Brace yourselves -- this is a long one. I hope you enjoy the ride :)
Growing up my family had many, many traditions. Some for holidays, some for birthdays, some for, well, just because. For now I will share some of our Christmas traditions.
We usually began decorating the house some time after Thanksgiving. We never had a specific day, and often it was a “work in progress” with Christmas morning the finishing touch. Depending on the house we lived in the decorations went from simple to “wow!” We would hang red and green streamers from corner to corner in each room. We would hang red paper bells in each corner and a huge white one would grace the center. We would wind red crepe paper on the banisters, drape white crepe paper streamers marking the way up the stairs with big red bows every few steps up. White snow filled stenciled reindeer, sleighs, nativity scenes, stars, snowmen and snowflakes were displayed in every window. Cut out paper snowflakes would drift lightly down the walls or sometimes hang suspended in air from the ceiling. Fresh pine boughs would fill the house with the scent of Christmas from every doorway and arch. Lights would twinkle in the windows and peek from the boughs. The Nativity would have it's own place in the center of it all to remind us of the reason for celebrating. As we grew older my Mama got a Nativity with the baby Jesus free from his manger. Then, the family Bible and Nativity would sit with Mary & Joseph and the animals anxiously, like us, awaiting the birth of the Son. On Christmas Eve, the baby, shepherd and wise men would join scene. On the “big” decorating day, we would listen to my Mama's Christmas records (yes, vinyl records), Gene Autry, Elvis, Glen Miller Christmas Sing-a-Long and more. Over the years more music was added – my “sister” added Alvin and the Chipmunks in the mid '80's and my younger brother added “Twisted Christmas” (one of my FAVORITES!) in the early '90's, and others were added, as well. On these evenings we enjoyed cheese & beef sticks with crackers, chips and dips, eggnog, diet coke, and cookies among other delights.
Besides the decorating, Christmas candy would be made. Fudge, Divinity, Marzipan cookies, and other holiday favorites would fill the air and our bellies. Christmas Eve my mother and I would make pies for Christmas day. By the time I was 13 or 14 I was making them all, by myself, with my mother & “sister” supervising the efforts. Some of our favorites included; pumpkin, lemon meringue, mincemeat and cherry.
In all of this neither a tree or gifts were ever seen. Santa brought it all. We never felt like something was missing. The house was so beautiful with the lights and scents of Christmas. On Christmas morning we would wake up to the miracle of the holiday. Stockings and gifts and the tree – oh, the wonder of the tree. It always took my breath away. I cannot describe it, even today, how it felt to see the tree and the gifts for the very first time.
After we stood in awe of the miraculous arrival of the tree and gifts, my little brother and I would run to my parents room with the usual excitement and begging of them to “get up!! Santa was here!” More often than not we would be instructed to choose one gift and bring it to their room to open with them. We could open that one gift and play with it until they got up. (now that I am all grown up, I understand why ;~) )
For Christmas dinner we would have turkey, glazed ham, baked yams, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, orange jello with golden raisins and carrots, cranberries, olives (both black & green) stuffed celery, sweet pickles, dill pickles and so on. Each year my dad would have to try a dill pickle and confirm that he, indeed, still did not like them. As with a couple other holidays, Christmas dinner was a 2-day event . And on day 2 the baked yams would be transformed to candied yams :)
As I grew up and had a family of my own, my parents would come and spend Christmas eve (and Christmas day) at my house. After the children went to bed, “Santa” would then bring the gifts and the tree and the decorating would begin! Until the first Christmas without my Mama, I would still go to bed before it was complete – I never lost the joy of the wonder of seeing it all for the first time Christmas morning.
Today I continue to carry on the traditions. Santa still brings the tree and all the gifts (although I now see it to completion ). I have made some minor changes to fit my own family; on Christmas eve we usually attend a Candlelight Service at church and read “The Night Before Christmas”before bed. On Christmas morning we read the Christmas story from the Bible before any gifts are open. I have also changed the dinner menu a little bit; with my family so changed some things still hurt a little too much to continue.
Through it all and through the years, we never lost sight of what the purpose of the holiday is all about. I know and understand the true meaning and am doing my best to pass it on to my children. I am the last of my family to carry on many of these traditions. I hope my children will one day carry some of them on with their families. Traditions, like the families they come from, bring us joy and comfort to last a lifetime. They remind us of our roots and the love that has nourished them.
