hanksgiving 1958 passed with hardly a notice. As an 8-year-old, I, along with nearly every other kid I knew, had already been locked into the countdown to Christmas since Halloween. After suffering a lot of pestering and begging, my parents put up our family Christmas tree, a southern red cedar, in early December. Decorating the tree with strings of large-bulbed lights, spherical glass ornaments and lead icicle tinsel provided some relief. Then, with the tree ready, our expectations continued to build. On Dec. 25, I
