Longboaters recall the memories and mishaps of Holidays past

Christmas greeting cards portray idyllic images of warm fires, lit-up Christmas trees surrounded by neatly wrapped gifts, families singing around the piano and friends enjoying a cup of cheer.

What they don’t show are the behind-the-scenes preparations that made those treasured moments happen. From fussy toddlers who won’t stand still for one picture to naked Christmas trees, Longboat Key residents shared their wacky, whimsical, and heartfelt holiday memories with the Longboat Observer.

The greatest gift of all

We were blessed with the birth of our first daughter at 1:43 a.m. Christmas Eve, 1964. A special memory we will always remember.

- Lenny DiStefano

 A True Holiday [Crime] Story

It was Christmas Eve in Livingston, N.J. I was 7 years old, and my parents and I were heading out for Friday night dinner. In preparation for holiday visits to my grandmothers the next day, we left two identically wrapped gifts on the kitchen table.

When we returned later that evening, we instantly knew something was wrong. Searching the house, we quickly discovered that our back door had been smashed in, and robbers had gone through the house. A lengthier survey in the company of our local police revealed that only two things had been stolen — the wrapped presents for my grandmothers. We shared some relief, and a laugh at how the thieves would react when they opened two bottles of “My Sin” perfume on Christmas morning.

I’d like to say there were two new, sheepish faces in the church that Sunday, but that would be embellishment.

- Ken Schneier

Hanging memories

We have a little tree that we put up every year (in Design 2000) for the holidays, and we decorate with a lot of the ornaments that I’ve brought back from my travels abroad and that customers have brought us from faraway locations. We had a customer for several years, Mary Roca. Well, for several years she would bring us these wonderful ornaments from a charity that she was fond of in Chatham, Mass. We’ve got these ornaments, and now that she’s passed away, it’s a fond memory of her. When I was decorating the tree, I was thinking of her. It always reminds us of people who were special to us.

- Irina LaRose

Cooking up memories

As restaurant owners, the holidays can be an especially busy time of year. Yet, through all the chaos, the Christmas spirit always shines through. We felt it most when the kids were little. Our two kids, Hal and Eric, along with Kate Arpke, whose parents Ray and D’Arcy own Euphemia Haye, would spend Christmas Eve with my parents, Ed and Clarice Schetter. Mom and Dad would fill the kids and anyone else orphaned or not for Christmas Eve with treats and love. We loved spending the evening with our guests and staff at work, but as any parent can tell you, we were counting down the minutes until we could join our kids as they eagerly awaited Santa. As soon as we locked the restaurant doors, we would join Ray and D’Arcy at the Schetters’ where the cup of Christmas cheer was always overflowing with our friends and family.

- Lynn Christensen
 

Doggone good presents

The only memory I can think of: We’ve always had dogs, and I had a dog that always looked forward to Christmas as much as we did and was really good at unwrapping presents. But they knew which presents were for them and they would only unwrap their presents. But he would undo the bow, then undo the paper very carefully. 

I have no willpower when it comes to turkey and mashed potatoes.

- Tom Harmer

And to all a goodnight

Still in high school, Ann Marie and I fell in love, and that love extended itself to summers on Fire Island, in New York. One day, we would call Fire Island our home. How kids can dream!

Fast forward to 1983. As homeowners in Ocean Beach, we are spending our very first Christmas on Fire Island. Still without a permit to drive, we took the last ferry to the mainland to enjoy dinner and attend church. Our arranged ride back was a no-show!

Hitchhiking back to the beach in sub-zero weather on Christmas Eve was never the plan. After what seemed like hours in the numbing cold, we finally caught a ride. Having left lights on, our home was now pitch black and there were no street lights. A transformer blew and with temps sub-zero our dream home was now 25 degrees inside.

A frenzy ensued to light candles and the fireplace. Thawing out a bit, we broke out the bubbly, threw more blankets on and settled down by the fire. Johnny Mathis was softly crooning “I’ll be home for Christmas” on the portable. With snow lightly drifting past the windows, we toasted and cuddled by the crackling fire. As for Ann Marie and Ed, twas a very good night.

-Ed Krepela

 An act of kindness

My family has operated a retail Christmas tree sales lot and commercial decorating service for 76 continuous years in St. Louis. Approximately 30 years ago, I was installing a 9-foot fresh evergreen wreath on the front of a commercial building in a shopping center. I was sitting on top of the wall on the face of a retail store. I was adjusting the cable that was suspending the large wreath, when a passerby who was walking into the store looked up and yelled out frantically, “Don’t jump mister! It can’t be that bad” Well, after a moment I realized he did not have any idea what I was trying to accomplish, and I began to laugh, and I yelled back “It’s OK, thank you for your concern.” I don’t know if you can visualize what took place, but it was an act of kindness.

