"... if Only in My Dreams"

I like the old Christmas song - the version by Bing Crosby - I'll Be Home for Christmas. The song ends, "I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams."

1904 Elim Avenue in Zion will always be home for me, and when I think of memorable Christmases, I think of this one. I think it's 1957, and I call it my "fire truck Christmas." What a great present! I loved it. For some reason I remember that Uncle George and Aunt Lilah gave it to me. I will never forget that night. Straight across the room from where I am is the fireplace, and Daddy put a fire in it that night. So I played fire truck all night, in front of the fireplace, running the hook 'n' ladder truck right up the fireplace screen. The tanker had a hose that you could actually have water in it - but I wasn't allowed to do that in the house. (I don't know how they expected me to put out a fire without water!)

Well, it was a tough night and fighting fires on Christmas Eve was obviously exhausting, even if its make believe. Years latter, son Jeffrey would sometime crawl off and fall asleep in unusual places, like under the table or buffet. Must be genetic. This wasn't the only time I did this.

David and Mary Beth will remember that carpet. We had it a long time. I don't remember this myself, but from the pictures, we also had it in the house on 50th Street in Milwaukee. But do you guys remember that flower stand in the lower right of the picture? We must have given that to Gramma Haubrich, because I remember seeing that in her living room in Kenosha for long after that.

Anyway - this is one of my favorite Christmas memories and Christmas pictures.