With Christmas over, and New Year’s just around the corner, delighted North Kitsap children have been making some special memories of their own. Whether they received the toy they’ve been hoping for, or spent Christmas Eve making cookies with family, they will likely look back fondly on those memories in later years.

Recently, some of North Kitsap’s well-known residents took a little time to share some favorite holiday memories, illustrating how this time of year can get the sentimental juices flowing.

Debbie Anderson, President of Kingston Kiwanis:

Debbie recollects when all of her family would get together in Missouri for Christmas and New Year’s, heralding in the coming year together.

“There were tons of kids to play with,” she said. “One uncle would dress up as Santa Claus every year and scare us. It really was one big party for about a week.”

When she was about 5-years-old, Debbie said she received one of her favorite skirts at one such gathering and wore it as long as she could thereafter for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The skirt, a 1950s design featuring a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in lieu of a poodle, was excellent for twirling at parties, she said.

“It was a red velvet skirt that my aunt made me,” Debbie said. “I loved that skirt, and I always associated it with the end of the year and the start of the next. I wore it for a couple of years, then passed it on to my younger sisters.”

Nancy Martin, President of Downtown Kingston Association:

Parties are a big part of the holiday season, starting at the beginning of December and running all the way into the beginning of the new year. Nancy’s favorite holiday memories always come from the Kingston Garden Club’s Christmas party.

“The garden club party is always so much fun,” she said. “We have lunch and spend a couple of hours just having a nice time together.”

This year’s party was Dec. 13, and the group invited a couple singers to perform carols during their lunch. The club also makes it a chance to donate, bringing unwrapped toys to give to different charities for children who might not get any presents otherwise, Nancy said.

“It’s really a great excuse to have some holiday fun, and to give back to the community,” she said.

Lynn Hix, Greater Hansville Community Center President:

Lynn’s trip down memory lane includes two wheels and three speeds which have carryied her through many years of her life. When she was about 9-years-old, her parents convinced her and her brother there was no money for their similar wishes of new bikes.

“It was a wonderful Christmas,” Lynn said. “They had us so thoroughly convinced that we weren’t getting bikes, that it was a total surprise.”

She said the start of that year was one of her happiest because she had a fantastic new bike to travel the neighborhood with.

“That bike lasted me until at least junior high,” she said. “I think about eighth grade it finally started giving out. That bike carried me through many happy years, it really was one of the most wonderful gifts I received.”