Now to be clear, my youthful Christmases were wonderful. Dad truly loved Christmas, and he would do everything in his power to make the holiday special for his family. We didn't always have a lot of money, but he would budget carefully for months so there was room for at least one special gift -- a bicycle for each of the kids, one year. He'd try to have money for steaks for Christmas dinner, and even if they weren't the most expensive steaks, they were delicious. Mom also really liked the holiday, especially building the stockings. Noting expensive was in them, but it was all carefully selected and fun.
That sounds wonderful. Did you have any particular family traditions you grew up with?
In my family, we traveled to spend the holiday at my grandparents' farm. There would be aunts and uncles and cousins and way too much fun. Christmas Eve, after sunset, we'd pack into the living room, light a candle, and turn off all the other lights. In the hush, my grandfather would read the Christmas story out of Luke and then we would sing carols. Simple, but the best Christmas memories of my life. Right off the bat, I don't remember a single present I got all those years, but it wasn't Christmas if I didn't hear Granddad read the Christmas story.
When I was young, we used to go to Tennessee to visit family -- all my family on both sides is from the East Tennessee mountain region near Knoxville. Of course after my grandparents began to die that tradition fell off somewhat. We never did Christmas Day there, though. That was always at home.
Also when I was young we were involved in the church, and did Christmas pageants and so forth. My mother's mother was extremely devout and faithful, and she was the first of them to die, relatively young and of a terrible cancer. My mother was so mad at God over that that we stopped all church attendance as a family; I don't think she's ever been back. It severed us from the religious tradition as a family, though Dad continued to go. He went alone, though, and there were no more Christmas religious traditions. I don't think we even prayed at home anymore as a family. When I wanted to marry almost a quarter century ago now, the preacher had never met any of us except Dad.
But I remember the family gatherings happily. Ours in my youth were grand affairs, with dozens of cousins and aunts and uncles gathered around the grandparents. In my own son's life, those only included my father and mother and occasionally my sister as well as myself and his mother. The big families were gone; my sister had only one child, and after my son was older and she'd moved to the other side of the country. Since Dad died, my mother went to be with my sister, and now we see no one at all.
All of my family is from in and around the Ozarks. Driving through those hills always reminds me of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It's a sad story about your grandmother and mother. I'm sorry that happened. I'm sure your Dad had a difficult time, but it's good he stuck with the faith, honorable. Not to criticize your mother; that's a very hard thing to live through.
Here, too, after my grandparents passed away all of those traditions stopped. We gather once a year for a reunion, but not during the holidays. My mother will still have a small gathering, maybe half a dozen of us, but it's nothing like my childhood.
The local parish has become a source of family for me. There are a lot of kids and a number of young men whose lives I can still contribute to. And, Christmas is full of meaning and tradition there.
It seems like your Fire Department gives you some of that.
7 comments:
That was my son’s experience more than mine. My mother was never one for dangerous toys.
Ah. Well, at least you have both your eyes. :-D
That’s true. I always joke that I like Odin traded half my eyesight for wisdom, only I did it by reading so much that I need glasses to see very far.
Now to be clear, my youthful Christmases were wonderful. Dad truly loved Christmas, and he would do everything in his power to make the holiday special for his family. We didn't always have a lot of money, but he would budget carefully for months so there was room for at least one special gift -- a bicycle for each of the kids, one year. He'd try to have money for steaks for Christmas dinner, and even if they weren't the most expensive steaks, they were delicious. Mom also really liked the holiday, especially building the stockings. Noting expensive was in them, but it was all carefully selected and fun.
That sounds wonderful. Did you have any particular family traditions you grew up with?
In my family, we traveled to spend the holiday at my grandparents' farm. There would be aunts and uncles and cousins and way too much fun. Christmas Eve, after sunset, we'd pack into the living room, light a candle, and turn off all the other lights. In the hush, my grandfather would read the Christmas story out of Luke and then we would sing carols. Simple, but the best Christmas memories of my life. Right off the bat, I don't remember a single present I got all those years, but it wasn't Christmas if I didn't hear Granddad read the Christmas story.
When I was young, we used to go to Tennessee to visit family -- all my family on both sides is from the East Tennessee mountain region near Knoxville. Of course after my grandparents began to die that tradition fell off somewhat. We never did Christmas Day there, though. That was always at home.
Also when I was young we were involved in the church, and did Christmas pageants and so forth. My mother's mother was extremely devout and faithful, and she was the first of them to die, relatively young and of a terrible cancer. My mother was so mad at God over that that we stopped all church attendance as a family; I don't think she's ever been back. It severed us from the religious tradition as a family, though Dad continued to go. He went alone, though, and there were no more Christmas religious traditions. I don't think we even prayed at home anymore as a family. When I wanted to marry almost a quarter century ago now, the preacher had never met any of us except Dad.
But I remember the family gatherings happily. Ours in my youth were grand affairs, with dozens of cousins and aunts and uncles gathered around the grandparents. In my own son's life, those only included my father and mother and occasionally my sister as well as myself and his mother. The big families were gone; my sister had only one child, and after my son was older and she'd moved to the other side of the country. Since Dad died, my mother went to be with my sister, and now we see no one at all.
All of my family is from in and around the Ozarks. Driving through those hills always reminds me of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It's a sad story about your grandmother and mother. I'm sorry that happened. I'm sure your Dad had a difficult time, but it's good he stuck with the faith, honorable. Not to criticize your mother; that's a very hard thing to live through.
Here, too, after my grandparents passed away all of those traditions stopped. We gather once a year for a reunion, but not during the holidays. My mother will still have a small gathering, maybe half a dozen of us, but it's nothing like my childhood.
The local parish has become a source of family for me. There are a lot of kids and a number of young men whose lives I can still contribute to. And, Christmas is full of meaning and tradition there.
It seems like your Fire Department gives you some of that.
Post a Comment