A few years back I had the opportunity to go inside my old house growing up at 6142 Olympia. The house was being remodeled and the door was open and no one was living there so I took Sarah for a visit.
Walking through the house, the area that I remember most vividly was the front room where we placed our Christmas tree each year. We lived in that house through the 5th grade for me (1976) and always had the tree in that same place. We used to have Christmas home movies and I can picture us unwrapping the presents since our custom then was to open them on Christmas Day (preferably in the pre-dawn hours about 6:30 a.m.!)
I recall my sister Elizabeth decorating the tree one year by hanging several balls on the lighting wires. It was a nice touch seeing the wire sag under the weight.
When I was about 8, I received a fine present of a hand made workbench by my grandfather who I called "Pawpaw". He had the Cadillac of workbenches in his garage as far as I was concerned and spent a lot of time there. He had all the tools and all the gear.
He made a workbench for me sized for an 8 year old boy. It had some tools with it: a screwdriver, a small hammer. And most importantly, little jars with the top nailed on the top shelf of the bench to keep nails and screws in, just like he had. He obviously had noticed that I admired his bench and he decided to make one custom for me.
Entirely hand made - he must had started early to finish it in time - brought it from Beaumont to Houston in his car - sized for me at that age - no buying something off a store shelf for him. What an effort he made!
I had that bench out in the garage until we moved. I am sure I grew bigger than it and it became a little small. But I do recall it being there until we moved. You can imagine it was built to last.
I have my own bench now. My friend Dale made it for me when we lived in Houston in the 90s. Sometimes it seems it just is a place to put things on, but I do enjoy using it now and then for working on something. Pawpaw's work made an impression!
Here is a nice holiday memory video from Darius Rucker about a memorable present when he was 12. Who knows whose life will be changed on Christmas Day?
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