A Holliday...Cheers!

Holiday time in the Spencer household.....that is of the 50's and 60's. Looking back I have come to the realization that some very nice memories were made then.

We had an unusual view of the Christmas season.....being in retail, it was our busy time of the year and hence, filled with long hours and stress..oh you can add more than a dash of nasty customers to that recipe. Christmas stock started arriving at the height of summer so it had to be stored somewhere that would be out of the way for 4 or 5 months. Oh yeah, fun! Anyhow, the semi-official day to start putting out the "seasonal Merchandise" as it was called was the day after Thanksgiving. Then the fun started, the next time you are at Wal-Mart or another big super store and getting ticked off at the people restocking the shelves that seem to be blocking your isle....think of 1963 (random year), Yuba City, California..Plumas Street, Rasco's 5 & 10. 9,700 square feet of store space and maybe another 1,200 feet of office and backroom. Dad, Mum, the Dragon in the Basement (Gramma was in control down there), Addie, Bobbi, Bobbi's Daughter, Ingrid and a couple of part time girls along with Kris and myself who came in after school. In less than a weeks time, we would take that store apart and put it back together again with a different theme. All the while maintaining a full sales schedule that was increasing as the season kicked into gear.....not you normal shelf stockers of today either......everyone there did everything. Oh, you had your "own" department to be the expert in and take care of.....Mum had greeting cards and stationary, Gramma had yardage, Addie had the front end counters (candy and stuff like that), I had the push broom! However, when it got busy you helped the others out, each of those ladies knew the other departments and how to help people in them, how to run the registers how to do it all.

Well, as the season wore on, so did we.....the store opened at 9am, meant that Dad was there at 8am....we closed at 8pm, 5 nights a week, Saturdays was 7pm and Sundays open from noon till 6pm. From Thanksgiving thru Christmas Eve. Dealing with customers that were on edge, in a hurry and rude!

OK, now keep a Christmas spirit through that. Yet somehow Christmas morning would arrive at the Spencer house with happiness and joy!

The folks always tried to get us something we really wanted as a "big" present. Wish I knew how they did that on what Dad made. Oh, it was never what would be considered expensive. Just like the movie "A Christmas Story" in 1956 I got a Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun.

Well, will come back to that thought shortly, am going to answer the phone now....