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Christmas 1945 -- Cleveland, Ohio
I‘m late preparing for Christmas this year, but have been thinking back on Christmases past, mostly in my dreams.

Maybe it was Seasonal Affective Disorder and the fact that we lived pretty far north, but the holidays were always a minefield in our house, at least when I was growing up. I do have some warm memories, though, especially of snow, making all the long distance calls on Christmas Day to Kansas, Colorado and other places we called "home," having dinner at my cousins' house where we sometimes sang folk songs or practiced for and performed piano, violin and cello trios. The two girls were very talented, and although much younger, I was learning to play piano. Caroling was fun, but the mad dash to buy, wrap and hide gifts, wasn’t.

Looking back, here are a few Christmas presents I've never forgotten:
 
1. A doctor's kit. I believe I was 3. Looking back, I think my parents were concerned about me being afraid of all the doctors I saw over my first few years. I got off to a rocky start with a few correctable anomalies.  
The big black kit contained a toy stethoscope, thermometer, wristwatch, a certificate to hang on the wall, some sort of BP cuff and a big round eye cover, remember those? I don’t remember any insurance forms included.  

2. A bride doll. I was 4 (!). This bride was unusual because she was also a baby (not a babe). You could comb her blond hair and wash her rubber body, but she was definitely a baby, with a bride’s outfit. At 4, I didn’t have a problem with that.

3. A wooden cradle that my dad made as a bed for the bride doll. Made sense to me. I loved that cradle and kept if for many years. I assume my mother threw it out.

4. A few books, including Babar, Heidi and The Fireside Book of Folksongs. I still have what's-left-of-them. 

5. A Kodak Brownie camera. I might have been 8. One of the first photos I took was of the prettiest boat I'd ever seen. It was an ocean liner pulling out of the New York City piers as our school bus was pulling in on a class trip to the big city. The boat was called the Andrea Doria.

4. An English racing bike, when I was around 12 (?). I lusted after those sleek blue and white wheels, and couldn't believe my eyes when I found them leaning up against the wall next to the Christmas tree! We lived in the hills, so it was important to have a lightweight bike with gears to maneuver up and down.

5. A microscope. Not sure how old I was, but probably in junior high. I remember studying the Lafayette catalog for months, then traveling into the city to look at microscopes with my dad. He got me a good one and I still have it, somewhere.

6. A trip to Costa Rica. Not really. When my son was about 9, he cut pictures out of a magazine, glued them on a board, painted it and gave it to me, with a note saying, “Just what you always wanted, Mom, a trip to Costa Rica!” I think I loved that collage as much any real trip, because he tried so hard to give me something special. I still have it tucked away.

7. An engagement ring, in 2002. Dave and I had lived together for a few years and were talking about getting married, but he was dragging his feet. His son John and girlfriend came to our place for Christmas, where one of them suggested we open Christmas stockings first. As I recall, I opened mine last. Inside were a pair of sensible wool socks, some goofy earrings, a few candy canes, and finally a tiny sparkly box wedged into the sock’s toe. I figured it was a trick, but Dave had actually bought me a diamond!  We married 6 weeks later, during Valentine's week. 

What  Christmas presents and other fun things do you remember?  Please leave a note in Comments.
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At last! 12/06/2009
 
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What good is winter in New England without snow? This was only a dusting, but an especially pretty one. More to come later this week and -- hopefully -- on and on and on.
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Blogger Ronni Bennett has put up some must-read posts outlining an initiative designed to have a huge impact on Social Security and Medicare. In fact, the initiators want to dismantle both “entitlement” programs. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any problem collecting that money. There’s nothing slimy to me about the word entitlement when it comes to Social Security and Medicare. 

I clearly remember those two itemized deductions printed on my paystubs, every two weeks, over 37 years in the full-time workforce. As far as I’m concerned, I’m getting back  MY own money, with interest. They just held it for me to make sure I didn't spend it too early. A wise move...

But, I digress. I urge you to read Ronni’s two reports, written with clarity and passion, at. They will make your hair stand on end:
http://www.timegoesby.net/weblog/2009/12/the-war-against-social-security-and-medicare.html#comments
http://www.timegoesby.net/weblog/2009/11/the-secret-war-on-social-security-and-medicare.html 


Here’s economist Barbara Kennelly’s take on what’s really worth worrying about (hint—we’re trying to reform it):
… a CBO analysis explains that if every entitlement in the federal budget were repealed outright — eliminating Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other critical programs — but nothing were done to slow the growth in health care costs overall, we would still find ourselves spending almost 70 percent of the nation’s wealth on health care by 2082. On the other hand, if the rate of growth in overall health care is restrained so it is no longer growing faster than the rest of the economy, Medicare’s long-range financial deficit could be cut by well over one-half.

Contrary to the political crisis rhetoric, the Social Security Trustees report that Social Security will have sufficient funds to pay full benefits through 2041. Even better, the CBO projects that full benefits can be paid through 2049. No other federal program is subject to such strict, long-term spending restrictions and oversight.

The Social Security Trustees report every year on the income and outgo of the fund over a 75-year period. Over the next 75 years, Social Security has a funding gap, but that gap is both modest and manageable. Moreover, even if no changes at all were made in Social Security, and no one is recommending that, incoming revenues after 2041 would be sufficient enough to finance 78 percent of benefits.

Barbara B. Kennelly
published in Roll Call, March 11, 2009
http://www.rollcall.com/news/33061-1.html 
Read more here:

Monique Morrissey, Economic Policy Institute
http://www.epi.org/analysis_and_opinion/entry/we_need_health_care_
reform_not_an_entitlements_commission/

The Recession will NOT Bankrupt Social Security
http://www.ncpssm.org/news/archive/vp_economic_recession_ss/
 
 
This video took on a life of its own last year. Even if you've already seen it, I guarantee Matt will put a smile on your face.
 
 
A big thank you to everyone who participated in the recent series on John F. Kennedy, and to all who added their comments. The series was reffed on a number of sites, including Blog of Ages and Hill Country Mysteries. Thanks again, fellow bloggers!

It’s good to commemorate life's turning points as part of a community, don’t you think?

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