A Very Special Christmas Gift

I’m sure if you ask people to tell you their favorite Christmas memory, they could tell you many Christmas memories that stand out. In lots of ways, as a child, I looked forward to Christmas –  not just because we would get gifts, but because the mood in the house, at school and in the neighborhood seemed to be very different.  People were happier, and even though lots of times the weather would be very cold in New York in December, it seemed that the spirit of the times made the air warmer somehow. My mother would take us to the “Real Macy’s” to see the best decorations ever. Even back then the Salvation Army would have someone posted outside on the street corner, ringing that familiar sounding bell, collecting money to help those in need.  In our little project apartment we would always have a real live Christmas tree (that changed later on with the popularity of “artificial” trees). I looked forward to decorating the tree, usually on Christmas eve, with my sister and later on with my sister and brother. Although the apartment was small, it always somehow was able to accommodate whatever tree my father would pick out. Normally the environment in our house was mostly volatile; however, during Christmas it seemed that volatility took a break. The house would always smell good with mommy’s cooking and, on Christmas eve especially, she would start baking. The smell of pies and cake filled the air and my sister and I would fight over who would get the bowl after mommy put the cake in the oven.  We would put the TV on the “log” channel so we could hear Christmas carols all night. Everyone seemed to be of good will and cheer. I knew that would never last and by the day after Christmas, things would go back to their usually ill mood – but for that short period of maybe two days, three if we were lucky, things were perfect!

My favorite Christmas was when I was 10 years old. My mother had announced sometime around my birthday that year (Oct 5), that we were going to have either a brother or sister sometime in February of the next year. Neither one of us (my sister nor me) was excited about that.  We were perfectly happy with just the two of us; nevertheless, because of this impending event, we weren’t going to be able to get as many things for Christmas as in previous years. That was perfectly OK with me. The only thing I wanted was the “West Side Story” album. I had been introduced to musicals by my cousin Donald. His mother and mine were not only cousins, but best friends. Consequently we spent a great deal of time at their house. Donald was very musically inclined and extremely talented. I remember my mother taking my sister and me to see him perform in a play “The Rainmaker”. WOW – it was fantastic!!!!! My cousin played the main character and he became larger than life to me. He’s the person that introduced me to West Side Story. I learned that it was considered a romantic musical tragedy adapted from a 1957 musical and was inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I immediately fell in love with the story, the music, the characters – everything!!!! My only request that Christmas was for the album. I could hardly wait for Christmas to come. I thought for sure my mother would grant my request. I didn’t care about any toys, or clothes or anything else. Christmas eve, I could hardly sleep. I must have dozed off because the next I remember my sister was waking me up. I ran to the Christmas tree and began searching for my gift. To my surprise there were lots of gifts under the tree and even a few with my name – but NO WEST SIDE STORY ALBUM!!!!! I tried to hide my disappointment. I knew that we didn’t have much money and I figured that maybe it was too expensive and so she didn’t get it. If she had to make a choice why didn’t she just get me what I REALLY wanted. The entire day passed and I admit I was pretty sullen. I was trying to find a way to ask her about it. Finally I mustered up enough courage. As I started to speak, the tears started rolling down my cheeks because I didn’t want her to think that I was ungrateful for the things she had gotten me. When I asked, she pretended that she forgot about the album. She waited probably another half hour and she told me to go and look in the closet (this was the closet where she always hid things). There is was!!! A beautiful Red album cover with black writing. When you opened it up, it had the whole story right there between the covers and pictures as well. I was in heaven. I spent the next 10 years of my life, reading and re-reading the story. After I got older I purchased the musical score and learned to play the music on the piano. Even today, at any moment, you might hear me break out in song singing…… “I feel pretty”. I memorized all the songs and I even watched it on TV every time it came on. I spent countless hours sitting outside my godmother’s house in Queens singing. Sometimes I’d be Maria, played by Natalie Wood, singing “Tonight”;  sometimes I’d be Anita, played by Rita Moreno, singing “A Boy Like That” and even sometimes I’d be Tony, played by Richard Beymer, bellowing out “Maria”.  My world was transformed as a looked up fixated on the starlit night sky on so many occasions. By this time my cousin, “The Rainmaker”, was older and out on his own but it all started with him. What a wonderful, lifetime gift – the gift of music!!!!