All right, everyone who hasn’t even started their Christmas shopping, raise your hands! That’s me, waving a bit frantically. Granted, now that the nieces and nephews are a bit older, there isn’t as much to do. Still, there are the five great-nephews and one soon-to-arrive great-niece that keep me looking at catalogs and scoping out toy sections.
Every Christmas is different–but every one is the same. For me, Christmas is memories of midnight church services with a hundred voices singing Silent Night by candlelight; playing the flute with my mother at the organ; and champagne at home afterward, celebrating the joy of Christmas.
As I write stories like Her Christmas Wish, I think about how our ancestors celebrated Christmas. Alone on a patch of ground, with work that must be done, did Christmas become just another day? How did the mother of five add all the holiday baking and decorating and making gifts to her already too-busy schedule?
Pioneers and soldiers in remote forts decorated their homes with what was at hand: evergreens, pinecones, holly, nuts and berries, popcorn or paper strings, and homemade decorations like dolls made of straw or yarn; cookie dough ornaments and gingerbread men. Women would start their holiday baking weeks ahead of time. Gifts were homemade, things like sachets from the roses, carved wooden toys, embroidered handkerchiefs, and knitted hats, scarves and socks.
In Her Christmas Wish, my heroine, Katie, kept her family traditions alive by making the special foods of her childhood.
What about you? What traditions do you have that mean Christmas to you?
I’m giving away two copies of our Christmas Anthology, Wishing For a Cowboy, either electronic or paperback, to two of you who leave a comment today.
To me, nothing says Christmas like when the kindergarten kids sing “Away in a Manger” for the Sunday School Christmas program. But Tracy, “Silent Night” by candlelight is a close second!
I know, Kathy. The sweet faces on those kids. Wonderful!
Loved Her Christmas Wish! Can’t wait to finish the rest of the anthology.
Hi Allie! Back atcha with you great YA series.
For me, nothing beats caroling. Whether at church, out in the neighborhood, or at home with family around the piano. I can’t wait each year for the music!
Hi, Paula! Our church choir used to go every year.
We always go to my sister’s house for Christmas eve and to my mother in law’s on Christmas day and listen to Christmas CD’s while we travel.
Hi, Quilt Lady! Nice to see you here.
Any particularly favorite CDs?
Tracy, my mom told me a story about how her dad went into the old shed one Christmas and cut a star and icicles from the foil of an old battery he had out there. I wrote a story about it–just so simple, the way people used what they had and commercialism was unheard of in that time–no one had any money during the Depression. Silent Night is my all-time favorite carol. When I was a Girl Scout troop leader, we went into a couple of nursing homes and the girls caroled for them, and made tray favors–the girls and the old folks all enjoyed that so much! I loved Her Christmas Wish, too. That was one great story!
Tracy, I loved your story in Wishing for a Cowboy! When I was little, my used Green Stamps to buy our gifts. I remember what great fun it was to stick all the stamps in the book, and then Dad would give all the books to Santa. 🙂
I just got home from rehearsing for Christmas Even. “In the Bleak Midwinter”–handbells, flugelhorn and flute. 😀 This year’s favorite!
Jacqui, I remember Green Stamps. lol
I have often wondered the same thing about how holidays were celebrated. Read about the celebration in Denver in 1860 (?) and they had a great feast, but then a guy showed up with a barrel of liquor and the next thing you know it had degraded to a free for all. For myself it was stockings filled with fruit and small gifts. Doris
Doris, the small gifts are the best, aren’t they? My mom took so much time helping Santa choose the gifts for our stockings!
Decorating the tree while listening to Christmas music and baking cookies for family and friends.
When we decorate the tree we always have eggnog.
I’m looking forward to reading your stories Tracy. I’m so glad I found you here on this blog. My traditions go back to my childhood with the foods we had every Christmas, The cookies I continue to make are he same my Mom and Grandmother used to make. We attend Midnight Mass every year. And on Christmas Day we have a huge dinner for everyone and it’s the memories of family who are no longer here but forever at our table as we reminisce. Happy Holidays everyone.
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
Crystal B, the Christmas music goes onto the iPad the day after Thanksgiving;
and Maureen, eggnog is a have-to-have in our house, too!
Carol L, it doesn’t feel like Xmas without the special treats.
decorating the tree together
bn100candg at hotmail dot com