Well, here I go again with mindless chatter...........
HAPPY DECEMBER 2009 ! ! !
I love family traditions. Some of my greatest memories growing up have to do with the traditions that my Mom and Dad created for us girls. A lot of those traditions have to do with the holidays, which are coming up (or already been!).
My Dad was as good of a worker in the kitchen as my Mom was. So, big family meals during the holidays were a joint effort. Each one of us had jobs to do and we always had fun doing them.....OR Libby and I fought like cats and dogs doing them.....depended on our moods. LOL!
My Dad always cooked Christmas cookies. He would cook 6 to 8 different kinds of cookies.....chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodles, fruitcake cookies, pheffernissels (not anywhere near spelled correctly!), date cookies, orange balls, wedding cookies, and many others I cannot spell. (He was part German.) He baked them ahead of time, stored them in huge tins in the basement and threatened us within an inch of our lives if we tried to sneak any of them before it was time to put them out.
Mama always made the mixture of cereals, pretzels, nuts and whatever else with spices and sauces. There was a special dish that she always used to serve it in every Christmas. It was as if it was bottomless (like the kleenexes in a motel that come out of wall) because she would always keep some mixture in it for everyone to enjoy. She wasn't selfish with her mixture like Daddy was with his cookies. LOL! BUT, the pretzels would always disappear first because Sandra would eat them.
A favorite time for me was when we decorated the Christmas tree. Either Daddy or Libby would play Christmas carols on the piano (my Dad's favorite was 'Silent Night') while the rest of us decorated the tree. We always hung icycles on the tree and they HAD to be put on individually and NOT in clumps. I am sure that the reason I am so OCD about decorating the tree due to how my Mom was about it. Anyway.....it is a special memory for me.
The boys always enjoyed decorating the tree, too. They would get so excited at Christmas time. We lived in Denver when they were growing up. So, we always went to Tennessee for Christmas. Santa would deliver their presents to Nanee and Papa's house instead of our house in Denver. Daddy always read "T'was the Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve to all the grandkids. After they all went to bed, they would hear the bells ring from Santa's sleigh. I hope that they have special memories in their hearts of traditions we had when they were little.
Now, with an empty nest, I have to resort back to those wonderful memories when I am decorating for Christmas. It is a bitter/sweet time for me. I get pretty sappy.....I know, what's new? (Danny says my kidneys are behind my eyeballs.)
If you haven't created holiday traditions with your family, start now. It isn't too late. It will mean so much to you and your children as you both grow older.
I wish a wonderful Christmas season filled with old and new memories.
I love you all ! ! !
Layna
Labels: Family Traditions