ACCM - Christmas Eve

This Christmas Eve I'll be enjoying time with my in-laws. We'll be eating Beef Tenderloin, Burgundy Mushrooms, Green Bean Casserole, Beer Dip with Pretzels, and so much more. We'll be enjoying drinks as well and opening presents. Yes...we open the family presents on Christmas Eve so everyone can be around to watch the little ones' excitement as they open their gifts. My mother-in-law's house will be packed to capacity and the noise, while incredibly loud, will be a joy to experience. All the conversations going on at once.  All the catching up. It's one day that all of us get together. The only thing that could put a damper on attendance is if it snows or gets icy and two of my brothers-in-law will have to man the trucks and take care of the city streets. So we'll cross our fingers that this isn't the case.

As the night passes family will slowly head home to prepare for Christmas morning. The hubby will read Twas the Night Before Christmas to our boys and send them off to bed after cookies and milk are put out for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph. Once my youngest is asleep, my oldest will sneak out and help me pack the stockings and bring up the presents. This is probably the last year that my youngest will believe in Santa. He's been asking questions. Next year he'll probably be helping with the presents too. It'll be a little sad, but we'll still make it fun.

So if you celebrate the Holiday, I wish you a very merry Christmas. If you don't then I'll simply say "may the best of the closing year be yours!"

ACCM - Christmas Baking

Ignore my caved-in pumpkin bread. I'm baking at 7100 feet and have an aversion to adjusting my recipes...

Pumpkin Bread....so yummy! I used to grab the boxes of pumpkin bread mix in the stores as soon as it started showing up around Thanksgiving. Sadly it would disappear from the shelves shortly after the new year. I decided I would have to find a homemade recipe that was as good or better than the boxed stuff I was buying...and I found one!

Unfortunately, I've been using this recipe for years and copied it down without the source. I found it online and I really wish I could share the source, but I'm certainly still going to share the recipe. There are a few changes that I've made. The spices are "heaping" measurements. I know they weren't in the original. I like my spice! I've also substituted some wheat flour into the recipe. You can go with all white flour if you'd prefer. The recipe makes one loaf, but if you're a fan of pumpkin bread like I am just double it. Use the whole 15 oz can of pumpkin puree. It won't be exactly 2 cups, but it works. Trust me on this one. And by doubling it you won't have leftover pumpkin!

Pumpkin Nut Bread

1/3 c. butter (or margarine), softened
1-1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. water
1 c. pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
1 c. flour
2/3 c. wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, heaping
1/4 tsp. cloves, heaping
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, heaping
1/2 c. nuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

In a mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light; set aside.

In another bowl combine the eggs, water and pumpkin; mix well. Add creamed butter mixture; blend thoroughly. Sift dry ingredients together in another bowl and add to creamed mixture 1/3 at a time, stirring well after each addition. Mix in the nuts, if desired.

Pour into a greased and floured 9x5x3-inch loaf pan for 50 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

ACCM - Christmas Tree Decorations

Some of the ornaments from when I was little still hang on my tree.

Who didn't have a glass pinecone?

What kind of decorations do you put on your Christmas tree? Is your tree all pretty glass ornaments and ribbon? I can really appreciate the beauty of those trees. I can appreciate it, but it isn't me. I'm not even sure if I'm capable of putting together one of those flawless, beautiful, artistic trees. I think it would turn out more like a Pinterest-fail if I made the attempt. That's alright though because the decorations on my tree express more than beauty. Each one has its own story. Whether it was purchased because it was merely pretty or because it represented an experience or place visited, it says something about who we are as a family.

My tree has pretty much always been like that. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my adopted-nana, Hazel Blum, made some ornaments for my sisters and I. One in particular that I recall was little magazine clippings that were decoupaged on a plastic egg-shaped ornament. She clipped things that reminded her of us. Perhaps a scottie dog for my little sister or a doll for me. It was homemade and it was cherished. Sadly, I don't have these ornaments anymore. Any ornaments that were "mine" are MIA. I asked my father, keeper-of-the-Christmas-stuff, for them years ago and he said that he didn't have them. He said that he had given them to us. I don't know what really happened to them, but I don't have them. I do have a lot of decorations from my childhood, but never these. These most cherished of items.

Not all ornaments are traditional.

Yes there were glass ornaments on my tree growing up. Probably ornaments that are very similar to ones you may have had on your tree. Perhaps you still do. I know my husband's family had similar ornaments as well. They were in vogue at the time. In addition to those ornaments I added some that I painted.

