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The Oglethorpe Echo
Thursday, December 21, 2023
Memories of a family Christmas
By Frank Waters
We all try to gather with those
who we love most this time of
year. We eat, drink, exchange
presents and get reacquainted.
I had written a Christmas mem
ory and sent it to a couple of my
cousins a few years ago. Although
I don???t remember the complete
structure, this is another version
of my memories.
My father???s mother lived in
the Heardmont community of El
bert County. She was a widow and
aged. In the mid-1960s, my dad
and his three brothers built her a
simple, small, three-room house
out of cinder block and wood. The
house was located in the side yard
of my Uncle J.D.
Every Christmas, we would
gather at that little block house for
the annual ???Christmas Tree??? as we
called it.
It was the gathering of Granny
Waters??? four sons and their fami
lies. J.D and his wife Janelle and
their children Susanne, David and
Steve. Sam and his wife Sue and
their children Pam, Dwayne and
Jimmy. DeWitt and his wife Mae
and their children, Debbie and
Cheryl. Billy and his wife Bet
ty Jean and their children Pam
and Frankie. Sometimes, Bob, our
cousin from Ohio, his wife Cook
ie and their son Brett (Tonto)
would come.
It was a wonderful and magi
cal time. Everyone would gath
er in that little house. It seemed it
would burst wide open with all the
people, food and laughter. Kids
running around and playing, tales,
tall and wild, of the Waters??? broth
er???s childhoods abound.
Once the Good Lord was asked
to bless the feast, we dug in. I
couldn???t believe that anybody in
the whole world ever had that
much food.
After we ate, it was time to
open presents.
Someone got to be Santa Claus
and pass out the presents. At
times, I wondered if they would
ever get to mine.
The thing is, I can???t remember
a single gift I ever got. I remem
ber the joy and happiness I felt. It
seemed the whole house was bur
ied in wrapping paper and love.
After we cleaned up, we kids
went outside to play with new
toys. The mischievous boys would
harass and terrorize the girls. It???s
what we did, after all.
The men and women folk sat
inside drinking coffee and con
versing. Ultimately, the Waters
brothers would get into a heated
discussion of their interpretations
of the Bible.
You would think they were
about to come to blows. It was
just their way.
That scared the heck out of me
the first time I saw it.
The women folk just sat back
and shook their heads at their stub
born husbands. In the end, they
would be laughing and joking as if
nothing had ever happened.
After all the celebrating, fel
lowshipping, eating, playing,
laughing and crying, it was time
to load up in the family car for
the drive home. Most of the time,
my dad would have to carry my
sleeping form from the car to my
bed.
I would awake the next morn
ing, sad it was over, but happy in
knowing we would do it all over
again next year.
The years moved on, Gran
ny died and the kids grew up and
started our own lives. The ???Christ
mas Tree??? gathering slipped into
obscurity.
Now, we kids celebrate with
our own children and grandchil
dren. All the brothers are gone
now. Celebrating in Heaven with
those who went on before.
I miss that little cinder block
house. It held so much more than
a family gathering. It held the
hopes and dreams of an entire
generation of Waters descendants.
I also miss my Granny, my
aunts and uncles, my mom and
dad. I miss my cousins from that
little house so long ago and, seem
ingly, so far away.
I hope this Christmas finds you
with your families and friends,
having your own gathering, mak
ing wondrous memories that one
day, you can look back on and
cherish.
A most Merry Christmas to you
all.
Frank Waters grew up in
Oglethorpe County and graduat
ed from OCHS in 1977. He lives
in Crawford.
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
(fromfoglethorpe County Farm Bureau
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^ untilWednesdayfiDecember* 2 7tth
Closed Moi^^^anuary 1st
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*
Striving for the veiy highest levels in excellence in all that we do.
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