By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Christmases come and Christmases go, old traditions transition into new traditions, but no matter how old you get, certain memories of Christmas linger.

You can’t call Marion Ogden’s memory of his childhood Christmases “good” exactly, but it’s good for a Christmas story laugh.

“When my family arrived, I went outside,” Ogden said. “I had an aunt who always wore red lipstick, and she always wanted to kiss me on the lips, so I went outside.”

Ogden said he got in a lot of basketball practice and hunting time during those Christmases.

“She never had any kids of her own, and she thought she could kiss her sister’s kids,” Ogden said.

Matthew Classen’s early Christmases weren’t full of presents.

“I was born and raised during the Depression time, and we didn’t have Christmas,” Classen said. “All I remember is, I got the same barn set four years in a row.”

Classen said he had an impressive barnyard set by the time he was done with them.

“I was supposed to get a bicycle because my sister got a bicycle, then I was supposed to get a bicycle,” Classen said. “Apparently they quit making bicycles because I never got a bicycle.”

Rex Wilson said he comes from a big family, and he and his siblings got clothes for Christmas.

“That’s the only time of the year we got candy,” Wilson said.

“We had a stocking and we got nuts and an apple or an orange,” Wilson said. “My best memory was all the family getting together.”

Born at the younger end of the large group of siblings, Wilson said his oldest siblings were already married.

Bill Walter’s childhood Christmases always meant a family reunion at his grandparents’ house.

“We probably had 30, 35 people,” Walter said.

The family enjoyed a meal, with everyone bringing dishes to share, and then the boys played basketball in the barn.

Bill Goentzel’s family also got together at his grandparents’ home.

“We always had duck,” Goentzel said. “We also had my grandma’s zwieback. We never got gifts hardly ever, but I do always remember going to the church on Sunday and getting candy.”