1960's My Grandparent's Christmas Visits
(1st son of Lawrence Dean, only son James Martin "Buddie", 1st son of Samuel E., 6th son of Amon, 1st son of Zachariah, 2nd son of Samuel, 2nd son of Jacob, 2nd son of Caleb, 7th son of Andrew, 1st son of Andrew Job)
When my grandparents, James Martin "Buddie" and Myrtle Crawford Jobe, would visit for Christmas it was always a more festive occasion.
Every Christmas Eve they were there, My grandfather would take off his socks and hang them by the fireplace with our store-bought stockings. He would always say that Santa Claus was going to fill his sock with his favorite Kentucky twist of tobacco. Whether he was chewing it or not, he always smelled of a chaw and hard-work sweat.
On Christmas morning he would take down that yellowed sock and show us what Santa brought. It would always have hunks of coal or old newspapers in it. Everyone would laugh. Being a boy of 5 or 6, I would always cry because Santa was so mean to him.
I wish I could put pictures of my children in that sock today.
