Regardless of where you grow up, childhood Christmas memories are carried with you for your entire life. Mine date back to mid-1960s Middlesex Borough.
It was a much different time. Perhaps that’s a worn-out cliche that can be said of any small town from 60 years ago, but it is true.
There was no parade of Amazon vans bringing gifts for others, purchased in a few minutes on the internet. You had to actually go out and shop for presents in person.
One of my vivid childhood recollections is the bustling A&P shopping center on Christmas Eve day. A few times, I accompanied my dad there on a last-minute trip to find a gift for my mom.
The jewelry store was a popular stop. Others were hurrying in and out of nearby Gaysard’s men’s shop, perhaps trying to find a present for a dad, brother or son. The large display windows featured mannequins attired in spiffy suits. It made me wonder if I’d have to wear one like that to work one day.
You can still get a vintage brown butterfly tie from Gaysard’s on eBay. It’s only $10 or Best Offer – a bargain for a piece of retro Middlesex clothing.
My favorite was W.T. Grant, located in the end space that now houses Superfood. Grant’s was the forerunner of modern day Target or Walmart.
Grant’s had everything, from clothing to the small green turtles that later got banned from retail selling nationwide because they carried salmonella.
Christmas allows me to pull out a sort-of relic from Grant’s – hand-painted nativity figures that my mom purchased there. Yes, marvelously detailed Biblical wise men could be bought for only 59 cents apiece. The price sticker remaining on the bottom of one of them still testifies to that fact.
The lead-up weeks to the last-minute shopping forays were spent at Pierce School. The lower primary grades meant plenty of time engrossed in Christmas art projects.
Thankfully, mom was a keeper. I still have some of those treasures that get placed on the Christmas tree each December. They look somewhat out of place next to my kids’ slick college ornaments and others purchased through the years at places like Disney World. But the old Pierce School pieces get the high-visibility spots.
There’s a paper Santa Claus with brass clips strategically located, acting as elbows and joints. Santa has well-worn cotton for a beard and jacket cuffs. After six decades, he looks a bit raggedy.
But he is priceless, just like the yellow Christmas stocking, held together with orange yarn. I even wrote my name on the stocking using fairly neat crayon penmanship for a first- or second-grader.
One piece of art that is now a distant memory was the Reader’s Digest folded into a small Christmas Tree. It was painted gold and created in first grade. Mine came out horribly misshaped, but I was still proud to bring it home.
There was Christmas music, too. Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Van Winkle pounding away on the piano keys and leading us in song. “Dashing through the snow…”
I look back on those old Middlesex Christmas times fondly, That’s especially so when I’m last-minute scrounging for Halloween candy at Target, and see Christmas ornaments being sold in the adjacent aisle. In old-time Middlesex, there was none of that. You took one holiday at a time.
It’s also irksome to pop in the nearby Home Depot and see a Santa figure decked out for a beach trip. In days gone by, he only hung out at the North Pole. At least, that’s what everyone in Middlesex would say.
At times, I wish I had a time machine.
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