The first Christmas that I was in the Army and didn't go home to be with family I bought my own live tree and needed to decorate it. I didn't have any ornaments so I got some plaster craft ornaments and painted them. I tied ribbon to them and hung them on my tree with white lights and baby's breath to simulate snow. It was beautiful to me and I didn't need much. I still have those ornaments.

As time went on I got other ornaments from friends and family and they've been added to our tree decorating. We even have a glass pickle ornament that we hide on the tree and the child that finds it gets a special present. Each year I get my sons a new ornament and put their initial on it somewhere. This way when they grow up they'll be able to take these ornaments with them to put on their first Christmas tree. It's a tradition I started, but one I hope they will continue with their children.

A poi ornament from our time living in Hawaii

Ornaments aren't something parents should covet so they could remember when their children were at home with them once they've gone off on their own. They are gifts of memories that we give to our children so they can remember the good times at home during the Holidays with family that wasn't perfect, but the loved and cherished them.

Happy Holidays everyone!

A plastercraft ornament for my youngest

A plastercraft ornament I painted for my oldest

Some help us remember places we've been...

...and some show our family fanaticism.

ACCM - Christmas Cookies

I purchased this copy of The New World Encyclopedia
of Cooking on Ebay for about $20.00. I love everything,
but...the smell (yuck mildew)!

I've blogged Christmas recipes in previous years. My favorite cocoa refrigerator cookies, "Aunt" Hazel's peanut butter fudge, and my mom's, aunt's and uncle's favorite...sand tarts.

This year I'd like to share my mom's sugar cookie recipe. My mom made the BEST sugar cookies. They had orange zest in them and were just so yummy. I haven't made them in quite a few years. Since we started going to Wisconsin for Christmas around 2009 there was no need. You see my sisters and mother-in-law would get pre-cut sugar cookies as a tradition and the aunts would gather around and color some icing purchased from Festival Foods. We'd ice the cookies and pass them to the kids to put sugar crystals and sprinkles on top. The result was a lot of fun for the kids and a little nudge closer to diabetes for the adults. "Sugar rush" is an understatement!

There were usually lots of cookies to take home after the holidays so I stopped making my mom's sugar cookies because of this. Now most of my nephews and nieces are grown up. Fewer and fewer want to decorate cookies. It won't be long before I start making these again to keep sugar cookies around for my kids. Sugar cut-out cookies are just a must for the holidays!

I've had some trouble with this recipe in the past. I won't bend the truth here. My cookies just weren't coming out as yummy as mom's. It bothered me. I'm a pretty good baker. The cookies were tough. I'm not talking tough to make, I mean tough as in how they tasted after I made them. Frankly, they were kicking my butt. I couldn't figure it out. The first couple batches were fine. Then it came to me. I was re-rolling the dough too many times.  Yeah...don't do that. Take the scraps and re-roll once. Try to maximize your cut-outs so you don't have a lot of scraps left. Heck...give the scraps to the kids (or eat them yourself...cookie dough...YUM!). Just don't do more than two rolls from the same dough. No bueno!

Now I must go on to clarify that while I say these are my "mom's" sugar cookies she actually got them from The New World Encyclopedia of Cooking. They're on page 673. There are several variations to this recipe listed below the base sugar cookie recipe and one of them is "Lemon Sugar Cookies." My mom didn't add lemon zest to the batter, she used orange zest.

Growing up I remember putting those candy silver balls, red hots, colored sprinkles an sugar crystals on them. We were never allowed to put too much on and you really wouldn't want to cover up the flavor of these!

My Mom's (ahem...TNWEOC's) Sugar Cookies

2/3 c butter
1 c sugar
2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 orange, zested

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla; mix. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and orange zest. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture.

Divide dough and place on a sheet of waxed paper. Place another sheet over the dough a press to about 1/2 to 1-inch thickness. Do this with the other half of the dough and refrigerate overnight or until firm.

Break off a piece of the dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface until about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into shapes. Make sure to maximize your cutouts to reduce scraps and re-rolling! Bake in a 375 degree (F) oven for 10 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet until the bottoms are golden.

Transfer to cooling racks and cool completely.

Remember that after you break a piece of dough off to roll that you must put the rest of it back in the refrigerator until you're ready to use more dough. You want it to stay cold!

Also if you're decorating without icing and just sprinkles you want to decorate before you bake them.

