I love Christmas!! It is absolutely my favorite time of the year. (And for all my non-Christian friends, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter Solstice, and all other celebratory greetings!) I think part of the reason I love it so much is the traditions observed.
Every family has it's own traditions and customs. Some go on vacation, some invite the entire extended family to visit, some spend a quiet holiday at home. My little family plays that lovely Christmas game entitled, "See How Many Celebrations You Can Fit Into One Day At Different Houses In Different Cities." We start out at my husband's mother's family, swing by his father's house after lunch, and end up at my dad's house in the early evening. Before my mom passed away, we had to fit in a gathering at her house as well. It's tiresome, but it's our tradition, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
My childhood traditions were different, and they were set in stone! Christmas eve, my sisters and I (mostly moi) would wait impatiently for supper at my dad's parents' house. My dad's sister, her husband and my cousin were there, as well. Once we arrived, the womenfolk would heat things up, bake the rolls, set things on the table, etc. The kids would all sit on the sofa in the living room with my grandfather. (Have you even noticed that no one used the living room back then? Christmas day was the only day we sat in there.) My grandfather would get us giggling by picking up packages and shaking them, trying to guess what was in them. We loved it!
After eating, we had to wait until EVERY dish was washed, put in the dishwasher, put in the refrigerator, or covered up. It was only when we were much older that we finally convinced my grandmother to use paper plates, but even then, the pots and pans had to be done!
Finally, it was time for presents!! We were so blessed - we always had a ton of presents to open. Some were just socks or underwear or some other "useful" gift, but there were toys and fun stuff as well. We all had our assigned spot to sit while presents were opened. It never varied, not even the one year after my grandmother died that we still got together there.
Finally, we gathered our things and headed home to wait for Santa. We were allowed to open our presents from Mom and Dad before bedtime, but the big stuff had to wait! The kids would rush down early Christmas morning to see what we got, followed by looking at the little stuff in our stockings. After everything was opened and played with and tried on, we would head back to my grandparents' for Christmas lunch, where we would show off one of our many prized gifts.
Our final event was heading to my mom's parents' house. It was different there. Being extremely poor, they weren't able to shower us with gifts. But my grandmother gathered Green Stamps at the grocery store and saved them all year to buy us a gift. It was always a doll or a Bible; she would alternate the two. Although we didn't realize it then, it was really a gift of love. And that was something she didn't give a lot.
Gosh, how I loved those times! I can still remember the taste of my grandmother's creamed corn, the way her fake silver Christmas tree looked the same way every year, the piles of presents underneath it, watching Mom open her Estee Lauder perfume that Dad bought her every year... I remember it all.
I hope my daughter remembers our traditions. They're not the same as they were back then, but we try to make them special nonetheless.
What are your favorite holiday traditions? I'd love to hear some of them!
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