~Christmas Memory~            My favorite Christmas was in New Mexico. We had a horrible snow storm that day and I was having my tonsils out. After sleeping for a few hours on the couch my mom surprised me with my first pop-up book. It was Sleeping Beauty and I remember the new smell and the excitement of seeing a book like that for the very first time. That is when I became completely  "in love" with books. The books that made the most impact on me were Judy Blum and Anne Frank. I had a really cool room with a finished attic that I would hide in and read for hours.        My mom had wraped all our presents and put them under the tree a month before Christmas. A week before, Christmas when both parents were at work my brother and I opened all of them and rewraped them. We thought we were in the clear until Christmas morning when they all came unwrapped. We never tried that trick again because for me it was more fun being surprised than knowing what you were getting.         The gift that meant the most to me was a wooden stove. That Christmas my dad built me a dollhouse, and oven with furniture and pretend food. I was so happy pretending to have my own family.  I felt so special having a homemade stove built out of love. Christmas is never going to be the same now that my father has passed.  My father was an excellent cook and loved cooking Christmas dinner. We used to sit around and watch the Twillight Zone marathon all day. It was a tradition and we all enjoyed getting into the zone. Every year for my family we give a little less gifts, and more time to just be together.    Copyright ©2009 Chessly Lynn Nesci