ACCM - Christmas at Church

The Shrine at Our Lady of Good Help in New Franken, WI decorated
for Christmas

My family is Catholic. Like way back Catholic. My paternal grandparents were Catholic, but switched because of a disagreement over divorce/annulment with the Church and became Methodist (I think), but everyone else...Catholic. My hubby's family is Catholic as well. My mother-in-law is German so there are some Lutherans there, but it was pretty well split between the two faiths.

When I was young we'd go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve. I'm not sure why my parents would do that to themselves. I say that because they'd come home and send us kids off to bed and then would have to get the presents out and put together any big ones that needed assembly. They must not have gotten much sleep that night. Kids tend to wake up early on Christmas morning! There were a couple times when we'd get up super early and go to their room to see if we could go out to see if Santa had arrived. We'd be told that it was too early and to go back to bed.

As an adult I liked going to Christmas Eve mass as well, but not the midnight service. When my husband and I first got married and had children that's the one we went to. It wasn't necessarily "getting mass out of the way," but it is more convenient than waking kids up in the morning and parading them past presents on their way to church. To me going to mass on Christmas Eve just got me even more in the Christmas spirit. You go to mass and then come home for a nice meal. Enjoy some Christmas Eve television specials with a cup of tea or hot cocoa and then send the kids off to bed and get to bringing out the presents. The next morning was just enjoying the day with family.

After we started spending Christmas in Wisconsin with my in-laws doing Christmas Eve mass wasn't possible. I tried it once, but it threw off the schedule of events. You see my in-laws all gather together on Christmas Eve at my mother-in-law's house. We have beef tenderloin and lots of other tasty treats and gifts are exchanged. There's actually a lot more that goes on, but that's a short, sweet summary of events. The night starts early so heading to church means delaying everyone else's night and that's not right. I like the way they do things...Christmas Eve together and then Christmas day with their in-laws. It works out nicely and the kids and I head out to mass with my mother-in-law Christmas morning. We usually get everyone up early enough so the boys can check out their stockings before heading out. It seems to tide them over until we get back home.

I love seeing how beautifully decorated the Churches are for Advent and Christmas. I really need to get a picture of my husband's church in Green Bay. Saints Peter and Paul's is always stunningly decorated! It really is breath-taking! Seeing all the decorations helps to put me in the holiday spirit. I love the songs during church at Christmas too. They range from "Go Tell it on the Mountain" to "Silent Night." You don't want to hear me sing, but I've got no fear singing these songs!

Another favorite part of church at Christmas is the manger scene. We rarely have attended a production of the Nativity, but we always take the kids to the front of the church to see the manger after mass. Baby Jesus is absent from the manger scene throughout Advent and then is placed in the manger at midnight mass. Perhaps that's why my mom liked going to midnight mass. The absence of Jesus from the manger is something we do at home with our little Nativity. We leave Jesus out and place him in Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. At least when we celebrated Christmas at home. We put out baby Jesus sooner when we go to Wisconsin for the holidays. It wouldn't serve a purpose to put him in there in January and then clean it all up!

Advent and Christmas in the Catholic Church always gives me a feeling that we're ramping up to something big...and we are. It gets you into the spirit. It helps everyone to remember the real reason behind the season!

ACCM - Christmas Traditions

We had a few traditions when I was growing up. We had a pretty barberry candle in a glass container that had a white plastic flower attached to the lid. The smell was divine! Burning a bayberry candle is supposed to bring luck/good fortune. I don't know that it ever did, but the candle only came out at Christmastime. My sisters and I used to take the glass lid off and breathe in the fragrance whenever we got the chance. When we were really little we'd be scolded for doing it too often...afraid that little hands would break the lid. I have bayberry candles in my home, but they are out all year long. There are fewer and fewer large candle producing companies that make bayberry scented candles and even fewer that actually use the bayberry plant when making them. My kids love the fragrance too and hopefully will have bayberry candles in their homes as adults.

We had a ceramic yule log that came out at Christmas as well. It had taper candles in it and was covered in wax drippings from years of use. It would usually be placed on our dining room table with the Christmas cookies in tins. Occasionally it would sit on the mantel above our fake fireplace or the flat-top of the dining room radiator. A few years back I found a replica of this yule log on eBay. It wasn't painted which was fine by me. That meant I got to do the colors I wanted. I ordered one and got to painting. I bring it out each year. I don't think it means much to my children, but every time I see it I smile. Good memories.

