THE 2012 CHRISTMAS GENEAMEME (IN 2017)DV
Do you have any special Xmas traditions in your family? We have
always gone to church on Christmas, sometimes to the Midnight Mass and
sometimes on Christmas Day. Usually we observed the lighting of the Advent
Wreath with its three purple candles and one pink candle. We didn’t have a
chimney to hang our stockings on but each child was assigned a chair or place
on the sofa to place their stocking on, that is where Santa would leave their
gifts. We were allowed to open a gift on Christmas Eve and take it to bed with
us. Usually pajamas from an Aunt and Uncle.
Is church attendance an important part of your Christmas
celebrations and do you go the evening before or on Xmas Day? We have
always gone to church on Christmas, sometimes to the Midnight Mass and
sometimes on Christmas Day. Much depended on the age of the children in the
family. Recently, due to various church commitments such as altar servers and
choir membership, the family has sometimes gone to separate services.
Did/you or your children/grandchildren believe in Santa? Yes! Each
generation has believed in Santa, usually until about the age of 8. After that
we knew better but kept the secret going for the sake of any littles.
Do you go caroling in your neighbourhood? As a child, sometimes we would gather friends to go caroling in
the neighborhood and sometimes my Girl Scout troop would go caroling. As an
adult, never.
What’s your favourite Christmas music? All of it!
There is really none that I don’t like. I used to watch the Christmas specials
and do the Christmas cards.
What’s your favourite Christmas carol? Currently it
is “Mary Did You Know” but I like many others for various reasons.
Do you have a special Xmas movie/book you like to watch/read? I always
enjoy “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street” but I
also like to watch anything with the littles. I love to share their excitement.
Does your family do individual gifts, gifts for littlies only,
Secret Santa (aka Kris Kringle)? Our gift giving has changed with the times as our family has
changed. With 9 children in the family, we used to draw names and kept the
tradition as marriages occurred. With the addition of littles, we would buy for
each until they were in high school, then they were moved to the “grab bag”. We
would set a dollar limit and it usually worked pretty well. There was a year or
two that the gifts were to be homemade. That was fun!
Is your main Christmas meal indoors or outdoors, at home or
away? Growing up in
Northern Illinois, our Christmas meal was always indoors and it stayed that way
mostly when we lived in Florida and now in Texas. Except for the first year my
husband and I lived in Florida. That year we decorated the lanini and ate
poolside. Two of my sisters and a brother came for dinner with their families
and we ate poolside.
What do you eat as the main
course for the Christmas meal? I don’t remember a certain tradition, but it was always more on
the formal side with the good china and silver. The meal could vary from turkey
to ham to beef, but there was always
family and love. One year my husband and I invited both of our families to our
house (about 25 people) for dinner. We had Roast Goose, Beef Wellington, and
homemade Egg Nog among other dishes. I came down with pneumonia that night and
it took my poor husband spent three days doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen.
Do you have a special recipe you use for Xmas? We do Christmas
cookies every year. Rum balls and Hungarian Kolaches are favorites.
Does Christmas pudding feature on the Xmas menu? Is it your recipe
or one you inherited? We don’t have Christmas pudding.
Do you have any other special Christmas foods? No really although brisket on the bar-b-que is becoming a
tradition now that we live in Texas.
Do you give home-made food/craft for gifts at Christmas? When I was
first married I used to make bread and cookies as Christmas gifts and over time
I have made other crafts as gifts, such as a patchwork pillow, monogramed beer
glasses and once a clock.
Do you return to your family for Xmas or vice versa? When we all
lived in Northern Illinois, we would go back to our parents homes, spending
time with both families. After Mom and my husbands parents moved to Florida,
those of us still in the area would alternate hosting Christmas. Some of my
siblings moved to Florida with my mother and they celebrate the holiday in much
the same way, taking turns hosting.
Is your Christmas celebrated differently from your childhood ones?
If yes, how does it differ? Some things have changed over the years and others have remained
the same. I live with my son-in-law and daughter now and their family. Church attendance
is still the same but the overall feeling is much more casual. We still have a
celebratory meal.
How do you celebrate Xmas with your friends? Lunch? Pre-Xmas
outings? Drop-ins? I don’t celebrate with friends
much anymore since we have moved to Texas. I do keep in touch with friends and
relatives via Facebook.
Do you decorate your house with lights? A little or a lot? We do string lights
along the front of the house and on the shrubs out in front. The highlight of
our decorations are the wooden soldiers my husband made twenty years ago. This
year they will have new flags to fly!
Isy.your neighbourhood a “Xmas lights” tour venue? Most people
on our cul-de-sac do decorate but not to the standard of being on a Christmas
lights tour.
Does your family attend Carols by Candlelight singalongs/concerts?
Where? We did for
several years when my son-in-law was the choir director for our church, but not
any more.
Have any of your Christmases been spent camping (unlikely for our
northern-hemisphere friends)? One year we took our camper to Florida and camped to spend
Christmas with family. We had a very small tree in the camper.
Is Christmas spent at your home, with family or at a holiday venue?
One year my husband took a cruise at Christmas time
and didn’t decorate. Coming home was depressing. Other than that, Christmas is
at home with family.
Do you have snow for Christmas where you live? Since we live
in south central Texas, we don’t expect snow for Christmas. We did have 2 – 3 inches
about two weeks ago and it got everyone into the spirit.
Do you have a Christmas tree every year? Yes, we have
a tree every year, except for the year of the cruise.
Is your Christmas tree a live tree (potted/harvested) or an
imitation? At various times over the years, we have had both harvested and
artificial trees. It depends on where we lived. In the South, the trees tend
dry out quickly causing a fire hazard.
Do you have special Xmas tree decorations? Our tree decorations are a mix of new and old with musical
instruments and toy soldiers as accents. My daughter and her entire family are
musicians and my husband has a “thing” for toy soldiers and nutcrackers. We don’t
put nutcrackers on the tree but they are everywhere else in the house. We also
always have a manger scene in a place of honor.
Which is more important to your family, Christmas or
Thanksgiving? They are both very important to my family, but I would say that
the religious connection to the holiday pushes Christmas to the top.
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