This Side of the Creek

I remember when I was a child and I anticipated a loose tooth falling out. That meant the Tooth Fairy would visit, I would be rich and all would be well (despite the hole(s) in my mouth). I particularly remember one time standing on the toilet and looking into a mirror trying to pull four loose teeth all in the same night. I was persistent and I succeeded. The Tooth Fairy came and I was happy for what seemed like months.

I was in the second grade when my two front teeth fell out and from that point on, “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth,” was my new favorite holiday jingle. I would sing it in all four seasons; not just at Christmas. Eventually, I got those teeth, but have no idea whether it was during the holidays.

I also had this weird childhood habit of singing “Away in a Manger” every time my dad drove us down a road lined with sequoia trees and we passed the radio tower. It wasn’t a habit at first. Rather, it wasn’t until two of my older sisters started yelling at me to shut up that I began to sing the song every single time we passed the tower. I still think of that when I head down that road on occasion.

I had a list of Christmas songs I enjoyed; others not so much. I even had a sing-a-long video where a ball would bounce over each word and I’d sit there for hours singing. My mom is a snow-lover so “White Christmas” played many times in our house as well. But her favorite holiday tune is still “Little Drummer Boy.”

What about you? If you celebrate the season, what are some of your favorite holiday/Christmas songs, carols, jingles, hymns? If you don’t celebrate, what are the songs that bring the most meaning for you?

Wishing you a very merry and bright Christmas.