Holidays at our house were steeped in tradition. Since our family were practicing Catholic's, some of our activities were centered at church. We marked time with Advent candles lit before mass, one for each week of Advent. It was a season of fasting and penitence to prepare us to be worthy to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I always found Sunday mass during Advent to be very non-eventful and wished we could sing more Christmas music. But that was reserved for Christmas day.
At home, we turned into quiet, happy, helpful children. I guess we wanted to make up for a year of being hooligans in Santa's eyes. The Sears wishbook was passed from one child to another as we tried to decide what we really wanted for Christmas. We watched Christmas specials on TV and sang Christmas songs and carols. Everything was leading up to the magic of Christmas Eve.
Every day the week before Christmas, Mom would check the mail for a special package sent by my Grandma and Great-Grandmother. Their parish church, like most in the mid-west, still distributed oplatki, a thin wafer about 4" by 6" that was embossed with either a chalice or a Nativity scene. The taste is similar to communion wafers. Oplatki were handed out after mass on the third Sunday of Advent. My aunts and uncles, along with my grandmothers, would pool their wafers to send them to us so we could take part in the traditions of our Slovak heritage.
Christmas Eve day was like most days in December, except there was added attention to cleaning our rooms, wrapping small gifts and helping Mom however we could. The church had rules about when you could or couldn't eat meat during Advent, but other than Fridays (when we Never had meat), I don't remember fasting. But my parents kept Christmas Eve as a time of fasting with a sparse meal.
When it got dark, we would sit down for a dinner menu specific only to Dec. 24. After grace, we'd eat our oplatki, somber with the knowledge that Joseph and Mary could not find room at the inn and remembering the sacrifice of our Midwest relatives in sharing their oplatki with us. Because the wafers were dry and tasteless, we'd drizzle honey on them before being eaten. Soon all nine kids were sticky and somewhat hyper from the sugar in the honey.
Then came the second course - steaming sauerkraut soup with floating mushrooms. I'm not sure where my Mom got the idea to make this concoction every Christmas Eve or why. Maybe it was what she grew up with. The soup was a thin, clear broth made from sauerkraut juice with sliced mushrooms floating on top. It was certainly an acquired taste. I would try small sips and manage to drink some, but I never could eat the mushrooms. Even on our best behavior, I don't think anyone (except my parents) ever got much down. I don't know what, if anything, we had after the soup - probably something like grilled cheese sandwiches.
After dinner, my Dad would be in charge so Mom could attend to last minute details, or just rest. I recall caroling one specific Christmas Eve, but I'm pretty sure we usually did that earlier in December. Many years, we'd all pile in the car and drive around looking at the beautiful lights on all the houses. There were neighborhoods, especially in California, that were famous for how the homes were decorated in lights.
Before we knew it, it was time to hang our stockings. We used real socks and it was the one time we were grateful for the sock box. Socks were lined up so we could find the biggest one. We'd hang them on the fireplace in descending birth order so Santa would know whose stocking was whose.
And to our surprise, we were each allowed to open one gift before going to bed. Every year the gift turned out to be new pajamas. It was a ritual that we loved because new, warm PJ's made the night more special. And my parents knew we'd be presentable for pictures the next morning.
We'd push two or three beds together so all the kids could pile into one room to sleep. I know this started because my parents had bikes, trikes and dollhouses to assemble and gifts to wrap. They put us together so we'd police each other and they didn't run the risk of a child wandering into the preparations.
As all kids know, Christmas Eve is the hardest night to fall asleep. It took a long time to get everyone settled and relaxed. We'd whisper in the dark until one by one, we started to nod off to sleep.
But having us together worked against my parents in the morning. If one of us woke up, be it 4:00 or 5:00 a.m, we'd all be awake. I know there were years that my parents had barely gotten to bed before nine children were jumping on and around their bed saying "Get up! It's Christmas! Get Up!!!"
Merry Christmas To All, And To All A Good Night!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Deck the Halls
As I decorate my home for the holidays, I can't help remembering how we prepared for Christmas when I was young. It would start right after Thanksgiving dinner, when all of us kids would start pestering Mom. In our minds, if Thanksgiving was over, Christmas was starting. But Mom knew that Christmas music and decorations meant the start of her to-do list going from one page to three, and trying to get everything done with a brood of hyper kids was no easy feat. So she held off as long as possible, although she was quietly making plans and purchasing our gifts since early in October.
