I grew up in a house of books. My mom loves books and my grandparents were always reading books, so while I wasn’t an early reader, books have always been a part of my life. I’d like to take these four 5th Tuesdays of 2023 to share some of my favorite reading memories with you all.
Let’s go way back to the year I was seven. That was the Christmas I had the chicken pox. It was also the year I got a nice, hardcover copy of Heidi for Christmas. I had listened to the audio of it before, but that was different than actually having the real book. But it was a big book and I wasn’t much of a reader. However, I had the chicken pox, as I think I mentioned.
Every Christmas time for the first 30 years of my life, most or all of my mom’s side of the family would get together at a camp for several days. We’d stay at the lodge, and hang out and hike, and eat together, and have a great time. This year two of my aunts were pregnant and I had two young cousins. They didn’t want my cousins getting the chicken pox, so I was secluded downstairs. Don’t feel sorry for me. I had the most memorable Christmas ever! And was I spoiled! I got to eat by candle light every night, and could pick two grownups to come eat with me. My aunt let me do her hair, an uncle pulled me down the hall and around the ping-pong table on my new roller skates (I held the ends of a jump rope and he held the middle), and my cousin who was 2 or 3, would come to the top of the stairs and sing to me. Yes, it was totally cute!
But best of all, Grandpa would come down and read Heidi to me.
We would sit on my bed (my grandparents had this little red tent that fit on a regular mattress that all the cousins loved, and I got to sleep in it that Christmas), and he would read while I colored or just listened.
But our reading together didn’t end with Heidi at the end of Christmas. No, we got Heidi Grows Up and Heidi’s Children. We discovered Moni, and then began searching for other books by Johanna Spyri.
It would sometimes take us months to read a book, but I never read ahead, and we’d always make time to read together. Yes, there were times when Grandpa’s reading would get slower and slower and he’d fall asleep. I’d just put our bookmark in and go off and do something else.
Oh the memories. Perhaps this is one reason I still love the books by Johanna Spyri.
What about you? Did you have a grandparent or aunt or uncle who read to you? Did you experience new books together with someone? I’d love to hear.
This is such a sweet memory!
I agree. I think Grandpa enjoyed the books as much as I did.
What a special memory! That’s so nice that you and your grandpa were able to spend that time together.
My main read aloud memories are of my mom and dad reading to Hannah and me. And there were specific books they each read! One of our favorites Mom read was the Little House books, and one of our favorites Dad read was a copy of Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories he had from his childhood.
Oh, that’s great! My mom read the Little House books to us. My dad wasn’t much of a reader. He reads more now though.
Aw, what a sweet memory, Rebekah! (and Happy *belated* 2023!). Our mom reads to the whole family almost every evening for our family time.
Oh, I love it when moms read to the family or at least the kids. Thanks for commenting.