Christmas Past

Kost Radio has been playing Christmas songs since Dec 1, and when I get aggravated with Talk Radio, I turn it on and sing along, when I can. Sometimes I don't recognize the song or the singer. Yesterday, I heard Johnny Mathis' "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas." Words & Music by Meredith Wilson, 1951. (can you believe he has been singing for 50 years?) Now that is a song I know, and I have heard all the recordings over the years, Johnny's is my favorite.

***************

One of the lines is: "A pair of Hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots Is the wish of Barney and Ben; "and that really had the memories going for the rest of my commute. Because that was my wish too. Now Hopalong Cassidy is one of the first television shows that I can remember since it was on late afternoon. Forget Uncle Miltie, I wasn't allowed to stay up that late. Anyhoose, Hoppy was my first celebrity crush. He often was in the Rose Parade during the 50's and somewhere in the box of my mom's pictures there is one they took one of him bending down and shaking my hand when I was 5 or 6. I was thrilled, didn't come down for days.

***************

It may have been that Christmas that I got my cowboy boots, and hat and a cardboard replica of his horse Topper. It was a sandwich board contraption that had straps that hung from your shoulders and in my vivid imagination I was riding with Hopalong. Imagine my despair when I carelessly left it out side and it rained. I woke up to a pulpy mess and was inconsolable. I am sure my folks had sent away for it with a boxtop offer of some kind so it was irreplacable, even if they had the money. Now a days we could go to Ebay to find one so our children won't be disappointed, but I received a lesson from my folks when I was so disappointed at my loss. You have to take care of the things that are important to you. Well I out grew the boots and hat and the crush. However, at my age it only takes a picture or a line from a song to make the memories start to flow.