Christmas Eve Memories

Our dad passed away, Dec 28^th 2006. This Christmas will be our second Christmas without dad. Dad had a song for everything. No matter what someone said, it would remind dad of a song and dad would immediately start singing it.

For example: About a month before dad passed away, mom and I took dad to the VeteransHospital for surgery. After surgery dad was taken to recovery for about 2 hours. Dad was very weak, groggy and in much pain when a nurse came in to take dad to his room. The nurse slid dad over to another hospital bed on wheels and told mom and I to follow.

As the nurse was pushing dad in his bed down the hall, the nurse said, “Mr.Dorrmann, I want to warn you, we are about to roll over a HUGE bump.” Immediately dad rose up and in a strong hefty voice started singing, “When your heart goes bumpity bump, its love, love, love! When you feel like you’re in a slump, its love, love, love!

We all laughed and laughed. Dad loved to sing. Neither the pain nor the weakness from the surgery was going to stop dad from singing a song.

So I’m dedicating this hub to our dad.

On Christmas Eve, when we kids were very young, dad would cut down or buy a live Christmas tree. Mom, George, Sherrie and I prepared the living room. George brought the Christmas ornaments and decorations down out of the attic. We laughed and played as we decorated the living room. 

After dad came home and set up the Christmas tree, we sang Christmas songs while stringing the tree with many strands of brightly colored lights. 

Next we gently placed the golden garland on the ends of the Christmas tree branches as we paraded around the tree. Then we carefully hung the many dazzling Christmas ornaments on our tree. 

Last we set the wooden manger that dad had made next to the Christmas tree. We put baby Jesus in His Crib. Then we put Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, wise guys, and sheep in the manger. Dad would add the finishing touch by placing a star above the manger, representing the star that guided the wise men to “Him who was to be born king of the Jews”. 

After decorating the Christmas tree, it was usually dark outside and Dad would say, “Let’s go for a drive to town and see the Baby Jesus in the Manger. Who knows, maybe Santa might come while we are gone”. George, Sherrie and I would giggle and jump for joy. 

Then mom would yawn and say, “Oh, I’m so tired and I have a terrible headache. Why don’t you all go on without me? I think I’ll lie down and try to get some rest, then maybe I can get rid of this terrible headache and feel better later” Then mom would hold her head as she slowly walked down the hallway toward the bedroom. 

Quickly, we kids would put on our coats and start running toward the front door. Then dad would say “Wait!!! Don’t ya think we should leave some kind of a treat for Santa, just in case he would happen to come while we are gone?” 

So Dad, George, Sherrie and I would take off like a shot. One of us would grab a plate and fill it full of homemade Christmas Cookies. Another one would grab a glass out of the kitchen cabinet, run to the refrigerator and fill the glass with milk. George would put the plate of cookies and glass of milk on the kitchen table for Santa Claus, in case he might be hungry. After all, he would use a lot of energy delivering all those presents and placing them under our Christmas tree. 

Then Dad, George, Sherrie and I would run outside and jump in the car for our anticipated Christmas Eve drive. As soon as Dad turned the ignition on, he would start singing Silent Night, Holy Night, and we all joined in.

As we were singing and riding in the car, we enjoyed looking at the many homes decorated with various colors of brightly shining Christmas Lights. We would see many beautifully lighted and decorated Christmas trees though the front windows of homes. Sometimes there would be a lighted manger scene or Santa Clause in his sleigh full of brightly colored presents led by 8 tiny reindeer. 

Along the way, dad stopped and parked the car on Hamilton Avenue in front of Young’s Funeral Home in Mt Healthy. We burst with excitement when we saw the huge brightly lit up manger in the front yard. We would jump out of the car and race over to the manger. 

There we marveled at the human sized figurines of the little Lord Jesus in a crib filled with hay, Mary and Joseph hovered over little Baby Jesus in adoration as Jesus lay in the crib wrapped in swaddling clothes. Baby Jesus was surrounded by bright lights, shepherds, wise men, angels and stars. The live donkeys and cows were gathered around Little Lord Jesus as they were eating their hay. 

We would lean on the fence as we gazed in wonderment at this beautiful replica of the birthplace of Jesus and what it may have looked like on that very First Christmas night in Bethlehem. 

Dad would sing “O come all ye faithful ….O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”

A little while later dad said, “I wonder if your mom’s feeling any better. Think we should go home and check on mom. Do you think maybe Santa stopped by?” 

Our eyes would get big as saucers, we would shout ‘yes’ and with excitement we would make a dash for the car. George was always the first one in the car. With great enthusiasm, we would say, “Hurry dad, faster, faster, drive at the speed of light. We gotta get home and check on Santa.” 

Off we would go. As we drove away from the manger scene, Dad would start singing “Away in a Manger no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head” and we would all join in. 

We sang with dad all the way home with great anticipation that Santa may have been there and may have left us beautifully wrapped presents under the Christmas tree.

Finally, about 20 minutes later we pulled into the driveway. As soon as dad parked, we blasted out of the car into the house. The first thing we saw was that some of Santa’s cookies and milk were missing. Yes!!! Alright!!! 

Then we charged into the living room and shouted with delight, “Wow!!! Santa was here!!! Look at all the beautifully wrapped presents under the Christmas tree!!!” 

Mom would come stumbling out of the bedroom down the hallway, rubbing her eyes. As she stretched out her arms and yawned she would say “What‘s going on out here?” 

We would yell, “Santa came! Santa came while we were gone! Look Mom! See at all the presents under our Christmas tree! Santa was here and you slept through it all.” 

Dad handed out the presents and sang, Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer.

I remember the anticipation and excitement of opening the beautifully wrapped Christmas presents and spending hours playing with our new toys and enjoying all our gifts. 

After all the presents were opened, Mom would make sandwiches and serve her homemade Creamy Chocolate Fudge and many varieties of scrumptious Christmas Cookies. 

After eating our feast, Dad would start singing “Joy to the World the Lord has come” and many other joyous songs of Christmas. We all joined in singing with dad, enjoying each other and loving every moment of celebrating the birth of Our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ, and receiving the wonderful gifts of Christmas Eve.

Even though cancer has taken Dad to Heaven, and I’ve had my battle with cancer, I can still hear dad leading us in singing many, many of the marvelous, heart warming Christmas Songs that we still enjoy today with our children and our grandchildren.

We miss you dad and love you. Till we meet again.