It is a bright sunny day in Long Beach California as Christmas approaches. The tree is decorated and lit. The traditional nativity scene is displayed on the soft cotton skirting under the tree. However, the Wiseman’s camel is already missing in action. The camel has joined my brother’s plastic army men in an on-going game of war on the living room floor. There are a few presents wrapped in shiny paper and they have been carefully placed under the tree, just next to the lumpy green clay angel that I made in kindergarten the year before. I am as excited as any six year old could be at the thought of Christmas Day coming near.
Suddenly something very exciting happened. My Dad came in to the room and asked if I would like to accompany him to the corner drugstore. It seems that Mom had handed Dad a short list of items and asked him to run to the store for her. Wow, how super, a shopping trip with just Dad and me. So off we went on a shopping adventure.
As we entered the store it was like a wonderland of Christmas magic. The store’s featured display of Christmas decorations twittered and twirled before our eyes. I stopped short in front of a display of the most amazing Christmas ornament my young eye had ever beheld. There before me was a light show of dancing swirls of color and flickering tinsel as the inside sparkling center of each ornament spun around in endless motion from the rising heat of the bright glimmering Christmas bulb below. . . my Dad was equally intrigued.
As we ventured further into the display “low and behold” there was an electronic moving, walking foot display. The display repeatedly moved as a little girl wearing a pair of red goulashes splashed through a simulated rain puddle. Wow, if only I had something like that… Dad was equally impressed. As my Dad was a very spontaneous point of purchase shopper and equally delighted with the store’s Christmas displays, we left the store with both of our new found treasures: a box containing six “Whirly-Gig” ornaments and one pair of slide-over your shoes little red goulashes.
Now to understand what happened next you must understand that my Mom was very fashion conscious in those days and tried to up-lift our meager living quarters with a flair for fashion. She had been very successful this particular year as she had chosen to decorate our Christmas tree with the latest decorating ideas featured in the popular women’s magazines of the day. This year our tree was completely silver and turquoise.
Soon we return home with our new Christmas purchases. What happened next is not very pretty. When Mom saw the six multi-colored plastic ornaments (made in Japan) and the red slide-over your-shoe goulashes, she was very unhappy with our fashion statement. Both items ended up being tossed out into the backyard garbage can and the lid noisily replaced.
I am not sure just what happened next as I had already made myself scarce. But the next morning to my surprise and delight there were six Whirly-Gigs on the tree spinning around happily. However, the little red goulashes were never to appear again.
The “Whirly-Gig” has survived to this day. It holds a place on honor on our tree each year. The Christmas story has now been re-told with the fondness of memories as a favorite at each family ornament party.
