To be honest, I have a few traditions. Some involve the family. Some involve movies. Some involve food or decorations. This one involves a nearly 30 year old cassette tape.
I have a bag of mixtapes (if you are close to my age you know what I am talking about) that range in variety and age, but this one tape is the oldest.
I don’t know for sure, but I think the year was 1986. My grandfather got me a tape recorder for Christmas. As was true to his style, he forgot to bring blank tapes for me to record things on, so instead he brought a cassette tape that he and I used to record code for an Atari game (told you the tape is old). I believe the game was Jaw Breaker – one of our favorite games to play together so that tells you how dire the situation was. And I taped over it in a heartbeat.
It became THE Christmas tape.
That day, I remember sitting under the glow of the Christmas lights and recording some of my favorite Christmas tunes from Magic 105.7 WMJI (I can sing the promo for you…because the medley song by the men and women is speckled throughout the tape) while I tinkered with some other gifts I got that day (a train, I think).
So, yeah. The tape is pretty special to me. It reminds me of the purest days of Christmas, spending time with my family, and the oasis that Christmas Day always seemed to be.
What’s on the tape? I guess you are going to have to stay tuned for that because I will be sharing my epic playlist.
That’s it for now…Captain out.
Hi – I love it! I too have a big old bag full of mix tapes. I remember the day I got my first ‘dual cassette recorder’ and was so thrilled! Quality improved after that. Pirate infancy lol. Can’t wait to hear your playlist! Thanks for sharing.
Ha! The dual cassette recorder – the original Napster!
Ya!! Although I only have a few now, and nothing to play them on, the Christmas mix tapes as a child were always on once December hit (sometimes even other times).
I am running out of players! I had to hook the walkman up to speakers. Lol!
The joys that our kids will never quite understand, there was something special about a mix tape that a CD or a playlist just can’t quite equal.
Ashley,
I actually feel sorry that they won’t experience this! You are right – it’s just not the same.
Ah the lovely old mixed tape. I have so many that I absolutely adore and although I can easily get the same songs from iTunes, it’s just not the same. I also have some that have the songs recorded from the radio station, as that was the way we rolled back then! Looking forward to see what’s on your tape!
One of my favorrite trips was a car ride, by myself, to Florida. I listened to my entire bag of tapes and sang my heart out…and ate bbq.