Houston Christmas

Family projects are often wonderful experiences that all family members will remember the rest of their lives. While in Houston, we completed a project together that we will cherish the memory of forever. Here’s the story.

Houston Christmas

 

In 1982, we lived in Preston Wood Forest Addition in North Houston. Christmas in our addition was a big deal. Everyone in the area was given enough white paper sacks and real candles to place one every foot  across the front of their yard. On Christmas Eve every one in the entire area placed their sacks and lit the candles. In addition to the candles everyone decorated their yard with some special Christmas theme scene. Every house in the entire neighborhood participated with the candle sacks and Christmas displays.

 

We met as a family with our daughters to brainstorm what we were going build for our yard. Tamara and Kristi came up with the idea to build a dollhouse with Strawberry Shortcake and  Santa Claus in the windows. So I went to the lumber yard and bought some two by fours, some plywood, some plexiglas and some paint and we started the construction project in the garage. We picked out a design for the house and laid it out. Kristi and Tamara stayed right there in the garage helping me for the entire project. We cut it out, put the windows in with small rooms behind them. Pam came out to the garage and took over when it was time to paint and her and the girls painted it. They also put a strawberry shortcake doll in the the lower window looking out with some room furnishings. In the the upper window they placed a Santa Claus with presents and a Christmas tree with small lights. We set it up by the tree in the front yard and strung lights across the roof and placed a spot light out in front of it. The girls participated in all phases of the project and we felt like they took ownership of the display and gave all the kids in the neighborhood a guided tour of our yard. Both girls remember the details of the project to this day.

 

On Christmas Eve, we all set out the candle sacks and lit them at dark, and fired up our yard dollhouse scene. A progression of thousands of cars from all over Houston drove through our neighborhood until after midnight Enjoying the lights and displays.

 

On Christmas Day, it was 86 degrees Fahrenheit and I got bit by mosquitoes out in the front yard. Houston never ceased to amaze me.

 

Tamara on the right by the family project doll house we built. That’s strawberry shortcake peeking out the downstairs window.

Kristi sitting by the dollhouse at night with the spot light on.

Thanks for reading Houston Christmas,

Hawg Jaw Bill