Christmas

My brother Jr. ran a retail business, I never could get used to him thinking Christmas in July. But to order Christmas supplies on a large scale, you must do it at mid year. The same for a Christmas book, to have it ready for Christmas, it must be started early!!!!!

I have been trying to overcome this block I have. I came up with this idea of a Christmas book last year and cannot for the life of me get the brain in gear to start it. I have several ideas rolling around but as yet, nothing has said I am it.

My dad was never one to tell us there was or was not a Santa Claus. Our gifts came on Christmas or the night before there was never a pattern. But I am trying to capture the feeling I had on the Christmas of 1945/46 not sure which. I wanted a bike. I rode with my dad to get it. I can remember the ride. I can remember the place, a house in the country. Not a farm house, it was on the road. The man had two bikes he was selling. Dad let me pick, I picked the one made by ‘Indian’, because I liked the logo of an Indian chief on the name plate. You may remember the bike name was always on the front of the frame, just above the front fender. For some reason all bikes were labeled there.

It was a small 20” bike, long before training wheels. Shirl had a bike, and had  for a couple years. She had already taught me to ride (after all she was much older than I (LOL)) Anyway, dad put the bike in the back seat of the 1941 Chevrolet and we went home. I never saw the bike again  until Christmas day. As if by magic, I dismissed from my mind selecting the bike, it was my Christmas present. It was exciting. That feeling was like nothing I ever remember. The closest thing to it was getting my license at 16.

(For the life of me I cannot find n Indian bicycle picture, this is the closest to the JC HIggins I could find)

Much Later in life (about 4 years) dad and mom got me a brand new bike from Sears and Roebuck. It was super, it had a horn and light, it was a J.C. Higgins bike. BUT it did not rival the feeling I got from the used bike. I have wondered often about that feeling. I want to catch that feeling, then I can start he book, so far it is just out of reach.

Since I mentioned J.C. Higgins, I am a wondering if it has any connection to the Higgins boats built in Louisiana? I think some research is in the offing.

Thanks for coming this way,

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years.

 

When I get this for Christmas, I am gonna look like this: