I would rather give a monetary gift to those

They spent the summers collecting and canning many jars of food for the winter. We had cows for milk and butter, meat for the table, and chickens for eggs. Kind of self-sufficient. My folks came from Germany with their clothes on their back and couldn't speak the language — yet they made it.

We got no food stamps, or welfare, and there were no government hand outs. So, our Christmases were unlike today. For presents we kids got gloves, a stocking cap, shoes or a warm coat, and we were thrilled to get them.

Unlike today, toys were pretty well out of the question. I am amazed at the expensive toys the kids of today get and I don't think they are appreciated as much as we were with our meager gifts. Go to a home today with kids a few days or week after Christmas, and see broken toys scattered all over the house, in the yard, and often covered with snow until spring.

I buy few if any gifts. I would rather give a monetary gift to those who are less fortunate than I am. Instead, I enjoy making my own Christmas cards from pictures I take on the farm. I them take them to the store for processing. I make 150 for my many friends and relatives.

My cards all say, "Merry Christmas," no season greetings, or happy holidays. I believe in keeping "Christ" in Christmas — after all, Jesus is the reason for the season. People call me and say they kept all the cards I ever made over the last 20 years or so.

The Christmas Eve service is special to us at Trinity Lutheran of Glen Savage. The little kids sing, "Away in the Manger" and other songs, then each has a recitation followed by a skit in costumes. Then there is the adult choir, singing carols, after that our Pastor Paul Yanke has the Christmas message. He teaches the word of God in its truth and purity. We Missouri Lutherans sometimes are called the "strict" Lutherans. We do not go along with churches that support abortion, same sex marriage, or the ordination of gay clergy, all which is clearly defined in the Bible. Pastor Paul may step on a few toes in these matters, but so be it. Bless you Pastor Paul!

Kids' styles were almost like adults'. The most popular designer of that era was Uncle Sam. We went directly from patched blue jeans and high-top, black tennis shoes to army-style cargo-pants and black combat boots with buckles on the top. The winter coats were wool, and scarves, ear muffs and army-green wool gloves plus knit-tassel caps with a yarn ball on the top were all the rage.

I'll admit that I had a few affectations in those days, nothing like I do today. For example, I wanted my blue jeans to have noticeably ironed creases in the front, and I loved to wear button-down-collar shirts. It was not unusual for me to wear long underwear, but these cotton long johns were always white, and I really hated when they showed in the space between my socks and my pants cuffs or rolled up blue jeans. So, I remember spending a lot of time pulling down on my pants or pulling up on my socks.

A few weeks before Christmas, my dad always managed to buy the craziest looking Christmas tree on the lot. It was usually a long-needled Scotch pine tree that always lost half of its needles by the third day of its inside existence. We had shiny, bright, very fragile glass ornaments, and boxes of lead-based icicles that we placed on the branches one-by-one, by hand, until they produced a delicate icy look. Mom and dad were responsible for stringing the lights and supervising the hanging of the balls and controlling the meticulous stringing of the icicles. Some hand-strung popcorn, and an outsized white angel topped off the decorations along with a fluffy cotton, snow-like tree skirt casually wrapped around the trunk.

Our wish lists were relatively modest with requests for things like Lincoln Logs or Block City (a precursor to Legos), a Winky Dink and You with Magic Kit (plastic screen/crayons/eraser), and a truck or some plastic toy soldiers. Of course grandmothers came through with a little cash and underwear, and aunts always provided at least one or two pairs of argyle socks.

My paper route customers gave me some handkerchiefs, a 50-cent piece here or there and plenty of hot chocolate. Expectations were carefully managed by my mom who would say, "Nicky, don't expect much from Mrs. Musser or Mrs. Coter because they are living on their Social Security checks just like your grandmothers."

I'm not sure how much Social Security checks were in those days, but if I got a $5 bill from my Italian grandparents, it was an enormous gift. My English/Scot- Irish grandmother was even more frugal with gifts that came from her change purse because she had so many grandkids, but it was the thought that counted, and even as little kids we knew not to expect much in the way of cash from our elders.