Even during the hardest times in my childhood Christmas was a time of happiness. The replica is a little smaller than the original (at least by my reckoning), but it was a piece of my childhood I never expected to be able to share.

One last tradition I'd like to share is one that my husband and I started a year or so after having our first child. After we put our stockings by the fireplace my husband would read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to our boys. They'd sit on his lap (next to him now that they're bigger) and listen to him read it. It was the last thing done before giving kisses and heading off to bed.

ACCM - Christmas Television and Movies

I grew up loving all the Christmas TV Shows that kids still love watching today! You know...the typical ones: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas (who could ever forget that tree!), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (love his little doggie!), Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town...the ones that almost every kid my age watched and the ones my kids love watching too.

But here's one that I'd bet most of you never watched. It's certainly not one you'll see in the TV listings today. It's Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey.

Let me tell you that when I introduced Nestor to my boys there were tears. Serious crying was going on in my house. I'll admit it...I still cry during Nestor. It is sad near the beginning, but a truly beautiful story about a donkey no one wanted who ended up being the most important donkey in the world. Yeah...make-believe, but you can say that about all the others too. This isn't a Christmas Children's Classic you'll see on everyone's list, but if you try one new kiddie-classic...try this one!

ACCM - Santa Claus

My first Christmas (1972)

Did you believe in Santa Claus when you were young or did your parents feel that sharing that legend with you was wrong? I know people that don't want their children to believe in Santa Claus. They feel like they're lying to them. It's certainly a point of view worth considering. I considered it briefly...like 2 seconds briefly, because the bottom line was that my sisters and I believed in Santa Claus and we all eventually found out the truth and it didn't do any irreparable damage to any of us. So far with one child "in the know" and the other in blissful belief, they haven't been damaged either.

I believed in Santa. We didn't celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas, but my husband's family did. Santa was used as a way to (try) to instill good behavior in my sisters and me as the holidays grew closer and we became more impatient. "Remember that Santa is watching!" was heard on more than one occasion throughout the years. Did it work? You bet it did! There was definitely something magical about coming out on Christmas morning to our individual pile of presents near the Christmas tree. We never heard our parents putting them out or putting them together the night before so it truly was magic to us.

As we got older we usually discovered that Santa wasn't quite what we expected by nosing around the house. Perhaps we were just looking for something and came across a wrapped present. Then the inevitable question popped up, "Well, what is it and how did it get here if Santa hasn't come yet?" We figured it out on our own and for a few years after let our parents believe. Eventually, we each broke the news to them that we knew. I think they were more disappointed than we were!

I'll admit that during those years of discovery we did get quite good at partially unwrapping presents to sneak a peak at what we were getting. Now that's a skill worth having!

When my oldest son asked if there was a Santa Claus, my husband and I were fairly certain that he already knew the answer. He was about 10 years old and instead of lie to him at that point just to get a year or two more of innocence from him, we took him aside and told him the truth. We also told him that Santa was real in spirit. That Saint Nicholas did wonderful acts in the name of Christ and that this was why we brought them the legend of Santa. That the gifts were our way of giving them presents to celebrate the Lord's birth. They were birthday presents.

After my oldest knew the truth he enjoyed helping me each Christmas Eve since then putting out the presents and filling the stockings...after his little brother feel asleep, of course! Now he feels like he's a part of the magic. Do I hope that my boys will pass on the legend of Santa to their children in this way? I do, but it will be their choice. All I know is that the memories and joy my husband and I saw in the faces of our little boys at Christmastime is something we will always treasure!

ACCM - Christmas Recipes

I've posted my father-in-law's Beef Tenderloin recipe. This is traditional (and yummy) for each Christmas Eve. Since dad passed away my brothers-in-law have taken up the task on Christmas Eve and make it for the family.

I've also posted my mother's recipe for Pork Wontons without mentioning that they had become a New Years Eve tradition. I don't think there's any real significant reason that they became a tradition other than we loved them and when getting our New Years Eve on we wanted to have all things yummy available for the celebration.

Those are two recipes that always make me think of the Holidays. This ACCM I wanted to share my father-in-law's recipe for stuffing. My husband has kept this recipe going and is usually in charge of making the stuffing whenever we have it. We call it stuffing, but we don't actually stuff it inside the turkey so perhaps I should call it dressing. My in-laws don't do turkey on Christmas. My family always did, so stuffing/dressing is something I think of as Holiday food.

