{"id":92561,"date":"2025-12-21T09:11:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T16:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=92561"},"modified":"2025-12-22T08:38:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T15:38:49","slug":"92561","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=92561","title":{"rendered":"Mary Got A Bike!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I asked Mary to share one of her Christmas memories:<\/p>\n

I lived in a small town called Medford, Oregon, with a population of 15,000.\u00a0 As you know, I was born into a low-middle-income family, and my foster parents tried to do the best they could.\u00a0 All the kids at school had bicycles except me, so I wanted to catch up to the Smiths and have a bike.<\/p>\n

My parents saved and saved, and on Christmas morning, I got my wish.\u00a0 \u00a0Santa Claus brought it in the Mayflower truck that my dad drove.\u00a0 The bike cost about $50, which is the equivalent of $500 today!<\/p>\n

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I received four speeding tickets in the first year!<\/p><\/div>\n

I rode it all the time.\u00a0 My sister had the same one.\u00a0 Even Santa had a bike!<\/p>\n

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Santa could not catch up with me!<\/p><\/div>\n

My mom always made a theme for the Christmas tree.\u00a0 One year, it had all gold ornaments, and the following year, blue, silver, or red.\u00a0 We put on the tinsel a strand at a time and took it off the same way so that it would be suitable for the following year.<\/p>\n

Tinsel’s origins started in 17th-century Germany, made from real silver to reflect candlelight, a luxury for the wealthy, evolving to lead in the 1950s (now banned for toxicity) and eventually safe PVC plastic.\u00a0 The word comes from French for “sparkle,” and beyond trees, it once adorned prints, but its history includes fire hazards (aluminum tinsel) and a shift towards safer materials for holiday decor.<\/p>\n

One year, we had the infamous aluminum tree with a color wheel.\u00a0 Christmas has always been my favorite holiday.\u00a0 I love giving gifts, thinking all year about what would bring you joy.\u00a0 I would then hide it, and we are always lucky if I can find it again at Christmas.<\/p>\n

Ratchet forward thirty years, I got Becky (my youngest child) a Beanie Baby calendar and didn’t find it until two years later; it was under her head.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Today is another busy time during this season.\u00a0 Joe and family are coming over around 11:30 to take us out for my Birthday dinner.\u00a0 We decided that Italian would satisfy everyone and that Renada’s, near the traffic circle, would be a good choice.\u00a0 Then in the evening, we are going to Campus Jax for a Christmas musical extravaganza with Bob and Donna!<\/p>\n

Joe, Amy, and Alex came over around 11:30, so we could open presents, and Joe brought me a new air compressor; the old one blew its top!\u00a0 We spent an hour talking before departing for lunch at Renada’s!<\/p>\n

What do you call a bunch of chess players bragging about their games in a hotel lobby?\u00a0 Chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.<\/p>\n

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Present exchange!<\/p><\/div>\n

We had the perfect table at Renada’s, complete with a view of the street so we could hear and see the regular traffic, punctuated by ambulances, fire engines, and motorcycles.<\/p>\n

What’s the most popular Christmas wine?\u00a0 “But I don’t like Brussels sprouts!”<\/p>\n

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We had a birthday lunch at Renadas near the traffic circle.<\/p><\/div>\n

We missed Charlie, but at eighteen, girl friends take priority.\u00a0 We are not too old to understand teens!<\/p>\n

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Charlie was with his girlfriend!!<\/p><\/div>\n

We returned home and had an hour nap before departing.\u00a0 We stopped by some friends to return a pair of sunglasses left at our house, then headed to Campus Jax for a Christmas celebration.\u00a0 We enjoyed Mark Woods and his group’s performance of Christmas favorites in a new style.<\/p>\n