My Uncle Don

Some of my first Christmas memories included toys wrapped in red and white checkerboard paper, donned with hobbyhorses. There was always a candy stick attached. Most of those memories are enhanced from the photo's my mom took.

I had no idea the value of such a gift, other than it was from my only uncle from that side of my family and he is 20 years older than my mother.

I have absolutly NO memory of his first wife. I vaguely remember visiting him when I was about 12 and then we visited him and his second wife, Nancy, when I was a senior in high school. They treated us like royalty and I remember feeling amazed that someone could be so friendly to 8 kids they never really knew.

I visited him again, with my sister M, when I was pregnant with my first baby in the summer of 1990, and was again delighted at how gentle and loving they were with us.

Sadly, I haven't visited him since.

My mom sent this link today and it brought a flood of memories to mind.

If you've ever visited Palm Springs before 1990, you probably have heard of "Uncle Don's Toyshop".

That's MY Uncle Don.

What sweet, happy memories.