The recipe is actually taken from Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book. We add sausage with sage to it. One year my father-in-law added apples to his stuffing and boy was there an uproar in the Cayemberg house! Fruit was not to be added to the stuffing!!!!! My father-in-law, husband, and I all loved it. The hubby has added it once or twice more since that notorious meal, but more often we leave it out.

Betty Crocker's(-ish) Bread Stuffing*

1 c butter
3/4 c finely minced onion
12 c bread cubes (toasted)
1-1/2 c celery, chopped
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp dried sage
1 lb pork sausage
1/2 tbsp salt

In a large skillet cook the sausage breaking it up with a wooden spoon into small pieces until browned and cooked through. Remove from skillet and drain in a paper towel-lined bowl. Melt butter in the same skillet. Add the onion and celery and cook until softened and translucent. Add the pepper and sage. Remove from heat.

Tear bread into cubes and place in a large bowl or roasting pan. Pour the onion/celery mixture over the bread and add the sausage. Mix with a spoon or your hands until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (don't worry it's all cooked through so it's safe!).

If the stuffing isn't moist enough add chicken broth and mix until it is as moist as you would like. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake covered until warm through. Remove foil/cover and let bake about 15 to 20 minutes longer to dry out/crisp up the top.

If you're using sausage that already has sage in it, omit the sage and you can, of course, stuff the turkey with the stuffing, but we do it separately.

*The base recipe was taken from Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book (copyright 1961). The method and baking directions are different than the recipe in the book. There is no baking temperature for the stuffing. You can bake it at whatever temperature your cooking your turkey and slide it in a bottom rack or on the side. It just needs to be warmed through since all the ingredients are already cooked. You can even make it the day before and reheat it in the microwave.

The recipe with the sausage omitted the 1 tbsp of salt because sausage is usually fairly salty. I adjusted it to be 1/2 tbsp because without salt it just wasn't right. Taste some stuffing before adding any salt to see if you need it. It will depend on how much salt is already in the sausage.

ACCM - Christmas Music

I've posted in previous years about my favorite Christmas songs. This year I thought I'd do something different and share the albums that I grew up with. These were the staples every year in my house (and, yes, it was during actual vinyl album days). When I grew up, joined the Army, moved out, and got married, I went and purchased CDs of each of these albums. It just wasn't Christmas without them.

First there was Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas. My hubby isn't a Christmas Carol person, but even he likes a little Christmas Elvis. If I'm going to play something with him around it's this one.

My favorites from this album are "Winter Wonderland," "On a Snowy Christmas Night," "Silver Bells," and "Blue Christmas." No one does "Blue Christmas" like Elvis!

Another of my childhood Christmas albums was Jingle Bell Rock by Brenda Lee. I don't know what it is about Brenda Lee's Christmas album, but I thoroughly enjoy every song. There isn't a single one that comes on and I forward to the next. I know she's more of a country artist, but that isn't it. There's so much emotion in her songs and they remind me of beautiful Christmas nights. This one gets busted out shortly after Halloween (but I only play it when the hubby and kids are at school...no reason to make them all bah-humbug by playing holiday music too early).

As I mentioned, I love all of these songs. If I had to pick a favorite it would be "The Angel and the Little Blue Bell." This song always makes me cry if I listen too carefully. You can listen to the song here.

What is Christmas without Bing Crosby? He is the king of "White Christmas!" Sure plenty of others sing "White Christmas" and do a pretty good job, but no one beats Bing! White Christmas is one of my all-time favorite movies too. Watching it is a Christmas tradition in my house. I watch it and everyone else leaves the room. I still hold out hopes that one day someone will stick around and watch it with me!

Favorite songs include "White Christmas (of course!)," "Jingle Bells (sung with the Andrew Sisters)," "Christmas in Killarney (that's the Irish in me)," and "Mele Kalikimaka (loved Christmas in Hawaii!)."

Finally, the last of the old albums for my traditional Christmas is We Wish You a Merry Christmas by Ray Conniff and the Ray Conniff Singers. Each "song" is wonderful. Of course most songs are actually medleys. It's really a nice twist on the traditional Christmas tunes.

There aren't many titles on this album. With most songs being medleys they last longer than a regular song, but you can sample this album with the medley "Let it Snow! Let is Snow! Let it Snow!/Count Your Blessings/We Wish You a Merry Christmas" here.

