Don Canney

Some of us remember these lyrics from the Bing Crosby tune “Count Your Blessings,” sung in the 1954 hit movie White Christmas. It reminds us that despite the many troubles and misfortunes we may face, we still have blessings for which to be thankful.

While browsing a gift shop in Ogunquit, ME, recently, a piece of wall art caught my attention. It read: “Having a place to go is home, having someone to love is family, having both is a blessing.” It made me think, especially during this holiday season, how profoundly those words ring, particularly when we consider today’s tragic news stories and our inability, even after a full year with vaccines, to lick this Covid menace.

Some of us are lucky enough to experience the true meaning of those words; some of us, unfortunately are not. But in many ways, we are all blessed with memories.

Think back. Remember Mom telling you to go to sleep or Santa won’t come? Ever wonder how Santa got in the house, especially if you didn’t have a chimney? Remember leaving a carrot for Rudolph and cookies for Santa and being amazed when bites were missing from each on Christmas morning? Remember dreaming of that favorite toy you wanted for Christmas?

I remember growing up in the ’60’s in our small Cedar Street flat hoping for a Whirlybird (a helicopter from a TV show of the times) or a Big-T, an assemble-it-yourself hot rod. Friends were asking Santa for Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots, GI Joe, Tonka trucks or Battleship games. Girls hoped for a Chatty Kathy, Barbie, or Easy Bake Oven. Play-Doh, Slinky (I can still hear that commercial’s jingle playing in my head as it walked downstairs), Mr. Potato Head and Etch-a-Sketch were other popular toys. Remember the Duncan yo-yo craze? You were super cool if you could do a loop-de-loop, walk the dog, or rock the cradle. I was quite good at tangling the string around my fingers.

Remember hunting for that favorite Christmas tree and getting it home only to have to lop some off the top to fit it in the living room? And trimming the tree was always lots of fun. We used decorations that today would be considered “retro.” When is the last time you saw tinsel for sale in a store? We also referred to it as the “icicles.” There was the proper way to apply them (single strands perfectly placed at a time) and then there was my way, heaving a clump of them on the tree from a distance. And the angel hair (fiberglass)? Ouch! Was your tree top an angel or a star? I’ve seen some topped with a finial, sort of a spire-like glass piece.

If the tree had a “bare spot” you would just save the largest ornament as a safety net, or even plop a favorite Christmas card in there. Or simply turn the tree with the bare spot facing the wall or window. Who’s gonna see it anyway? This was long before trees were perfectly cultivated, stood not so sturdily on a wooden “X,” and were purchased at a local gas station for under five bucks.

During the holiday season, we think back of the many good times we’ve had, but are also reminded of the not-so-good times. Some have lost loved ones, but some have welcomed new loved ones. Some have lost jobs, but some have found new, more exciting opportunities. Despite the political disagreements and infighting we see daily in the media, we can still worship freely, work, live or play where we choose, elect our leaders, and express our opinions. Many people in this world only dream of that.

Here’s hoping that next year, we can look back and talk about a pandemic that we eradicated, in a world that is more unified, with hunger and homelessness being on its way to joining the pandemic in that eradicated category.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka, Happy Kwanza (Habari gani) and may we all be able to heed Mr. Crosby’s words while we count our blessings instead of sheep.

Don Canney is a freelance writer and professional voice artist. He was born and raised in downtown Nashua with great interest in Nashua history circa 1950-1970. He now resides in Litchfield.