This is the time of the year when the brain's memory function works overtime.
Were the Decembers of years past a little snowier and merrier than recent ones? Of course they were.
Ted Lingelbach, of Parkville, records his version of an ideal Baltimore December of 40-some years ago. It is one man's impressions but I am sure it reflects the sentiments and experiences of many:
"Shopping with my mother and cousins at the May Co., Stewart's, Hutzler's, Hochschild's, Pollack's (for furniture). . . . Marveling at the pneumatic tubes that carried money from the counter to the cash office at The Hub where the Blaustein Building stands today. . . . The spectacular display at the huge window at the Sear's at Harford and North.
"Driving or walking out Walther Boulevard to see the Christmas lights. . . . The giant trees at City Hall Plaza or in front of the American Brewery on Gay Street. . . .
"Holding your breath during a pre-Christmas snow storm as the No. 15 streetcar struggled to climb the Belair Road hills between Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery and Shrine of the Little Flower Church. . . . The streetcar snowplow with the big rotating brooms used by the Baltimore Transit Company to clear the tracks.
"The many Christmas tree selling stands with the roaring fire in a barrel and the baskets of moss (green sawdust) for Christmas gardens. . . . The Salvation Army brass trios or quartets playing carols outside Woolworth's and McCrory's on Lexington Street and the thrill of dropping a donation in the kettle. . . .
"Street corner itinerant salesmen hawking packages of lead icicles for the tree. . . . Knocking on doors in the neighborhood and asking to see the Christmas tree or garden. There was always a treat of cookies, hot chocolate or candy. . . .
"Radio stations playing pop Christmas music ("The Christmas Song" and "Silver Bells") exclusively after Thanksgiving and mixing in traditional carols from about Dec. 10 to Jan. 2. . . . The ritual among the family of swapping the calendars that many merchants gave out at Christmas time. . . .
"Counting how many times we got mail in the last few days before Christmas and how many cards we got. My father was a letter carrier for over 45 years and in those days he worked in the office 12 hours per day just filing mail and had several Christmas temporaries (high school and college boys) assigned to him to deliver the mail.
"The excitement when the home-baked fruit cake from my aunt in Georgia arrived by parcel post. The post office used army trucks to supplement their fleet to deliver Christmas parcels in those days before UPS. . . . Waiting for my grandmother to give the go ahead to open the tin and cut the fruit cake.
"Helping the family experts to cut out the designs with many varied shape cutters and bake the yearly supply of sugar cookies. . . .
"Watching my father make his egg nog from a recipe known only to him. Seeing his satisfaction as he tasted the first batch and funnelled it into empty and cleaned wine bottles to give to family and friends. . . .
"My grandfather breaking and grating a fresh coconut and my aunt baking her tasty coconut cake. She followed that by baking a walnut cake. . . . My father and I walking my mother from Greenmount Avenue to midnight Mass at St. James the Less Church at Aisquith and Eager streets. . . .
"Visiting Baltimore Cemetery and Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery to place Christmas wreaths on the graves of our relatives. We still do it but there are more wreaths and graves to visit each year. . . .
"Tasting the foods associated with Christmas at our house. . . . From Lexington Market, the assorted taffy from the Ortmuller's stall and fresh grated coconut and horseradish. . . .
"From the Belair Market . . . iced cookies (strawberry, vanilla and lemon as well as chocolate) from Berger's . . . pickles and sauerkraut from Panzer's . . . nuts in the shell and loose large gumdrops, green leaves, orange slices and hard candies from one of the stalls . . . geese hung in a row at the poultry stalls. My grandmother would cook a goose for Christmas and save the grease. During the rest of the year when I caught a cold, my mother would rub the goose grease on my chest, throat, etc. and it would work wonders. . . .
"Walnut cookies and hard anise German cookies from Stiefel's Vilma Bakery on Belair Road above Erdman Avenue. . . .
"Hendler's vanilla ice cream with a Christmas tree design in the middle of the brick. . . . Pistachio ice cream and macaroons from Fiske's at Park Avenue just south of North.
"A walk up Charles Street to gaze at the gourmet treats in the windows of Hopper McGaw's (at Mulberry) and Anthony Rettaliata's grocery (near Mount Royal) that featured hams and caviar," writes Mr. Lingelbach.