- Kirt Bopp

Capturing chaos

This happened last week as I was trying to get a good family portrait for my daughter, Randi. I do these pretty often year round for clients. This was the second full shoot of THREE that day trying to get ONE good one. Carlin, the 2-year-old, who is an absolute doll, would run out of the picture, turn her face away from me, or cover her face somehow. She was being very playful and laughing BUT very powerful and was winning ... This was our favorite of all of them! We will remember this!

- Mary Lou Johnson

A very naked Christmas tree

While living up in New Jersey one year, we took a small business trip the day after we put up our first live tree. When we got home, every needle fell off the tree, and we had our first naked Christmas tree. From then on, they are fully clothed in artificial boughs.

- Bob Nosal and Bob Trisolini

A little too late

Before I entered my semi-retirement in Florida, I pastored a large church in Michigan. The church complex sat on a 42-acre site, gifted by a generous benefactor, with a home for the pastor’s family some 500 feet to the west. One Christmas Eve, after we had completed our five worship services and everyone had gone home, I returned to church around 2 a.m. to retrieve something I had forgotten — perhaps a cake that needed refrigeration and couldn’t be left until morning. Halfway across the west parking lot, I saw a car race into the church grounds. Seeing me, the driver pulled up and rather frantically asked, “Father, what time is Midnight Mass?” I gently suggested that 2 a.m. was a little late for a midnight service! As he raced off, he left me reflecting on the sadness he obviously felt of leaving things too late and missing out on the joy of a Christmas celebration.

- The Rev. Norman Pritchard

 Dreaming of a white Christmas

This is our first Christmas here. Christmas snow in the North, a white Christmas.

- Joyce and Bob Mazurek

Lighting up the night

The lighting of the docks (at Longboat Harbour). We would all sing and meet Santa and have egg nog, some alcohol and some not, and then come back to the clubhouse.

- Maureen Shea and Carole Zicherman

 Embarrassing but somewhat funny holiday

It was the late 1970s and we were a family of six. Needless to say our family, social and business schedules were best described as a maze.

In late December, we invited our parents for one of Sylvia's most elaborate and scrumptious holiday dinners. Just before our parents arrived, we remembered we accepted an invite to our friends' dinner party on the same evening.

Remembering family comes first, we called our good friends and asked them a favor to extend their cocktails and hors d'oeuvres so that we could be on time for dinner.

- Irwin Pastor

 Dressing up

When I was a little girl, my mom made most of my clothes. She sewed identical outfits for my favorite doll at Christmas. When I found them under the tree, I assumed they came from Santa. I must have believed big time!

-Jan Cady

Almost the real Santa Claus

He played the role of Santa Claus at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis back in 1982, and he’ll never forget the look on the children’s faces when he greeted them in many different languages such as German, French, Spanish, and even Hindi (he speaks just enough to bring smiles!). They thought he was the “real” Santa!  

He also has a note from the Child Life specialist thanking him for being such a great Santa, with special mention of what he said to a preschool girl with soft, sparsely grown-in hair from chemotherapy. He gently touched her head and told her it was “soft as a reindeer’s.” She proudly repeated this when she was teased by others about her hair from then on.

- Phil Cady

Brothers and Barbies

I have four sons. My two youngest woke up and came in [my room] crying and screaming because they had opened gifts that their brothers put out for them [knowing they would wake up early and sneak to open gifts] and they were Barbie dolls borrowed from the neighbor.

- Peggy Costello

Reunited for the holidays 

In 1984 I was booked on a flight from London to New York to meet Diana, Princess of Wales at F.A.O. Schwarz where she was visiting a British Exhibition. My mission was to deliver personally a custom-made Bear for her son Prince William. 

After boarding the plane I couldn't find Bear. He must be at the gate. Frantically I asked a stewardess to rescue him. Word came back, Bear was OK and being rushed down the jetway. Waiting by the plane door I watched in horror as it closed. Bear was jumping up and down outside. 

The door could not be re-opened. How maddening to be separated from Bear by only a door. A visit to the cockpit was necessary. I pleaded with the captain. Bear was frantic. 

However, Christmas-spirited passengers saved the day. They clapped and cheered until the big heavy door swung open. Bear and I were re-united. 

- Jack Wilson