Christmas is only one day away, and we are almost at the end of our journey through the decades. Our next stop: Christmas in the 1980's. For our adventure into an 80's Christmas, I interviewed Jennie Denney.

What did a typical Christmas look like for you in the 80's?

Jennie: "Decorations and lights [were] everywhere! Momma liked white lights, and Daddy liked color. [In the] early 80's I was 2-5. I remember the Christmas trees! Daddy worked at a landscape nursery, and we would get our live tree there. At that time it was the thing to have your tree flocked (dusted with something that looked like snow). You could get it in different colors! The white was the prettiest because it looked like real snow. I actually remember watching daddy doing it in the greenhouse."

What do you remember about Christmas gift-giving?

Jennie: "I always remember there were plenty [of gifts,] and we lacked for nothing. I remember the excitement of opening them and Momma sticking the bows on my head."

What did a Christmas breakfast consist of?

Jennie: "[We would have] eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, grits, [and] homemade biscuits."

What special family traditions do you remember?

Jennie: "One big tradition is that when we would wake up Christmas morning mom would make us wait at the top of stairs so she could take our picture before we came down (this continued till the last of us left the house). We always do stockings first. My Mawmaw Watkins always had a spice drop tree. I started doing it a couple of years ago to bring the tradition back because it was such a vivid part of my memories."

What was the meaning of Christmas in your family during the 80's, and how was religious a part of your Christmas experience?

Jennie: "Religion has always been a big part of our Christmas throughout my family. Christmas meant family, being together, and our Lord and Savior's birth! I remember Daddy reading the Christmas Story of Jesus birth to us. Mom's beautiful nativity that was in the center of the home and decor so we never lost focus of the true reason for Christmas."

What Christmas songs do you remember from the 80's?

Jennie: "Away in a Manger, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, Frosty the snowman."