things I remember about this christmas circa 1979:
divinity fudge and hard candy in glass bowls, spaghetti and meatballs for dinner
the sweet smell of my grandpa's pipe, the faint scent of beer
the snow white ceramic christmas tree with the tiny candy rainbow lights that always, always sat on top of my grandparents' enormous television set
the way I loved that darci doll, the one I'm holding in the photograph above, with her more generously proportioned body and her brassy brunette hair and the very, very professional little modeling portfolio she came with
the way my brother loved that howdy doody doll, the one he's holding in the photograph above, with his goofy grin and painted freckles and mouth made to tell a thousand kid jokes
my dad in that burgundy velour, my mom with that sterling silver locket
the way we drank RC cola out of frosty aluminum cups in magenta and amber and royal blue
the way we snuck upstairs to listen to old 45s on my dad's suitcase record player and throw things down the laundry chute
the pallet of quilts and blankets my grandma laid out on the floor of the front room for the kids to sleep on
the way we fell asleep right there, to the blink of christmas lights and the sounds of barney miller on the television