Saturday, December 15, 2018

Christmas is my holiday!

Everyone has their favorite holiday.  For example, my husband's favorite is Halloween.  But my favorite is Christmas.  I have loved Christmas all my life and not just because kids get presents from Santa.  I have loved Christmas because of my dad.  It was his favorite holiday.  Dad had so many Christmas traditions that made us look forward to the holiday season.  From decorating the outside of the house with multi-color lights (he was not a fan of houses lit with one color) to spending hours driving with all of us in the car from one tree lot to another to find the perfect tree. Dad was not a fan of artificial trees either..."Only real is Christmas" He would say.  The traditions that dad had with us have passed on to my family.  We always have a real tree for Christmas.  But unlike dad, we don't put tinsel on the tree (cats).  The first ornaments to go on the tree are the first ones we bought when the boys were born.  The tree topper is the same one mom and dad had on their tree for 40+ years.  My Christmas village grows every year as I acquire a new building for it and my mother's choir girls and boys candles always stand by the church.  A poinsettia plant sits on my diningroom table as a reminder of my mom's birthday on December 6 and next to it is the large ceramic Christmas tree that belonged to my mother-in-law.  My father-in-law's sleigh bells hang on the front door along with a 2-foot angel made by a parent of a first grade student when I was teaching.  Under the tree is a very large creche built by my father-in-law with figures given to me by a best friend.  On one of the beds, sits 44 stuffed animals.  My husband has been gifting me with one for every Christmas we have been married and he says it would not be Christmas without him finding me one I do not have.  Of course, baking all the family recipes is a definite tradition we all enjoy.  Although I am usually the primary baker and the men in my family are the tasters.  I think the funniest tradition we have is what we put out for Santa on Christmas Eve.  This tradition we stopped one year when we thought the boys were too old for it but they raised such a rucus about it, we started it again and do it even now.  The strange part is it is not your "normal" treat for Santa.  We put out a plate with a salami sandwich and a cup of coffee.  This came about when I was a little girl and we would put out cookies and hot chocolate for Santa.  One year, there was a note on the plate on Christmas morning, asking us to leave a salami sandwich and cup of coffee for Santa on the next Christmas.  It has been a tradition ever since.

I would like to think that after my husband and I are gone that these traditions will continue with our sons.  However, traditions it seems in this day and age are not as important as they once were.  So I will be realistic and hope that one or two will go on.  But until then, I shall keep the traditions of my holiday going and enjoying the memories that they bring to mind.

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