Holiday Traditions

Are there any things you did as a kid for the holidays that you still do today? Such as the things your parents did and you took for granted. The things that became a tradition in your home. The things that all these decades later still seem necessary in order for the holidays to feel special.

For example, the Christmas tree. My mom always decorated in white lights and red apples. My brother tells me there was one Christmas when the tree was all red apples and red birds. For many years, I always used white lights and red plastic apples as well but eventually, I decided the red apples just didn’t do it for me and I stopped. And then there was one year that my mom just decorated the ficus tree with red apples. I think that break from tradition, as shocking as it was then, is what gives me permission today to not always have a tree.

Do you put presents under the tree or a village or a train?  In my family, we always had a village with lights under the cotton snow popping up into the houses. Mirrors for lakes and the church set high above the other buildings with the help of a box cleverly draped under the white landscape. As presents arrived in the mail from relatives and my mother wrapped the ones for us kids, they would be lined up against the wall, but never under the tree.

These are the kind of houses we originally had in our village under the tree. Later, my brother made a complete village from German model kits.

Of course, I should tell you that I never believed in Santa Claus. In my house, the Christ Child came instead - and always while we were at Christmas Eve service. And the Christ Child did not wrap presents (no elves to help) so there would be a pile for each child that kept us occupied while my mom and dad poured themselves drinks and dished out glasses of slush.

Slush. Cranberry juice, lemonade, and bourbon. My mom was no dummy. It was the perfect treat to keep us occupied while we waited for others to open presents (we always did them one at a time, one person at a time). Banging spoons into our mugs, crushing up the ice, and trying to avoid brain freeze was the perfect distraction. Plus with the cranberry and lemon, it was practically healthy!  These days I make it with much more bourbon, but as a kid, my mom used just enough to keep the juice from freezing solid and enough to help us fall asleep after opening gifts.

This year’s slush. Obviously, I use a lot more bourbon than my mom ever did.

I no longer have a creche but I remember fondly how the three magi and their camels were never under the tree on Christmas Eve. Instead, they were somewhere else in the living room, against a wall. Over the next 12 days, they would inch their way closer until on January 6, Epiphany, they arrived before the baby Jesus. Only then could we take down the tree.

That’s me at probably age 3. The village is under the tree and the creche is to the right behind me - notice the shepherds in the field and no magi yet. Not sure why there aren’t red apples on the tree though.

About thirty years ago, my sister and I started making our favorite casserole on Christmas day and that tradition has stuck for me. Spinach, rice, mushrooms, onion, cheddar cheese and (of course) one can of cream of mushroom soup.  If you want meat, chicken works best.

This year, I’ll have slush on Christmas Eve and casserole on Christmas Day. It’s the simple things and the memories that make this holiday special for me.

What about you?