My Best Christmas Gift as a Child

Robin is my doll sitting there with her blonde braids. I received her from Santa when I was seven years old. We lived in Yakima, Washington back then. The year was 1954. I am the third born of 8 children. At that juncture there were only six of us. My grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins visited us. They were all from Spokane. My Robin was the very last gift under the tree and no one knew the box was there, because it wasn't wrapped in gift wrap. It was simply in a pale green shoe box of some sort. But ever vigilant I, saw that box, took it to Mother and asked about it. She was most amazed and said it was something for me from Santa, and evidently he failed to wrap it! Well, I have played and played with that doll.

When I was a teenager my father was transferred to Battle Creek, Michigan, home of Kellogg's cereals for whom he worked. By now we lived in Portland, Oregon, and there were now the full 8 of us. The eldest was 20 and the youngest, 1 and a half. My eldest sister was already married and on her own. She was so devastated when we all left Portland. I am sad when I think of it.

Daddy was elated that now he was moving to "headquarters", so one day while Mother was at work, as an RN at St. Vincent's Hospital, he took loads of stuff to the dump. Yep, that was what it was called then. And guess what he took? ALL of the toys any of us kids ever had managed to save down through the years, except for my Robin, because I always kept her in her pale green shoe box in a dresser drawer.

The old toys had been stored in the garage and so he assumed none of this stuff was worth keeping. My Teddy bear was thrown out that day. My bride doll was too. The high chair that all 8 children had used was thrown out. Mother was beyond livid.

And yet, Daddy was a sweet person. He just did not want to take so very much stuff to headquarters. Tee hee.

It was in beautiful, Marshall, Michigan where we settled and where I eventually met and married my true love, Gregory LeFever. The Teddy bear sitting next to my Robin is his Cuddles and was his from the time he was six weeks old.

So there you have it!