Christmas...circa 1956

This photo was taken probably on Christmas day around 1956 in front of my family's residence at 7525 Byron Place in Clayton, Missouri . My niece Karen is on the left and my cousins Jerry & Gary McCune are in the center of the picture as they are playing with the toy machine gun I recieved as a Christmas gift. The good looking kid on the 3-speed Schwinn bike...well that's me in an action photo going really fast. I had learned to ride a bike before getting the black Schwinn. The bike I learned on was a hand-me-down from my cousin Bev who was a few years older then me. It was a red & white girls bike with training wheels and it served its purpose. However, I was now ready to hit the streets with my new wheels.
Back then my Grandparents Joseph & Della Froehly lived in the same apartment building as my family. My older sister Mary lived on the 3rd floor.
Christmas Eve was a wonderful time as we always celebrated at my Grandparent's place and my Aunt's & Uncles would bring their families over too. It was a great time! On Christmas day we would have dinner at Grandma & Grandpas with everybody in the family. Those were wonderful times together.