These memories always remind me of Christmas in Hawaii, when the QA division put on the Christmas party for the kids, and OTAC Jerry Giles played Santa. He even got the Fire department to haul him in on the fire engine. The first kid to cry when sitting on Santa's lap was his own.

Nice post, George! I reflected back when you mentioned the Navy Exchange and recalled the many "layaways" that Chris I made over the years. Thank goodness they had those, especially in the early years!
Among other things, I believe a key reason most of us have such fond memories of Christmas overseas was the simplicity of it all. We stayed very busy at our jobs but really it came down to work, family and friends. The distractions from those entities were minimal and we weren't exposed to the face paced, hectic life so many have today. I hope each of you and your families have a wonderful Christmas season and perhaps take pause to reflect on George's comments; it truly is who we were.