Christmas Eve at Mee Maw’s in 1965

The Landry family Christmas Eve Party in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 1965.

It’s that time of year again.  I can’t let the year finish up without a recollection of a Christmas from the past.  I looked back to the 1960s for some inspiration and it didn’t take long to settle on this wonderful Christmas photo from 1965.

It would be even more wonderful if my face showed in the photo.  I’m in the photo, as are all of my siblings and my mom, but my head is eclipsed by my oldest brother Rob’s head.  My younger sister Jamie could be equally disappointed in the photo, because her face is blocked by Rob’s toy airplane.  But at least you can see one of her eyes!

I still think it is a wonderful photo.  It captures the closeness that our family had when we got together for these large family gatherings.  I think my dad took the photo and he did a good job of getting all the rest of us in the photo.  It’s really good of my mom (Betty Lou Bucklin Landry) and my grandmother (Germaine Erie Patureau Landry – aka Mee Maw).

Mee Maw was the mother of my dad (Bob Landry).  My grandfather (Robert Joseph Landry, Sr.) died in 1957.  I think they hosted the family get together at their home in Goosport (a section of Lake Charles) when he was alive.  Mee Maw carried on this tradition for several more years.  I have photos from 1961 and those were taken in the home in Goosport.  Then Mee Maw moved at some point.  I don’t have Christmas photos from 1962, 1963, or 1964, so I don’t know when she moved.  Can you believe that?  I don’t have photos from these three big events in my youth.  Maybe one of my cousins or siblings has one and can share it with me.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

But this photo is from 1965, and it is in the house that I remember her living in.  I think it was on 14th Street.  An early memory from Christmas might have been from this year.  I remember some of the older siblings and cousins saying that Santa would be passing over soon and we could probably see Rudolph’s shiny red nose.  I could just imagine a tiny red light high up in the sky drifting over us.  I remember peering up at the sky expectantly.  But then I got distracted by gifts that needed to be opened.

Let me identify everyone in the photo.  The girl in the lavender sweater with blond hair is my cousin Phyllis.  She was the youngest child of Ross Winn and Germaine Landry Winn.  They can be seen across the room under the double conical lights.  My mom is in the center of the left side of the photo looking toward the camera and smiling.  Coming down across the front of the photo there is Jamie with blond hair and only one eye showing, Rob with his fascinating toy jet that he is showing off, and behind him in the yellow and brown striped shirt is little Van – that would be me.  Stealing the spotlight front and center is cousin Greg Raley. Al is next to him, but he seems more interested in Rob’s jet at the moment.  In front of Al is cousin Lauren Duffy. In the red dress is Karen.  Behind her is our oldest sister Jodie.  She seems to be excited about something.  Next to her is Mee Maw, who has a very nice smile on her face in this photo.  She looks to be very content having her family around her like this.  

On the right side of the photo in front are two more Raley siblings – Jeanne and Scott.  The Raleys are the children of Aunt Frances Landry Raley and Uncle Joe Raley.  Aunt Frances can be seen in the back to the right in the white blouse.  To the left of her is my godmother Shirley Landry.  This was a year or so before she was married.  She was the oldest of all of us cousins.  Her mother is to the left of her.  Her name was Mildred Sutherlin Landry.  The last three people are my dad’s youngest brother’s family at the time.  Johnny is in the back left in the photo.  He was my godfather.  Next to him is his wife Sondra.  Uncle Johnny and Aunt Sondra were Karen’s godparents.  They were also the mother of Mona Landry, who can be seen in Sondra’s lap.

They were such idyllic times.  It was such a warm feeling to be part of this large family.  The comfort that it brought is long lasting.  Looking back to these seemingly simpler times makes you long for those members that we’ve lost along the way.  But at least we had them for a time.