They know the Christmas stockings we all have are patterned after ones my grandmothers made. One of them--probably my Grandma Helen--saw a pattern in the paper for the stockings and decided to make them for all their grandchildren. My Grandmothers were good friends at work. That's how my parents met. So my siblings and all my cousins got the stockings. They're white quilted fabric with felt shapes--a Christmas tree in the center, along with a snowman, candy cane, bell, and ornament, all adorned with sequins. And then the person's name in red felt and sequins across the top. And the entire stocking bordered in red satin ribbon. One grandma sewed sequins on the red ribbon, the other did not.
My girls always get a small orange or tangerine in the toe of their stocking. So did my father and his parents. This tradition comes from an age when fresh produce in the winter time was not the norm. Getting an orange in the Midwest was a treat. Getting one in the winter was rare, was special. Even Laura Ingalls wrote, in Little Town on the Prairie, about attending a party at which each guest was given an orange and no one knew what to do with it. It's a small token at Christmas that goes back generations.
We have veal kidneys for breakfast. That's part of our German heritage on my mother's side of the family. On special occasions, this was part of the meal that was served. My paternal grandmother, who considered herself a world traveler and gourmet cook wouldn't touch them. But we grew up on them as a special treat and so I always try to serve them for Christmas.
We haven't had a Christmas tree the last few years since we've gone away from Christmas, but when we've gone to get one, we try to cut our own. Part of wanting to do that, is to continue the tradition of going to my aunt's farm when we were younger to cut our own tree. We've always had a live tree. When my dad was young though, Santa always brought the tree. He said his parents probably stayed up half the night putting it up and decorating it. I believe him. It takes a lot of time to get a tree up, lights on, and ornaments hung. But then he said they'd practically leave it up until Easter.
When we were little, my Mother used to read us the poem, The Night Before Christmas, each year on the 24th before we went to bed. I did it with my girls when they were little but that trailed off. I bought a copy of the poem this year to scrapbook and frame and add to our Christmas decorations. Eventually, I want to be able to read it to grandchildren...
More than anything else about Christmas though, that brings me joy, is the lights. I love to look at Christmas lights. At least once a year we try to drive around and look at the displays people have set up. I remember one year when we were pretty young, our neighbors across the street had put up Christmas lights and turned them on for the first time. My sister climbed up on the high chair to look out the kitchen window. Back in those days, high chairs had heavy metal trays on them. My mother had the tray set on the arms of the high chair but it wasn't latched in place. The tray flipped as my sister grabbed onto it...she fell backwards...and the tray flipped on top of her, cutting her lip. Don't know if she remembers that, but I do. My siblings always give me a hard time for "remembering things" they don't. I maintain it's because I'm the oldest and maybe remember things they were too young to remember.
Anyway, I have always loved colored lights. I love rainbows, I love the light you see in prisms, I love stained glass. I love Christmas lights in particular. When I was about seven years old, I wrote a poem about Christmas lights. My mother was so taken with the fact that I wrote a poem, and carried on about it so much, that I still remember the poem...
I have nine little Christmas lights
Shining bright for me
Three of them are red
Three of them are blue
Three of them are green
Shining bright for me.
Shining bright for me
Three of them are red
Three of them are blue
Three of them are green
Shining bright for me.
At Christmas time, sometimes at night, I like to turn off all the lights in the house, excepts for the Christmas lights, and just enjoy the peacefulness of the night. It brings me happiness and joy and makes me feel content in a way I can't describe.
He rules the world, with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
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