My sister, her husband, and her boys would come and stay for a couple of weeks at my parents’ house. My brother and his wife and two step-sons would come over from the town nearby.
We’d have a big family dinner with all of us shoe-horned into the den, the kitchen, and the living room. Food was generally rib roast (my mother’s favorite), baked rice, butter beans (or “round beans” as my youngest daughter called them), a vegetable tray, bread, and pie (usually pecan).
After that, we’d gather around the Christmas tree and pass out gifts. Someone would play “Santa.” We had started drawing names, so at this point we found out who had our names. The kids would invariably get toys (I really miss shopping for toys…) and maybe some clothes. My parents gave us money (always in fashion) and maybe an item of clothing. We always gave them something memorable like framed pictures or antique “somethings” since they really bought whatever they needed. As they got older, we gave gift certificates to restaurants.
After we opened our presents, we’d go to Christmas Eve service. That was always a challenge with my oldest nephew who liked to talk out loud about everything going on, even the solo of “O, Holy Night” was often a chance for him to critique loudly how the soloist had done (“Too loud!” “Too high!” “She missed a note!”). The best was then and still is now the candle-lighting in the darkened church at the end of the service. Of course it was also an opportunity to see what kids could almost set on fire and how much candle wax we could get on our clothes or shoes. I still have a pair of black suede pumps with candle wax on them.
Then we’d go home and wait for the “real” Santa to bring gifts on Christmas Day, which was almost an after-thought after Christmas Eve. To this day, Christmas Eve will always be my favorite day of the year.
Thanks for the opportunity to revisit. I have lost my brother, my father, and that oldest nephew who was so full of life. My mother is in assisted living and rehab and losing her abilities almost daily. I don’t know what this Christmas will bring, but things are looking up and new traditions will begin when my daughters marry (one in April) and we will add some new family members and start again. I guess a valley or two makes us appreciate the mountains in our lives.
