January 2007                                                          The Megaphone                                                                 Page 3

Ugly Trees

by Diane (Usfo) Peters    

I was going to keep my mouth shut on this subject, but I've seen so many "ugly" tree tales, I just must reiterate something I'm quite sure I must have written the site long ago in this respect.

We (my parents, that is) too had one of those stiff-limbed aluminum trees. My mother thought she had died and gone to heaven while we used it.

Of course, my uncle continually warned she may either electrocute herself or one of the family members, because she did not get one of those color wheel lights to shine on the tree. Indeed! She bought strands of mini-lights (or Italian they were called when they first came into use here) that had white wiring on them, so blended nicely into the silvery branches of the aluminum tree.

Each light became a show of its own as it reflected on the shiny aluminum  fir of those stiff branches, creating glittery effects which became softened  but still quite visible through the sheers hanging at Mother and Dad's bedroom window, the room at the very front of the house, so best for display.

Mother took a great deal of pride in the sparkle emitted from that tree, which seemed to put equal sparkle into her spirit which shone through her eyes during the season. It was glam, and in our little town on my parents' little income, it was as near Hollywood she would get.

The furniture items in our house were aged back then. Mother had the old burgundy mohair, broad-armed couch slip covered to make the living room more attractive. To be sure, she knew how to spruce things in order to make do on her fashion budget, which was literally non-existent.

This tree, then, was her ability to "flash." It always put a smile on her face. It was, as so many decorator shows on television say today, the jewelry, and it reminds me of the glittery earrings and pins Mother also enjoyed wearing.

I don't know how many mothers wore dresses with beads and sequins, but even in Mother's advanced years, she wore sequined dresses to church on Sunday, and I remember the one dress she wore in the winter when she was younger being black and being heavily beaded across the bodice.

With a bit of mink trim on her aging coat, and black suede high heels at her feet, she stepped out with a great sense of well being. When the coat became totally worn, she removed the fur trim and placed the best of it around the brim of a flat felt burgundy hat and continued to wear it for years.

That hat is in a box in my house. I have a granddaughter who has the ability to wear hats who occasionally puts it on her head. We laugh and remark it appears to be a hat worn by one particular sect of Jewish men, with its flattened top and brim. To Mother it was a height of fashion instinct so much a part of her.

So, while the aluminum trees are being bashed about this site for their ugliness, let me ask how many of you are seeing the rebirth of them in the stores this year? They are there, and I have a feeling that with a lack of jobs, and a lack of good pay from jobs in our current economy, these trees will become a norm once again.

When life is getting you down, as history has proven, man needs to laugh, shine, sparkle, find a sense of well being and enjoyment wherever it is possible, and those seemingly ugly trees become a valuable asset for showing the spirit of man never dies and must be exalted, just as the spirit of the season of His birth.

May each of you enjoy a blessed, miraculous rebirth of Christmas spirit!

Diane (Usfo) Peters, '62
Logansport, IN

I Still Believe in Santa, Do You?

By Deborah (Bozell) Donahue

I guess there will always be a kid in me when it comes to Christmas. I remember so well how excited I was during the Christmas holiday, and the anticipation awaiting Santa’s arrival on Christmas morning.

Over the years nothing has really changed except the gifts on my list seem to get a bit bigger and a little more expensive. 

My very special gift when I was around five was my Terry Lee Doll. My sister and I both received one from Santa that year. My Terry Lee arrived under the tree with brown hair while Diana’s arrived with black.

I’m sure Santa knew what he was doing when he brought two dolls with different hair colors. He wanted us to distinguish one from the other so there would be no confusion. 

We played with those dolls for years to come, and my Terry Lee sits in our guest room today to welcome over night guests. She is also a reminder to me just how excited I felt that Christmas morning when I found her under our tree. 

Below is a photo of Diana and me before bed time after a busy Christmas day when we received our dolls.  

Back to Ole Saint Nick! L. S. Ayres Department Store in Indianapolis had Santa come and greet the children during the month of December. He allowed the kids a chance to let him know what was on their wish list. 

My dad and my uncle Buddy took my twin brother and me to Indianapolis one year so we could meet Santa. Here is a snap shot of me when I was about five sitting on Santa’s lap. 

The look of wonderment on my face says it all. Christmas is for children and the very young at heart. You see, I am even more convinced today there really is a Santa Claus! 

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and has a prosperous New Year.    

Deborah (Bozell) Donahue, '64
Florida