Childhood Christmas Memories Relived

I have been blessed with more than 30 years of magical Christmas memories. First my own as a child and into adulthood, and then six as a mother watching her children revel in Christmas joy. There is now doubt that Christmas is the most magical time of the year. 

Part of what makes Christmas special are annual traditions, and in my family the holidays are riddled with them down to the importance of every last detail on Christmas morning.

While other children open their gifts in their PJs, my sister and I were confined to one side of the house (away from the gifts) until everyone was dressed — that included mom doing her hair and makeup and having a cup of coffee. As we anxiously awaited our gifts, my father made sure everything was set for our arrival. He hung bright lights and reflectors — to make sure the room was well-lit for proper photographic documentation.

Finally when mom gave the OK, we were set loose while mom snapped pictures of our shock and awe and dad filmed every moment of the morning. I remember those moments waiting with great anticipation to see what Santa left just around the corner. It was a tradition my parents kept through our teenage years when my sister and I feigned jaw-dropping and shocked faces on command. 

But while I have fond memories of those moments, until this week I had never seen a minute of those moments dad captured on film. To be sure, there are plenty of still photos — but the videos were trapped on 8 mm and VHS.

Thanks to YesVideo, I was able to relive those Christmas mornings with two Christmases that were transferred to digital format. And oh to see our sheer joy on those mornings. It makes all those hours of waiting each Christmas worth it — being able to relive it again 20+ years later. 

Another tradition – that we still adhere to now, is that everyone must done Christmas attire. Oh my stars it was hilarious to see how far fashion has come in the past few decades. As my husband said, “They just couldn’t figure out how to make pants look right back then could they?” And suspenders too!!!

But my sister and I were adorable and watching us open our precious gifts that we so eagerly longed for was special beyond words. 

As we prepare for another Christmas in our house. I have decided that we absolutely must film every moment of it. While I once wondered what in the world was the purpose of filming an hour of opening gifts (who in the world would ever want to watch that?) I now see the purpose. Because as I sat through two Christmases, reliving every silly minute I now want to find all of our Christmases to transfer them to digital. Who in the world would watch them? Me. 

Want to see a short 1 minute clip of what Christmas morning was like in my house? Check out the shareable “trailer” YesVideo created from my video here. 

Join me in reliving my childhood Christmases by dusting off your old 8 mm, Beta and VHS tapes and having them converted to a digital format with YesVideo.

Clear off the memory card baby – we will be filming Christmas morning on our house. 

Merry Christmas.