On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)
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While doing one of my favorite activities, which is reminiscing, I asked a few of my friends to share some favorite old time Somerville Christmas memories. We have already talked about the old stores such as Grants, Woolworths, Gorins and Parke Snow, so let’s delve further and deeper.

Remember those small cardboard containers of hard candy with the string handle? Those Christmas candy boxes decorated with Santa Clause himself were given out at just about every Christmas party back in the day. The candy was very colorful, really hard, and sometimes stuck together. Our parents’ work parties, along with those hosted by organizations such as the VFW and Knights of Columbus provide a lot of us with happy Christmas memories. I went to a couple of great Christmas parties at the old Logan Post in Teele Square too. Dad’s work party was at Dewey and Almy in Cambridge.
Midnight Mass, especially at St Clements and St Joseph’s Church brings back fond memories. Some of us sang in the choir or glee clubs at those late night celebrations. More than once, as a member of the St Clements’s Choir, we would slip portions of TV commercials and popular songs into the mix, much to the director Sister Xaverine’s disapproval. You may have heard “O come all ye faithful yea, yeah, yeah.” Immaculate Conception, St. Ann’s CYO and St. Anthony’s church put on Christmas plays and hosted Christmas bazaars. Some parishes got people together and actually went out singing Christmas carols. A great Christmas tradition and memory was when we were finally old enough to go to Midnight Mass with our friends.
My friend recalls, “The Salvation Army Brass Band used to come around to the neighborhoods and play carols while the ladies came door to door to collect change (if they got currency donations they’d be shocked!) in their tambourines. All these decades later the Salvation Army is still out there doing good work.”
As kids, we would make our parents Christmas gifts in school. They were sometimes colorful creations made out of old Christmas cards, or a candle made out of a bathroom tissue roll. I am sure some of you made spray painted macaroni wreaths also. A lot of these relics are still in existence. Some have hallowed spots on our Christmas trees.
A friend says, “When my girls were little we would walk up by Assembly Mall on McGrath Highway to get the tree and drag it home singing Christmas songs. I could have driven, but this way was more fun.”
Christmas meant a house load of people. Constant chatter and laughter. Food. More food. Trash bags filled with crumpled up wrapping paper. Ten minutes to wrap, one second to rip open, and food.
The city used to flood Trum Field, Lincoln and Foss Parks so we could ice skate. I’m sure there were other frozen parks throughout the city too. My brother and sister and I skated at Trum, with skates passed down from my cousins. They were practically new. Other kids tried out the skates hats and gloves they got for Christmas.
Keep in mind that we will be making more everlasting Christmas memories this year and every holiday season. These days will eventually become the good old days. Every generation will tell their kids and their grandkids about the great Christmases they experienced when they were younger. And so on, and so on.
Those old Christmases bring back visions of leaving cookies out for Santa that would somehow be just crumbs in the morning. The carrots or apple we put out for the reindeer would also be gone. We looked forward to the thank you note from Santa. I still don’t know what kind of strange joy my dad got out of telling us that he was going up on the roof with a shotgun on Christmas Eve. Just another piece of the “why is Jimmy a little… off” puzzle!
It was quite a coincidence that Santa Clause’s handwriting was very similar to my Dad’s. I have visions of Glass Wax decorations sprayed on windows from stencils. I think of my brother and sister and mom and dad who shared those magical Christmases of the mid to late 50’s through the early 80’s.
This Christmas I will enjoy my kids, spend time with friends, and family, and cement my place in future Christmas memories.