Maybe my husband and kids go running for the hills when I put on my favorite Christmas movies, but I can safely say that I've gotten my children to love the Christmas songs I grew up with. They don't get quite as bah-humbug as the ol' man does. I hope that these albums will bring them the happy feelings and memories that they bring me and I look forward to them playing them for their families someday and continuing the tradition!

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Cookies

While my Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories posts aren’t matching up with the prompt of the day, I still want to share them.  And how could I not share a cookie recipe?  This isn’t a recipe that I remember from my childhood.  It’s a recipe that my mom remembers her mom making for them.  I will certainly be trying it out when I get back home after the holidays!  I’ll be sure to add a picture of the finished product as well!

Sand Tarts

½ c. shortening                                                          ¼ tsp salt

1 c sugar                                                                    ½ c almonds, blanched

1 egg, beaten                                                             1 egg white

2 c cake flour                                                             1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder                                                  ¼ tsp cinnamon

Cream shortening and sugar thoroughly.  Add beaten egg and dry ingredients which have been sifted together.  Chill dough until stiff.  Roll out 1/8 inch thich and cut with various shaped cutters.  Press ½ almond in the center of each, brush tops of cookies with egg white and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees F) 10 minutes.  This makes 76 cookies 2 ½ -inch diameter.  A crisp cookie which keeps well.

VARIATION – Roll thin, cut with tiny bridge-set cutters, bake 5 minutes, remove from oven and cool.  Frost with Peppermint Spread and while moist outline each with candy beads.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - The Tree

My Mom, Aunt Cathy, and Mary Lucille Gilson (at Mary's house)

It's that time of year again, and even though last year was my first year participating in the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (and blogging), I really had fun.  Rather than repeat my posts from last year, I'm going to be asking family members to share with me their memories.  I haven't decided yet if I will stick with one family member this year and save the other stories for next year, but I figured it was a good way to mix it up and to gather all those great memories that we want remembered forever!

The following are my mom's memories of the Christmas Tree (and Christmas in general) when she was growing up, edited just a bit so you may understand some of the people and places that were referred to...


When Eddie and I were young my mom and dad would send us next door to Aunt Mary Quirk's house and we'd have dinner with Aunt Mary, Aunt Kay and, when I was very young, grandpa Quirk.  At our bedtime mom came over and took us back to the house, but everything was dark in the living room because Santa Claus was coming that night.


It was so hard going to sleep.  I remember lying awake and hearing noises in the living room but knew I couldn't see what it was.


My father would set up the entire two train set - a big green one (I don't remember the brand) and a little black one (a Lionel).  I guess my mom was in charge of the tree.  It was always a real one with big bulb lights and bubble lights.  I remember always flicking the bubble lights that didn't bubble.  I think the bubble lights on the tree are the reason I still like them so much.  My dad helped grandpa Brown.  When we came down in the morning Santa had been there and it was magic knowing he had done everything while we slept.  He even came into our rooms and put our filled stockings on our beds.


My Grandpa Brown died when I was in 6th grade and it must have been the first Christmas after his death (Cathy was still little) that my mom told us that Santa needed our help that year so we were going to set up the platform, trains and tree and Santa would finish it.  A couple of years later we helped even more by decorating the tree.  I think I believed in Santa until I was in Grebey Junior High School.


Wonderful memories.  Of course, we had to go to the children's mass at St. Gabriel's on Christmas morning.  By that time we had gone through all of our presents at home.  When we came back it was on to the aunts' house (Mary and Kay) next door and got more presents.   By the afternoon we ended up at Aunt Marian and Grandpa Brown's house which was right behind ours.  My mom made the best turkey and pumpkin pie and when it was all finished, Ed and I would go to the Gramley's house to see what Malcom and Tommy got for Christmas.  Nobody in the neighborhood was well off but everyone's father except one had a job.  It was good times.


When we got older and my mom turned the garage into a TV room, we started putting the tree up there.  I think my parents loved Christmas as much as we did.  When we were older my dad would give us money and we'd go to Fellins jewelry or Deisroth's to buy presents for my mom.


I'm sure Ed and Cathy did what I did in trying to duplicate that sense of joy and Santa.  I remember staying up to 4:00 a.m. with your father on Christmas Eve putting together that Barbie three (or was it four) level house.  Good times and very good memories.


Next week I'll feel like a kid again as we bring up the Christmas tree from the crawl space and bring out all the old decorations and bubble lights and put baby's breath on the branches.


Thanks mom for sharing these memories!