“Freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin, inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night.”
The rain is gone for now, but the grey sky threatens more. It will be warm again today, but tonight the temperature will plunge as low as 30˚, not fit weather for man nor beast, or rather Henry and me, woman and dog.
I haven’t yet begun baking. I can’t even find my cookie sheets. Some of my lesser used pans are in a container outside as I had run out of cabinet space. That’s where I thought the cookie sheets were. I was wrong. Luckily, though, I did buy two new cookie sheets. They were in the outside bin.
Today I am watching syfy. I’m taking a break from Hallmark, Lifetime, Ion and Up where every story has a happy ending. Right now I’m watching Snowmageddon. It’s Christmas time in Alaska. A snow globe has a miniature of the town inside. When something happens, like an earthquake which splits the ground, it happens in the snow globe first. The dog barks. He knows.
We have family traditions, some newer than others. Piñatas are now into the second generation. My niece, the aunt, and my nephew, the uncle, fill the piñatas for each other’s kids because I, the aunt, started it all. They also get new pajamas just as my sister’s kids did from me every Christmas Eve. My sisters make peanut butter balls just as my mother had. One of the great surprises was when, some time long after Christmas, my mother would pull peanut butter balls from the freezer. We all remember. My orange cookies were my mother’s favorite. My friend loves them too so I make them every year. My sisters and I all have live trees. Nothing beats a pine tree at Christmas. I remember walking down the stairs Christmas morning and smelling the tree before I saw it. I have some of her decorations. My mother loved Christmas. We all do because of her. We are carriers of the Christmas bug.
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December 22, 2018 at 1:32 pm
Tradition and repetition are the core of the family experience of Christmas. Reminders from food , ornaments to the exchange of gifts bring back all those who have gone before us
It is arguable that Dickens created the family experience as A Christmas Carol transferred the holiday from a time of upward patronage to an experience for everyone regardless of social or economic standing
Mrs MDH and I are developing the “new” Christmas with our children spending the holiday with their in-laws. A lot of fuss has been made over the advent box, our family room is decorated and Mass calls tonight and Monday when I read Isaiah 9 1:6
For the first time we will go out for Christmas dinner, to the Apparatus Room in Detroit. A synthetic Christmas will be next Saturday when the children return and are available
We don’t have snow, we are not expecting snow. I’m fine with that. We have listened to Christmas tunes and now I am watching football.
December 22, 2018 at 1:53 pm
My Dear Hedley,
My mother is with us every holiday, most especially Christmas, in the foods we eat, the decorations in the house and on the tree and the three of us, my sisters and I, seeing a Christmas play together and going out to dinner.
A Christmas Carol is a favorite of mine. I always wanted goose for Christmas dinner like the Cratchits had. That goose and the pudding were all they needed for Christmas.
I have always lived alone, and I have always decorated for Christmas. I can’t imagine not having a tree. My sister always does Christmas Eve. This year they’ll be thirty adult and kids. Her kids then can do their in-laws Christmas Day, and my sister can love her quiet Christmas Day.
No snow here either-more rain.
December 22, 2018 at 2:47 pm
Hi Kat,
I think what you are describing is called a tradition. The only way any of us learn our traditions is that they are passed down from our parents and grandparents. At Chanukah time giving the kids chocolate gold foil wrapped coins is a tradition attached to spinning the dreidel. There’s no biblical reference to chocolate coins, eating fried foods or for hat matter Christmas trees. They are just traditions that have been handed down and are as much a part of the holiday as the biblical parts. Church and Synagogue weekly attendance or even membership or affiliation is way down in this country. However, churches are packed at Christmas and Easter. Synagogues are packed on the high holidays and even atheist Jews have Passover sedars. Why, because it’s a tradition! We get lots of comfort and joy from the traditions. We remember fondly our family gatherings of the past while suppressing the memories of the fights between family members at those holiday gatherings. 🙂
Today the sun is shining and the temperature is nearing 70 degrees. Obviously, no snow this year.
December 22, 2018 at 3:09 pm
Bob,
I did mention we have family traditions then described a few new and old. Each generation has put their stamp on our family’s Christmas, but it all started with my grandparents though I suppose some of theirs came from their parents.
One year my mother put Chanukah chocolate coins in out stockings by mistake. That then became a tradition.
I haven’t ever seen a fight or even an argument at any family event. Discontent members tend not to go to events.
The sun just came out.
December 22, 2018 at 3:44 pm
Any tradition that includes chocolate is ok with me. Of course in our family none of us, except our immediate members, like each other and only tolerated the others for the few hours we were forced to be together. 🙂
December 22, 2018 at 8:08 pm
Bob,
Chocolate is everywhere at Christmas. I have to get some for stockings and the table on Christmas Eve.
My family is notorious for the parties they used to throw. Everyone always came.
December 23, 2018 at 1:04 am
We’ll have a white Christmas over here, the temperature will drop so no chance of it to melt away but we might also get some sunshine on Christmas even so even I must admit that it will look beautiful 🙂
Still no Christmas movies on the channels I can watch! Well channel six might show Die Hard just before Christmas starts and it does after all occur during Christmastime 🙂 🙂 🙂 I think however they have shown some Christmas themed cartoons on the Children’s channel 🙂 🙂
Not many old traditions in my family, they all died out with my mormor. I think that the only one that actually have traditions is my sister, she created new ones with all her children and grandchildren. I do like the pinata tradition You have thouhg 🙂 I’m not sure one can find empty ones here at all but I’ll tell my sister about it, I’m pretty sure she and especially my nephew would love it 🙂 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
December 23, 2018 at 10:32 am
Christer,
It is sunny today, but I think the cold weather is starting. We’ll have rain for Christmas.
I have chancels which play only Christmas movies, and I can watch the classics on YouTube. That’s where I’ve been watching all the Christmas carol movies.
The kids love their piñatas.They do them on Christmas Eve. All of the gifts inside are wrapped adding to the excitement. The stuff inside is neat. The piñatas were saved from year to year so the kids have their picks.
Have a wonderful day!