Remembering our Christmas traditions

Maxine Corbett
Richwood, West Virginia 

     Almost every family, over the years has started Christmas traditions.  That certainly was true in my parents' home.  Each year as Christmas approaches, I reflect on "how it used to be."  While I would not like to return to the deep, distant past as far as many modern day conveniences are concerned, I must admit, I love to revisit the traditions of the holiday season when I was young and enamored with all the things Christmas of that day and time meant to our family.

     We lived on a rural road, in a house surrounded by fields and trees.  My brothers were in charge of cutting down a pine tree and getting it to the house.  The boys put the tree on a homemade stand and after we had all gone to bed, "Santa" had charge of the decoration chores.

     In order to get we younger children to sleep, my older sister would read to us.  This was not just a Christmas tradition but something that happened quite often.  I remember when she would read fairy tales to the younger children and this is one of my most happy memories of my early youth.

     Christmas morning brought the smell of food, especially the special candy my father made for us.  The first child awake on Christmas morning got to "lick the pan."  Often that was me.  It is impossible to forget how wonderful that candy tasted as I sat there, sleep still in my eyes, sampling my father's "gift."

     If you were the first child, this was also a special time, for you had time for conversation with my father.  He was a quiet man, not known for talking unless you had done something wrong.  I remember my father mostly as being extremely tired from walking to and from his job in the coal mines where he worked long hours as an electrician.

     I will never forget how exciting it was to come down stairs and see the decorated tree, lights ablaze and presents just waiting to be opened.  I always received clothes, as did my siblings, but these were so welcomed.  My mother had magic in her fingers and could create any article of apparel needed.  About the only store-bought items we girls had were shoes

     Once the first child was awake, and the candy ritual over, that child was sure to make enough noise to wake the dead.  With all the children up and about, it was time to open the presents.  That didn't take long because there were not that many gifts.

     I remember my father preparing one of the special treats for our dinner.  Christmas was the only day we had oysters.  I detested oysters and perhaps that is why I remember this part of the day.  Again, I  often sat in the kitchen and watched my father fix these oysters, dipping them in an egg mix and then coating them with cracker meal.

     My father usually made me eat the things I did not like, but not oysters.  Perhaps that was because it was Christmas Day.  He patiently fixed a mock oyster, prepared in exactly the same way with the oyster omitted.  These were deep fried, just as were the real oysters.

     We did not have the traditional Christmas dinner of turkey.  We had chicken because we raised most of our food.  We also had ham but that was "store bought."  I remember how my father loved ham and oysters.  But then, my father loved food.  All year long, our cookie jar was never empty and pies and cakes were plentiful.  It was on Christmas that we made Jell-O.  I remember sitting a huge bowl of red Jell-O in the snow on Christmas morning.  by dinnertime, it was set and this was the favorite dessert of all the siblings because we rarely had this fun food. 

      Our Christmas tree lights stayed on all night on Christmas.  The tree remained in our living room until New Year's Day when my mother, with our help, took it down.  There were a few ornaments that were very old.  They  had been brought to America from Germany by my mother's parents.  Those, like so many other keepsake items that should have been preserved, have been lost for all time.

      Relatives rarely came to visit us on Christmas.  I do remember one visit however, when an aunt and uncle came and brought me a doll that my cousin no longer wanted.  I didn't care that it was a "hand me down."  We were used to that for we wore each other's clothes all the time.  I still remember that was the most beautiful doll in all the world to me.

     In that day, all our neighbors were also what you call economically disadvantaged by today's standards.  But oh, how rich we were.  There was love and happiness and while my parents had worries about caring for us I am sure, it did not trickle down to us.  We lived in a blind world of false security where everything was all right.  And come to think of it, it usually was.  We had food and warmth, and most of what we needed.  Everyone worked, with even the smallest children having chores to do.  Weren't we so fortunate?

Start a tradition in your family.
Make a memory.  Merry Christmas
Christmas 2004