1. Christmas Eve: On Christmas Eve growing up we would go to my Grandma Blakley's house in the late afternoon to have Christmas with her and Uncle David before going to Christmas Eve mass. We would eat dinner and open a few presents. Uncle David always got us chocolate covered cherries, well that is until I told him I didn't like those and requested Reese's peanut butter cups. Grandma always got us something little and one of the bank envelopes with a little Christmas cash. Always exciting as a child. After this celebration we would head back "across the creek" (we lived 1/4 mile from our Grandma, separated by a creek) and everyone would get ready for mass. This was a small challenge, 5 people getting ready in a house with one bathroom. Before heading out for mass there was always family photos in front of the Christmas Tree.
2. Christmas Tree: Growing up we always had real Christmas trees, generally cut from one of our farms. Since both of my parents were teachers we never got around to getting a tree up until they were on break, so maybe a couple days before Christmas. Dad also may have had a few problems with getting motivated to go cut the tree down, but I have wonderful memories of going to pick out a tree with Dad. Once we got it into the house it was decorated with ornaments that we collected throughout our lives, a lot of them one's we had made at school. Once the tree was up it was officially Christmas. I love the smell of a fresh Christmas tree.
3. Santa: Recently Zach and I have been discussing the differences in our Santa traditions and trying to decide how we want Santa to work in our family. Growing up I'm not sure that I every fully believed in Santa, it wasn't a sad thing, it just wasn't that big of a deal. As I recall it, correct me if I am wrong Mom, Santa only brought us the gifts in our stockings. Our stocking weren't very big so this didn't include a lot of gifts. Mom also didn't go to extremes to keep it a big secret either. When we got home from mass we were promptly encouraged to head to bed. Keep in mind I grew up in a 100yr. old house so you couldn't sneak around. As soon as we were in our rooms we would immediately hear Mom stuffing our stockings. Admittedly I would "go to the bathroom" during the night and check out what Santa had brought. Mom would often forget about the stockings all together which would lead to hysterically random stocking stuffer i.e. soap, fire crackers left over from the 4th of July, and most famously Able's glow in the dark yo yo he got every year.
4. Presents: We never had hugely expensive, show stopper gifts, like gaming systems or barbie dream homes, but we always had plenty of wonderful presents. Some of my favorite presents were my stuffed panda bear, which I so originally named Christmas Bear, my pink stethoscope that my Grandpa Dotter got me, it was the real deal and was exactly what I needed for my doll/bear hospital I was running, and the year I got a basketball. We opened presents one at time so we could all enjoy each other's gifts and it made Christmas morning last just a little bit longer. Some times Mom would throw in a present scavenger hunt, which I was always terrible at, but I think this was a tradition from her childhood that she was trying to keep alive. ( the gifts were always in the attic, why didn't I just go there first?) There was a time, when Grandma Dotter was a live, when we saved wrapping paper, purely because Grandma Dotter guilted us into it, I think. That also made Christmas morning last longer and Dad's pocket knife got a lot of use. Dad being ultimately cheap, loved this!
5. Christmas Morning: Christmas mornings as a child and young adult are some of my most treasured memories. The whole family was together, the house was full of laughter, love, and pure joy. We generally woke up pretty early and started in on the stocking first and then opened presents. After the gifts were opened there was hours of fun playing with our new toys, trying on our new clothes, and soaking in the pure happiness of Christmas morning. Usually on the afternoon of Christmas we would head to Grandma and Grandpa Dotter's house for a late Christmas lunch. This wasn't a big Dotter holiday so it was usually was a small get together.
6. Food: We didn't have a traditional breakfast that we ate every year, but it was always tasty. Little smokies, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and cream chip beef on toast were just some of the high lights. When we were older it started to include staples such as the cheese ball, white chocolate covered oreos, and an assortment of delicious desserts. At Grandma and Grandpa Dotter's there was the ever presents "dessert table." This was the table were Grandma put all the goodies that Grandpa Dotter's patients would bring him as Christmas gifts. Mom now has the dessert table at her house and it is being put to great use.
7. More Recent Christmas: As we got older traditions changed. One of the first ones to change were the stocking stuffers. One Christmas Mom was sick, as she usually got around Christmas program time when she taught, so she told us that we would need to buy each other stocking stuffers. That lasted for a few year and was very entertaining. When we were all moved out in and in college Christmas just became more special. It was a few days when we were all together again. It was rare to have all of us in the same place, so we treasured this time together. In the most recent years the Christmas gathering were held on days other than Christmas due to scheduling conflicts, but the time together was just as precious.
8. Christmas lights: We had amazing lights on the old farm house. Able risked life and limb to put them up all the many peaks and across the front of the house. There was a big star on the roof, we had lights lining the walk way, and even decorated a Christmas tree that was growing on the creek bank. We lived in the middle of no where so we were the only ones to really get to enjoy this, but it was so beautiful.
9. Snow: I only really remember one "white" Christmas in OK. I'm sure there were more, but the year I remember was the year I got my basketball and wanted to go play some B-ball but it was too snowy. I know it was a white Christmas last year in OK and here, but it was all over shadowed by my Grandma dying on Christmas day. Not a great last Christmas for Dad :(
10. New Traditions: Now that I have a child of my own I have been putting some thought into the Christmas traditions I want to start for my family. Here are a few of the things I have thought of so far:
- I am going to get each of my kids a stockings with their name on it. I have Zane's and I love it.
- We are going to give away older toys/toys they have out grown to less fortunate children. We are greatly blessed and I want my children to learn to give back. This is also a great way to make room for new toys.
- In the same vain I want to get and 'angel' like they have trees at church and let the kids shop for them.
- I want to have a Christmas breakfast that we eat each year. I'm thinking Santa shaped pancakes, but really have decided on that yet. Zach does make a mean Santa pancake though.
- We are still up in the air on what gifts are going to be from Santa and which ones will be from us. I don't want to give Santa all my glory, but I think Zach grew up with all his presents being from Santa. I'm sure we will reach a compromise some how.
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