The Christmas music came out first. Our favorites were Bing Crosby, The Kingston Trio, and The NY Philharmonic with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We also listened to other albums with assorted artists. Mom let us play Christmas music once we were squarely into December.
By the second weekend in December, the mood was set with music. Boxes of lights, tree ornaments and other miscellaneous decorations would be brought down from the attic. Outside lights, the manger and our Christmas tree were the primary decorations. We had small touches elsewhere, usually hand made by Mom or we kids. Decorating for Christmas was festive, but not expensive and Christmastime was felt throughout our house, even if every room wasn't decorated.
Special things happened only between Halloween and New Years. Mom put us to work polishing the good silver. We learned the proper way to wipe away a years worth of tarnish from trays, teapots and silverware. It was a long and messy afternoon and we usually got frustrated using the soft cloths Mom gave us and resorted to using old toothbrushes to reach tarnish embedded in the intricate scrolls of the silver patterns. Years later, I looked at the silver and asked why it had tiny scratches. I should have known!
Wonderful smells also entered the air as Mom would bake friutcake (the only one I could ever eat) and other holiday treats. Most of the recipes Mom used were difficult and used several steps. As we girls got older, we started baking too - goodies, such as traditional Christmas cookies that were lucky to last the day.
Dad would be pounding away on his typewriter, but not for his usual work. He composed the annual "The Steeletter," a summary of the events that occurred in our family throughout the past year. He used the same format almost every year - an opening greeting, a short paragraph devoted to each child and my parents and a closing wish for a happy and prosperous New Year to the recipient. Then Mom and Dad would sit at the dining room table and set about signing and addressing the hundreds of cards they sent annually. A copy of the Steeletter was included in cards being sent to family and friends. It seemed like everyone my parents had ever met received a beautiful holiday card. It usually took several days to complete this process, but Mom and Dad enjoyed working together while chatting about all people they knew.
About the second weekend in December, it was time to put up the tree. For many years Dad, with the assistance of some or all of us kids, would find the perfect tree from a local lot. But one year Dad picked out the tree with a friend (I don't remember who) and brought home a tree that had been flocked with fake snow. As an adult, I can now see this decision was made after an afternoon of toasting holiday cheer (often the source of Dad's mischief). It was a terrific mess and Mom was not pleased. But we kids loved it! There was remnants of fake snow (the consistency of damp powered sugar) on our tree lights and ornaments for years.
We didn't have hundreds of ornaments but our beautiful trees had flickering multi-color lights accented by hand-made and store bought ornaments. In the early years, we would add tinsel, something that is rare today. For those who have not witnessed this decoration, I can only describe it as paper thin strips of tinfoil that was draped on the the tree branches. Tinsel reflected the lights and moved with any breeze, so the tree came alive. Most people, including us, discontinued using it when commercial garland became available and reasonably priced. Tinsel was also shown to be dangerous for small children and pets if eaten. But everyone used to use it. It took a long time to place tinsel on the tree properly and I remember several years when we got bored with the tedious process and took to throwing it at the tree, letting the wads of silver settle where they landed.
Once the tree was up and decorated, we spent countless hours laying on our backs looking up into the tree from underneath. This is where we'd dream of all the toys and things we hoped Santa would bring. The effect was best at night with all the other lights in the room turned off.
Our Christmas trees were always located in the family room, where there was ample room for gifts and the Christmas morning mess was more manageable. Sometime after the flocked tree disaster, Mom declared that she wanted an additional tree that she would decorate. A small "adult" tree that was placed in the living room. It was a spectacular display of white lights, gold garland, artificial miniature white doves and ornaments that Mom handmade by taking styrofoam balls and expertly covering them with gold ribbons held in place by white-topped pins. It added so much to the living room (a place normally off-limits to children) that we took to using the small tree at Christmas.
Today when I look at my tree, I can't help thinking about everyone who contributed the many precious ornaments I have for decorations Barbie gave us wooden toy and hand-made ornaments and the Angel top, spread over the first six years before and after Richard and I were married. I love the ornaments that were bought annually for each of my boys, along with others that were gifts from many people in our families. There are precious gold ornaments made by a local jeweler that reflect our town's landmarks and beautiful Lenox Disney characters that were gifts to me from Richard.
Christmas comes with a unique set of challenges, stress and financial woes. But I love the season because it invites all to remember the wonderment of Christmas from growing up. To this day, I wish I knew Mom's secret for getting everything done in time to enjoy the season (and she couldn't internet shop!)
