"Christmas is a nostalgic time of year
when the smell of buttery cookies,
the twinkling of Christmas lights,
and the good cheer and
warmth of spirit in the atmosphere
help us rekindle our own
Christmas memories."
My simple past and fond memories
Music: traditional tunes played on the HiFi all season long - yes, actual LP's
Decorations: (a bit of stress getting the tree up but I remember the decorating was fun
Sweets: Mom’s fudge, thimble cookies & rum balls, homemade fruit cake
Dinners: the traditional turkey with all the trimmings and steamed pudding with hard sauce
Visits & family gatherings: visiting Aunt Erma to watch the Rose Bowl Parade and ensuing football game - in COLOUR
Gramma's grab bag: a treat added in later years for the grand kids
Aunt Mary’s annual letter
Sneaking off to different churches:I was always curious to see how others celebrated.
Forcing myself to stay awake as late as I could listening for sound of bells and reindeer noises on the roof.
Past perfect continuous and creating new memories for my kids
Thimble cookies & rum balls: some things were worth continuing
Decorating the tree: sometimes we would cut down our own and drag it home, then putting on a pot hot chocolate served with little marshmallows.
Special Xmas ornament each year: something I started for my kids. When they left home they had a box full of memories to decorate their own first tree
Music: always the traditional tunes remembered from childhood with some new ones added in
Wrapping gifts late into the night xmas eve.
Christmas Eve Tortiere: trying to inject traditions from other cultures
Christmas morning quiche and cranberry punch with gingerale: always prepared in advance so I could sit and enjoy the kids' excitement
Watching Polar Express, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas
Future Perfect
Many more family and friend visits, gatherings and dinners: now with blended families, Christmas has become a month-long event. Some traditions that I enjoyed as a child will continue to be injected into our celebrations and new traditions will continue to be added.
Cookie Monster's alter ego
In the end it is all perfect – past, present and future.I will continue to believe in the magic of Christmas.....
