A little over a week ago, I played a spoken piece I did back in 2005 when I was part of The Heather & Ray Show on WCFR in my hometown of Springfield, VT.
That recording, Santa’s Secret, was based on a poem, but the day after recording it, I once again found myself with a few spare moments before the show began so I decided to record another piece; this one recorded extemporaneously with no planned notes.
I had seen a commercial on television the night before, one of those “your kids MUST have this!” sales pitches, implying that your child’s life would be useless if they didn’t get it.
The next morning, that commercial was still on my mind. I hit the “record” button and just started talking and then added a music background.
I still feel the same way.
Christmas Memories … That’s What We’re All About
Play button is on the left … Volume slider is on the right
Christmas In My Hometown
Ray, for those of us who grew up in a different time, life was much less complicated. That small town of Springfield sure did give us a slew of wonderful and lasting memories. Granted it wasn’t always simple and forthcoming, but it was definitely much more “personal” and we appreciated having what we did! It was what it was, and we learned how to live with whatever we were given. It wasn’t a “must have” feeling for most of us, it was a THANK YOU for the little things! Today more than ever, the loss of being able to spend in person time with our families is the biggest hurdle for many, and for me THAT is all I truly want. A phone call these days lifts my spirits immensely – thus back to the simple things! They are the true meaning of love and simple expectations. With that said, even though somedays I can’t remember what I was doing an hour ago (LOL)…. I will ALWAYS remember our hometown! Merry Christmas to you and your family Ray! And God Bless
Thank you, Suzanne.
Although those days are gone forever, I still carry the memories of what they were and I still wish people everywhere could get back to understanding and appreciating what this magical time of year is all about.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Well Ray you hit the nail right on the head with this piece. I grew up in a small town and still live in it but things have changed for sure. I am part of a large family, there were 7 kids, and in a socio-economic way we were poor. In the more important way, in love, we were rich beyond compare. We didn’t think of ourselves as poor. Looking back now I don’t know how my parents did it. They raised us to love one another and to care for our neighbors. It wasn’t complicated, it was simple, practice the Golden Rule.
I often think of my Grandmother who traveled by horse drawn trolly and live to see a man walk on the moon. With all the scientific advances the basic rules of civility never change. We lived without computers, cell phones & fancy, fast cars and somehow survived. You can say we didn’t know what we were missing but I think I know…Nothing!
Thank you Ray for this reminder of the days gone by and what they meant to us. Hopefully we can by example bring back some of the wonderful practices of our youth.
Thank you, Don.
And yet another connection between us. I grew up with seven sisters and one brother. It was, at times, a madhouse with all of the flurry but there was never a time when we didn’t love and appreciate each other. It was, as most homes were at the time, a one-income family, but none of us ever believed we were missing out on the important things.
My mother, God bless her soul, made each of one us feel so special. It could not have been easy for either of my parents but they never complained. They brought us into the world and they took that responsibility very seriously.
You’re right, it was all about LOVE.
How about that, I have 1 sister and 5 brothers. I tell my wife that I married her because she had one older sister and her twin. I said I had enough of boys and wanted to have girls. So what happened, we had 3 boys in 3 years and 17 years later I got my girl.
I am pretty sure we must be bizzaro Brothers.
After seven sisters, I wound up with two daughters (no regrets about that!) and each one of them presented me with the granddaughters but two, count ’em, two, grandsons!
Oh, we’re brothers, no doubt about it!
Your two spoken pieces at Christmas will always be valuable treasures in my heart! XOXOXOXO
Thank you, Wendyl ❤️
Maybe someday I’ll do another one. 🙂
XOXOXOXO
Ray, thank you for the trip back in time, to a time when things were simpler, and the memories were very strong. I also grew up in a family of six children, and I am off and shaking my head and wondered how in the world my parents did it. This was such a wonderful piece, and certainly entertaining with that wonderful voice of yours. It’s always a good reminder to pause and reflect on things that will never be again, but they were important enough, to remember. Thank you thank you, and merry Christmas to you and your family, With much prosperity and happiness in the new year.
Thank you, Sandy.
We lived in a very special era, one that taught us what was really important.
Merry Christmas, young lady and I hope 2021 is a very special year for you. 🙂
Tears Ray!! Merry Christmas!!
Thank you, Fred. ❤️
Merry Christmas!
So true and your thoughts and words are inspiring. A return to peace on earth good will toward all would go a long way in beginning a needed healing and rebuilding of the important values of our nation
Thank you, Mary Helen. ❤️
We can only hope the nation and indeed the entire world comes to their senses before it is too late.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Listening to this on Christmas morning Ray…I so agree that we’ve lost the spirit of the season. Christmas was so different for us growing up. It was about family and faith …many homes had a creche as the focal point if their decorations… We got packages from relatives and it didn’t matter what was inside …it was a package. I’m afraid younger generations miss out on so much because they focus on the wrong things …and I feel we are in part the cause of the problem. We wanted more for our children …and forgot how much we really had. We.!just share the important values we learned from our parents …that is the best gift we can give our grandchildren. Merry Christmas my friend. And thank you for reminding us of what really important in this life.
Barbara, we have the same memories of Christmas past, as do, I suspect, our children, As I said in my recording, something has changed in our current society and it isn’t for the better.
It IS all about values. We must not give up hope. We must not stop trying to teach them to our grandchildren.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Another lump in my throat. We have lost so much, and I see more loss on the horizon. So we need people like you to remind us of what Christmas really means. It is heart breaking to think that our children’s children may never know the true magic of Christmas. Thank you for sharing your memories and thoughts and reminding us…Christmas is love.
Thank you, Donna. Love is always the answer and never more so than at Christmas. ❤️