Music of the Season, 1998, by Erica Schmidt

From MemoryArchive

Who: Erica Schmidt
What: Christmas memory
When: Around 1998
Where: Kentucky 

When I think of Christmas I think of music; the sweet sound of the music that only comes around once a year. You always know that Christmas time is coming around when you hear Jingle Bells on the radio or see 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' on the television. When I was six years old, all of these things meant the world to me. The minute I saw the first snowflake fall I was out the door and in the Christmas mood again. But there was one thing that I was missing around Christmas and when I was sick I couldn't figure out why I didn't have it. I didn't have grandparents to share my holiday memories with.

It was on a snowy day in December that I shared these thoughts with my dad. I remember that he looked at me for a long time before going into the kitchen and getting our tape player. He flipped through our many tapes and came upon one. As he popped in the tape he told me "This will help you share your memories with your grandma."

The tape started playing and the joyous Christmas tune of 'The Little Drummer Boy' came our of the speaker. This confused me at first but my dad soon explained that this was my grandmother's favorite Christmas song, and that everytime I heard it she would look down at me from heaven.

I didn't really understand at the time, but now that I am older and have come to terms with not having my grandparents this song has become a source of comfort for me during the holiday season. This memory makes me feel special, and reminds me that someone is always watching over me.