Childhood Christmases

Recently, my sister, Nancy, told me about a conversation she had with her son, Haden about Christmas traditions when she was growing up in New York. They both laughed because many of the things we did are no longer around. Haden said he would have to start his own traditions. It got me thinking about Christmas at the Webster house in Scarsdale. So many happy times, I thought I would tell you all about them.

Christmas at 10 Campden Road

by Janet Marsh Webster White

December 2017

Click to go to Janet's homepage

The four Webster children at 10 Campden Road were very lucky at Christmastime. We had so much fun, and oh the presents!

We were so fortunate to live close to the city so that we could go and see the wonder of the holidays. My dad was a member of the Canadian Club and enjoyed having a drink there often. The Club was on the top floor of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. A very high end place with lots of old money, dark wood walls, and hushed voices. The lobby at Christmastime was stunning. There were magnificent trees in golds and silver and lots of red velvet bows and pine greenery everywhere. Haden, you are lucky enough to live in the city. Why don’t you start a tradition to go see the lobby of the Waldorf? Have a drink in the bar. Back then it was called the Safari Room. It was decorated in beautiful zebra and leopard skin! I’m sure PITA has seen to it that it has been redecorated! (Side note: the Waldorf Astoria owns the beautiful Boca Raton Resort in the town my kids grew up in.)

Our other yearly tradition was taking the train into NYC and going to see the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall. The live nativity scene was magical. The real camels and donkeys were beautiful. The camels had beautiful sparkling blankets. The 3 kings were in velvet and jewels. It was like a dream. The Rockettes were fantastic and still do the falling soldiers to this day.

Then we would go to Rockefeller Center and watch the ice skaters. We ate lunch at the English Grill restaurant around the rink. All the decorations were a sight to behold. Then to top the day off we went to FAO Schwartz and wandered through Toyland with eyes wide opened.

And of course we had to get things ready at 10 Campden Road. As we got older my father would send us kids to pick out the tree. Every year he would tell us the same thing. Not too big! Every year we came home and poor daddy would have to chop off a big chunk so the tree would fit in the living room.

Mom was in charge of the decorations. We had many beautiful balls. My very favorite thing on the tree was a string of lights that had water inside that would move. It was awesome to see a colored light with flowing water moving on the tree. I have never seen them since. Maybe Amazon has them! Mom would also decorate our mantle with greenery, cotton batting to look like snow, and old looking St. Nick characters. We all had our own stocking hung by the fireplace including one for our pets.

Christmas Eve was quite merry. We had an open house when all the neighbors would stop by for some holiday cheer. One year I made Devon and myself long matching Christmas skirts. They were red felt with ball fringe. Sure couldn’t do that now.

We hung stockings on the fireplace, and we were allowed to open one present. Then we went to bed filled with excitement and anticipation.

I remember the times we were lucky enough to have a snowfall, and we would wake up to a winter wonderland. I remember so well how the snow made a blanket of white and a complete cover of silence. In the morning we would go into our parents’ room and wake them up.

“Hurry hurry,” we would yell. We had traditions and rules. We were soooooo excited but no one could go downstairs until my dad was ready. He had to go to the bathroom, brush his teeth, and take forever! We would sit on the top stair waiting and waiting. When daddy was ready, he went down first and plugged in the tree lights. Then we would run into the living room and scream with delight seeing a mountain of presents. So exciting.

There were presents everywhere all over the whole room. There was usually one gift left unwrapped so we could see something we really wanted and there it was. I loved baby dolls and I remember seeing a beautiful doll cradle under the tree. First we opened our stockings. They always had the coolest stuff in them. I got my first piece of jewelry in my stocking and loved it. The stockings sometimes had the best present of all.

Now it is time to tackle the mountain of presents. No, No No! This is when the hardest Christmas tradition of all came. We had to go eat breakfast before we could open any of the presents!!!! That drove us crazy but every year that is what we did.

Finally Dad passed out the gifts and we tore into them. My mom always knew exactly what we wanted. Toys, dolls clothes. We loved them all. We never had to return anything. Then as I got older, and very in to clothes, I remember how my mom always picked out the most fantastic outfits that always fit perfectly. I always had a new outfit to wear Christmas day. We spent hours in the living room taking in the wonder of it all. My favorite present of all time was the Gerber baby doll. She was so beautiful. Next time you go to the grocery look at the jars of Gerber baby food. That baby on the jar of their food is the exact same doll I got.

We played with everything and tried on all the clothes until about 2 in the afternoon when we gathered around the dining room table that was decorated and had a beautiful Christmas popper placed on the table for each one of us. Inside were tiny games, surprises, and a paper crown. They are still around today and that is a tradition we do every year.

Christmas dinner was always the same. Turkey and all the trimmings. We always had turnip and we all hated it but had to eat at least a bite. I love turnip now but have learned it was actually rutabagas we were eating! We had a big turkey dinner with all the fixings and it was a wonderful feast.

What we were really waiting for was dessert. Our local ice cream parlor, Neilsons, has Christmas ice cream molds in beautiful shapes and colors. They came in a big box filled with dry ice. Seeing the magical smoke coming out of this box was the most fun. We each got a different mold: a Santa, reindeer, tree, snowman, wreath, candy cane, and an angel. All around the table there was red and green and white. It was such a festive sight. We have all been looking for them since with no luck.

Before bed we would have a yummy turkey sandwich. It was all a perfect day.

Our Christmas was perfect and we four kids were the luckiest of all.

I cherish those 20 Christmases and have passed on most of the same traditions to our children. Gone are the ice cream molds and of course no one waits to eat breakfast! That would be impossible. But Jeff and I continued with many of the same traditions. At our first house in Florida on London Lane, we always had an Open House on Christmas Eve. Our kids had to wait at the top of the stairs, one awesome toy was left unwrapped, and we opened the stockings first. We also took our three kids on the train to Radio City when we lived in Connecticut; the best part of that was nothing had changed. The show was exactly as I remembered.

I hope my mom and dad knew how special they made this one day for each of their children. It was a good time had by all on 10 Campden Road.

So now the next generation have families and their own traditions. Would each of you share one tradition that you as a family do at Christmas? Write it down and put it on Weave The Web. It would be so nice to share that.

Have a wonderful holiday and I hope you all have the best, most wonderful Christmas just like the Webster house.

Love to all and to all a good nite.

Janet White