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
The Christmas music came out first. Our favorites were Bing Crosby, The Kingston Trio, and The NY Philharmonic with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We also listened to other albums with assorted artists. Mom let us play Christmas music once we were squarely into December.
By the second weekend in December, the mood was set with music. Boxes of lights, tree ornaments and other miscellaneous decorations would be brought down from the attic. Outside lights, the manger and our Christmas tree were the primary decorations. We had small touches elsewhere, usually hand made by Mom or we kids. Decorating for Christmas was festive, but not expensive and Christmastime was felt throughout our house, even if every room wasn't decorated.
Special things happened only between Halloween and New Years. Mom put us to work polishing the good silver. We learned the proper way to wipe away a years worth of tarnish from trays, teapots and silverware. It was a long and messy afternoon and we usually got frustrated using the soft cloths Mom gave us and resorted to using old toothbrushes to reach tarnish embedded in the intricate scrolls of the silver patterns. Years later, I looked at the silver and asked why it had tiny scratches. I should have known!
Wonderful smells also entered the air as Mom would bake friutcake (the only one I could ever eat) and other holiday treats. Most of the recipes Mom used were difficult and used several steps. As we girls got older, we started baking too - goodies, such as traditional Christmas cookies that were lucky to last the day.
Dad would be pounding away on his typewriter, but not for his usual work. He composed the annual "The Steeletter," a summary of the events that occurred in our family throughout the past year. He used the same format almost every year - an opening greeting, a short paragraph devoted to each child and my parents and a closing wish for a happy and prosperous New Year to the recipient. Then Mom and Dad would sit at the dining room table and set about signing and addressing the hundreds of cards they sent annually. A copy of the Steeletter was included in cards being sent to family and friends. It seemed like everyone my parents had ever met received a beautiful holiday card. It usually took several days to complete this process, but Mom and Dad enjoyed working together while chatting about all people they knew.
About the second weekend in December, it was time to put up the tree. For many years Dad, with the assistance of some or all of us kids, would find the perfect tree from a local lot. But one year Dad picked out the tree with a friend (I don't remember who) and brought home a tree that had been flocked with fake snow. As an adult, I can now see this decision was made after an afternoon of toasting holiday cheer (often the source of Dad's mischief). It was a terrific mess and Mom was not pleased. But we kids loved it! There was remnants of fake snow (the consistency of damp powered sugar) on our tree lights and ornaments for years.
We didn't have hundreds of ornaments but our beautiful trees had flickering multi-color lights accented by hand-made and store bought ornaments. In the early years, we would add tinsel, something that is rare today. For those who have not witnessed this decoration, I can only describe it as paper thin strips of tinfoil that was draped on the the tree branches. Tinsel reflected the lights and moved with any breeze, so the tree came alive. Most people, including us, discontinued using it when commercial garland became available and reasonably priced. Tinsel was also shown to be dangerous for small children and pets if eaten. But everyone used to use it. It took a long time to place tinsel on the tree properly and I remember several years when we got bored with the tedious process and took to throwing it at the tree, letting the wads of silver settle where they landed.
Once the tree was up and decorated, we spent countless hours laying on our backs looking up into the tree from underneath. This is where we'd dream of all the toys and things we hoped Santa would bring. The effect was best at night with all the other lights in the room turned off.
Our Christmas trees were always located in the family room, where there was ample room for gifts and the Christmas morning mess was more manageable. Sometime after the flocked tree disaster, Mom declared that she wanted an additional tree that she would decorate. A small "adult" tree that was placed in the living room. It was a spectacular display of white lights, gold garland, artificial miniature white doves and ornaments that Mom handmade by taking styrofoam balls and expertly covering them with gold ribbons held in place by white-topped pins. It added so much to the living room (a place normally off-limits to children) that we took to using the small tree at Christmas.
Today when I look at my tree, I can't help thinking about everyone who contributed the many precious ornaments I have for decorations Barbie gave us wooden toy and hand-made ornaments and the Angel top, spread over the first six years before and after Richard and I were married. I love the ornaments that were bought annually for each of my boys, along with others that were gifts from many people in our families. There are precious gold ornaments made by a local jeweler that reflect our town's landmarks and beautiful Lenox Disney characters that were gifts to me from Richard.
Christmas comes with a unique set of challenges, stress and financial woes. But I love the season because it invites all to remember the wonderment of Christmas from growing up. To this day, I wish I knew Mom's secret for getting everything done in time to enjoy the season (and she couldn't internet shop!)
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
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