights set on guitars and CDs. My little brother sought Legos and video games.
With pens in hand, the circling and initialing began to give the big man in the red suit the wishes we wanted wrapped in a box on Christmas morning. We also circled toys and other things to give my mom an idea what to get us. With the lists in hand, the mad dash was on for my mom and dad as they hopped in the van, battled the snow and slushy roads and set out to fulfill the wishes like actor Arnold Schwarzenegger did in “Jingle All the Way.” They’d practically spend Saturdays running here and there to find what we circled and wrote down on our lists. I can remember my mom and dad returning home following a long day. Before anything was unloaded, she came into the house and sent us to our rooms or elsewhere so she could bring in the bags and bags of gifts for my brothers and me.
With gifts towering all over the living room on Christmas morning, there was always a big box that served as the grand finale to all the gift unwrapping. One year, we unwrapped an ESPN Gamestation. It was everything we dreamed of and more with all-in-one basketball, football, baseball, hockey and golf. Another year, we unwrapped a pool table. The surprise and excitement that came from our faces on Christmas morning was something my mom and dad always enjoyed, even though they’d only slept for a few hours. My dad always had the camcorder ready to go to capture all the action.
The magic of Christmas morning is something my brothers will always remember and cherish. And it’s something we’re carrying forward to our own little families (my older brother has four kids and my household has two). As I deck the house in holiday cheer — and yes, I may have bought a few Christmas inflatables for the outside — I never forget the joy I had as a young kid during Christmas.
This year, our family of four will spend Christmas at our home in Islamorada. I will certainly miss the time spent with my family up north, and a little bit of white stuff on the ground that added a touch of magic to the special time. But thanks toFaceTime, we’ll unwrap the gifts as every one in chilly Western New York looks on.
