The year coming to a close was 1984.
I was 13 years old and living in Carthage.
On the national scene, the recent news making events of the day included: the premier of the Cosby show, Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman vice presidential running mate,
Ronald Reagan was re-elected in a landslide election, Congress cut off aid to Nicaragua while illegal guns sales started to fund the contras, Stonewashed jeans were introduced in the teen fashion world, the first megabit chip was made at Bell Labs, the summer Olympics had been held a few months earlier in Los Angeles, the Soviets boycotted, Mary Lou Retton had won the hearts of American sports fans winning two gold, two silver and two bronze medals, Vanessa Williams, the first African American Miss America, was forced from her throne for inappropriate photos, the AIDS virus was just discovered, people were still talking about Michael Jackson’s hair catching fire during the shooting of a Pepsi commercial, the first infomercials appeared on TV due to de-regulation by the FCC, Run-D.M.C. was the first ever rap group to have an album certified gold that year, kids were watching “Friday Night Videos” and “MTV” actually had music videos playing, Van Halen had an album cleverly titled “1984.” The term cyberspace was coined by William Gibson in his novel "Neuromancer," Band Aid released the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” movie goers were getting their first taste of “Aaanold” as the “Terminator,”
“Nightmare on Elm Street” was scaring kids everywhere challenging them not to fall asleep and have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads. Eddie Murphy was cracking us up as Axel Foley in the December 1984 release of “Beverly Hills Cop,” “The Dukes” were jumping cars in “Hazzard County,” and we were watching “The Facts of Life.” Apple Computer had just released the Macintosh personal computer.
In Carthage, the McClendon house had been taken to Eureka Springs Ark, after months of controversy.
Belk Simpsons department store was on the square.
The JC Penney catalog store was also in town.
The high school drama department had just completed its production of “The Wizard of Oz, staring Sonya Edwards as Dorothy.
The high school didn’t have the auditorium it currently uses. This addition didn’t come until 1989.
The auditorium in those days was a much smaller facility located on the third floor at the north end of the main building.
Molly Swingle had been named Homecoming Queen that year and the homecoming football game ended on a happy note with the Tigers defeating the Webb City Cardinals 15-6.
Mr. Robert Meeks was leading the high school band students to excellence in those days, with drum major Dennis Spille at the lead.
Dr. Charles Johnson was the superintendent of schools.
Mr. James Baumann was serving as principal while Mr. Larry Linn served as vice principal for CHS.
Construction of the then new music and band room at the junior high school topped the list of programs overseen by the school board.
The very southern edge of Carthage in those days was the Consumers grocery store. The building currently houses the Stage store and other businesses in that shopping center.
The Fairview Christian Church was located at the northwest corner of Fairview and Grand which is now home to the Salvation Army, and the building Fairview Christian now occupies was a much smaller Wal-Mart. Wendy’s restaurant was the famous “Andy’s” restaurant in those days.
Airplane hangers graced that end of town with the presence of the Carthage public airport still in operation.
A recent addition to the Carthage community in those days was the Way of Salvation Christmas lights display by the Members of the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix.
Marion Days had been celebrated for the 6th year in Carthage that year.
Precious Moments had yet to make a significant presence in Carthage, not opening until 1989.
The grade schools in town were Mark Twain, Pleasant Valley, Fairview, Eugene Field and Hawthorn. Steadley Elementary didn’t exist in 1984.
The beginning of the Christmas season at our home included the traditions of attending the Christmas parade on the square and the Laymen’s Pre-Christmas services with its big musical productions in those days.
We lived about a block away from the Vietnamese campus, therefore every year we drove through the Christmas lights on display.
Our stockings were hung on the fireplace mantel as they were every year.
Our family attended a Christmas Eve church service before coming home and having dinner.
My brother was home from his freshman year in college that year.
My two sisters were both in high school and enjoying the Christmas break.
I was in seventh grade that year.
My mom and dad always had provided many presents under the Christmas tree.
I don’t know how they did it, giving us so much.
We were a family of six.
Some years my father would read us the Christmas story that Christmas Eve night.
Being teens we were less enthralled by a visit from Santa before going to bed on Christmas Eve.
Christmas morning however, we always awoke at the crack of dawn and rushed into the family room.
Usually we each had a large present that wasn’t wrapped like the rest of the presents under the tree. It was laid out with our stockings leaning against it. The stockings were full of candy and other stuff we would make ourselves sick with eating most of it that day. We could get away with eating like that back then.
That year I remember my large gift being a sled with red metal skids and wooden slats across the top.
I had longed for a sled all year and there it sat.
We didn’t have video games at our house and I learned years later that my folks had debated giving us a collection of Atari video games for Christmas that year (yes Atari), but decided to use the money instead to help a needy family by providing them firewood to heat their home that winter.
Thank you mom and dad for having a caring heart enough to see past the juvenile wishes of us kids and pursue a higher goal by meeting the needs of others.
We didn’t need games and I treasure the knowledge of knowing the quality of character you taught us through acts like that.
When it came time to open the rest of our presents we sat in a circle around our family room while the gifts were passed out. Once everyone had all the gifts belonging to them, we started opening them beginning with my mother.
ather opened one gift. We then went around the room this way with each person opening their first gift while the others watched.
I can’t imagine that attention to detail and waiting so patiently while the family spent Christmas morning together.
Today there is so much grabbing our attention and time.
Yet, when we had gone around the entire family circle we continued in this fashion until all our gifts were opened.
This ensured for the kids that equal gift amounts were purchased each year since any discrepancies would have been noticed immediately.
We demonstrated respect for one another in the family not just during the holidays with traditions like this, but every day throughout the year too.
This courtesy was a way of life around our house.
After opening our gifts we all enjoyed a Christmas dinner together.
In a day when spending quality time with one another is a hard to accomplish goal, I am thankful for memories like Christmas Morning in our home.
I strive to pass on traditions like this to my children.
While the era can’t be recreated, the heart of family connection can be cultivated if we simply make time for what matters.
