My favorite Christmas memory is the year Mom and Dad went way over the top with Dr. Suess. The Grinch that Stole Christmas book was given by a favorite aunt as a family gift early in December. I was ten and my brother was eight, and my sister was 2. We were all delighted with the story and when Mom decorated that year, my brother and I made small signs and put them up next to every paper decoration Mom hung. (This was in the 60's and Mom bought those poster board printed Santas, Angels and Christmas decorations at Woolworth's.) Our signs were things like Ho Ho Ho, the grinch was here and Watch for the Grinch. It was a lean year as we had just moved into a new home and Dad had just started a new job. Mom and Dad took boxes and wrapped them and put them under the tree. Inside the box was a note that said "The Grinch was here" followed by a clue as to where to look for a gift. Most clues lead to another clue and you had 2-3 clues before you found the gift. The rule was you couldn't open the next gift until you found the first one. It took us the better part of the day to locate all the gifts hidden all over the house. Most were small things that didn't cost much, but the fun was in finding the present. It didn't matter that it was mostly things we needed like socks and underwear. It was a wonderful Christmas and was so much fun.
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