Memories and Traditions
by Theresa Carpine12/21/2007 4:18:04 PM
When you hear the word “tradition,” you probably think of somber rituals where things of great importance are remembered and revered. Images of Tevye from “Fiddler on the Roof” belting out “Tradition!” on a country road might come to mind. Tradition is a word that I always think about during the holidays. My family’s holiday traditions are definitely of the insignificant variety, but they’re also some of the memories that resonate the most strongly of my childhood.
I'm not related to these people.
My family was never big on hanging outdoor Christmas lights, although we would usually drive around to see the elaborate displays of lights around town. And we definitely weren't the kind of family to go out and cut down a tree every year. In fact, we kept our artificial tree with built-in lights stored fully assembled in the garage year round. I never realized that this was considered sacrilege by others until I came to college and my roommates insisted that we not only get a real Christmas tree, but that we drive out to Deming to cut it down as well.
Even with our fake tree, my family fully embraced decorating the interior of our house each Christmas, especially with homemade decorations. As soon as the first snow fell, we’d start making paper snowflakes to decorate the windows. It was always a surprise to see what design would unfold. My mom would also make ornaments for the tree using school photos of my sister and me on either side. When I was younger, I would reorient all the ornaments to make sure my photo was visible for all to see. As I grew older, in typical teenage fashion, I became much less excited about seeing my face on the tree every year.
Get creative when decorating the house.
Since my mom worked for the school district, she had winter break with me and my sister. I remember spending a great deal of time in the kitchen, baking in anticipation of Christmas. We made sugar cookies every year because 1) frosting was always a great project to fill an afternoon with two housebound kids and 2) Santa would be expecting them. We also made candy, like Peanut Brittle and Divinity. I get a toothache just thinking about the various sweets that we created and consumed during Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, my family eats a feast of appetizers. This is a great meal when you’re a kid; everything is just your size, and you get to eat with your hands and toothpicks. My mother always prepared a customary tray of veggies, but the main attraction was always fondue. Most fondues use a cheese mix, but we always boiled oil to make fried bread and steak. Every year, my dad and I would challenge one another to see who could withstand the most horseradish on their steak without tearing up. Pigs in a Blanket is another holiday staple at Carpine family Christmas Eve dinner.
As we digested our feast, we’d gather in the living room, lit with candles and the lights from the Christmas tree. My mother would take three presents out from under the tree: one for my sister, one for me, and one present for the family. My sister and I would tear open our presents at the same time because they were always the same thing: holiday pajamas. There is nothing quite like the bliss of brand- new, fleece pajamas on Christmas Eve. While other kids might balk at the practicality of such a gift (kids always need pajamas), I always thought it was a great way to kick-off the next twenty-four hours of gift opening. After my sister and I returned to the living room in our new duds, we’d both unwrap the family present, a new board game, which was promptly opened and played, despite my father’s verbal reluctance every year. Hearing my dad complain about having to play board games became a welcome and necessary part of our family’s Christmas tradition.
Getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve.
With our bellies full but our appetites for presents just tempted, we’d set out a plate of cookies and milk for Santa and our parents would whisk us off to bed so visions of sugar plums could dance in our heads. Okay, so we’d really spend a couple hours watching “A Christmas Story” before bed, but I was trying to end on cultured note. But even if it was in front of the television, it was still time for my family to be together and that’s what matter most around the holidays.
Happy holidays from the Neighborhood-Kids.com family to yours!