Memories of Christmas Moms and Christmases Past

[snowball]

I will be the first to admit that I don't remember my childhood too much some specifics but not a lot...
I do know that Mom made sure that we had THe Visit!!! grew up with 2 sisters and 3 brothers my younger sisters had a bedroom the boys had two bedrooms ours were up stairs the boys were in the "addition" which was downstairs..on Christmas eve the boys had to sleep in the girls room and the girls came into my room..then we would spend the night trying to slip past mom's and dad's room through the kitchen to the living room.... yea right!!! once one made it past then ran up the stairs he came he came... we usually had family in the grandparents and a family or two not sure if all came or just one family one year then another another year... the year I got my cedar chest I remember thinking I had been forgotten just didn't see it still have it in storage...as a parent I tried to do the same for my kids and felt like I failed don't know how they did it but I sure couldn't give what I wanted to... sometimes I think we compare ourselves to the "perfect" scenario and then feel bad when we come up short and usually it wasn't but it was only in our eyes... When we lived in Salt Lake City one of the highlights of the season was to go down to Temple Square and see the lights so pretty and to go drive around and see those pockets of someone's home who put out beautiful lights and decorations...still love to see lights...love Christmas music the station here in Q I love except at Christmas time they don't believe in Christmas music tell the week before then you might hear some then the day before through Christmas day then on the 26 down to what it was the week before I so miss hearing Christmas songs... We always had certain food for Christmas Suet Pudding was something I loved rarely can find the suet for it now...and don't know where it came from but we had stuffed pickles some thing we have to have... also a salad that again I don't know where she found it had but it had green and yellow jello pineapple shredded cheese and whipped cream haven't made it for years but so good
I hope everyone has the perfect Christmas for you and yours
sheila

[dpf]

My most memorable Christmas was when I was five. I came down the steps and there was a tiny Boston Terrier puppy in my stocking! I don’t think I paid much attention to the rest of my gifts that morning. I named her Candy and she started my lifetime love of Bostons.

When I was young Christmas Eve was always spent at my great aunt Clara’s. She was a bit of a jokester and presents were always wrapped in multiple boxes with yards of scotch tape. It never failed that there was always a bottle of Jergen’s hand lotion with a crocheted cover some animal. What child needs hand lotion? We’d leave her house and go to midnight mass. During my high school years two of my protestant friends always insisted on going with me.

Christmas Day was always at my grandma’s on my mom’s side. It was a rather strained day since my dad and my mom’s brother weren’t on the best terms. My uncle was an alcoholic and my grandma had my dad farming her land rather than him because he wasn’t doing a very good job. Not to mention that he was taking more than his share of the crops when sold at the elevator. Grandma always made a traditional Norwegian meal of lutefisk (yuk!) meatballs (yum) riced potatoes (eh) and lefse (double yum!) I was the youngest cousin and therefore considered a pain in the keister so it was a rather boring day for me and I would usually end up on the pile of coats on grandma’s bed and take a nap. Usually on Christmas night our family would go to a movie.

[chalet05]

Nice to read these stories. I have been thinking about Christmases gone by for a couple days. I have started a Christmas Memories document so if you haven't written some of your stories for family, you might consider it.

For the first 9 ½ years of my life, I was an only child living on a farm in Kansas. I remember one year going to the fire station in the small nearby town to see Santa. Now how did he know my name!?! Never did learn who that Santa was. We always had our Christmas morning and then my dad’s side of the family gathered at someone’s home. My step-cousin and I are near the same age and were/are great friends. The women cooked and cleaned up – one uncle took a nap and the others played cards. Looking back, I realize everyone got along!!

I have memories of some of the gifts Santa brought over those first years – a BB gun, an electric train and a walking doll. I think my brother eventually had the BB gun. Many years later my dad wanted to buy the electric train from me (I think $50) – he thought he could make some money because it was a Lionel – it was actually Sears & Roebuck. I kept it until I started full timing again in 2007. I still have the walking doll.

[Shirlv]

Enjoying Christmas music this morning until Blue Christmas came on. Got weepy thinking of sister-in-law, best friend who died two years ago. A beautiful woman inside and out, she derserved to have someone remember and shed a few tears for her. Anita, your lists of gifts brought back a few memories. I grew up with only boys to play with so Santa bought me bats, balls, guns and holsters. The sneaky rascal kept painting Shirl’s bike a different color every few years and she didn’t even know it was the same bike. Guess she wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.

[Acadianmom]

I painted my son's bike for Christmas one year and put a new seat, handlebars and peddles. If he ever knew he never told me.

Things are so cheaply made now. The last bike I bought the wheels were all rusted in 6 months. I don't remember them rusting like that when I was a kid.

Martha

[Colliemom]

As a child, Christmas for me was a wondrous time. The tree, the lights, the presents, the smell of cookies baking, fudge cooking on the stove, the fire in the fireplace on Christmas morning, the music, the cards from friends hanging on the back of the front door etc. Back in those days Christmas wasn't seen or heard till the day after Thanksgiving. Then mom and I would catch the bus to Detroit and go to the J.L. Hudson Co., to see the store all decked out for Christmas. It was magical walking in that door with trees and lights everywhere. There were also the drives into Grosse Pointe where the "rich people" like Henry Ford lived, to see the beautiful decorations on the houses. There were no "gated communities" then. I remember waking up on Christmas morning to the smell of warmth from a freshly started fire in our fireplace, brightly wrapped present under the tree and my milk and cookies I left out for Santa, gone. Course later as I got older, I found out about those presents under the tree and where those cookies and milk disappeared to

Mom always made Christmas special. She baked plates full of cookies, made fudge, decorated our tree, till I was old enough to help, dad put it up and vamoosed as decorating wasn't his thing But he did put up lights on the outside of our house. After presents were open on Christmas morning, it was get "dressed up", off to mass and then make the rounds of family and friends to see what everybody got for Christmas. Later as I got older, our Christmas Eves were spent with my aunts, uncles and cousins at one of their houses or ours, depending on who's turn it was to host Christmas Eve. We had a big dinner and my cousins and I each got one of our presents to open that night. We usually went to Midnight Mass, the spent Christmas day making the usual rounds. Then over time cousins grew up, friends passed away and eventually we started spending the holidays up here at our "cottage" which later was remodeled into our permanent home. And my one aunt and uncle moved up as well, next door to us, so we kept our Christmas traditions going here as well. Plus visiting with the neighbors, exchanging cookies etc. We also made trips to FL as my grandmother had moved down there. That too was special for a few years as we always were given a weeks stay at a beachfront hotel in Ft. Lauderdale by a company my dad delivered stuff to from the tool and die shop he worked for. One special Christmas I remember was the year we drove down to Key West and back. It was getting on to late afternoon and we were looking for a motel for the night. Found one that had one room available for that night, which happened to be Christmas Eve. Like Joseph and Mary looking for a room at the Inn. Back in those days, FL wasn't like it is today with motels every mile up the road it seems. We had a small artificial tree with us, so we set it up, had our Christmas and then later walked the beach in the moonlight listening to carols piped over the speakers at the motel. It was a magical time.

But as much as mom did to make Christmas special for dad and I, I don't know how she managed to do it, the year my grandmother, her mom passed away. She had leukemia and they had moved in with us so mom could care for her as people did in those days before cancer treatments and hospice. She was in the hospital over Christmas and it had to be hard on mom trying to do Christmas while her own mom was dying. She said that the song "O Holy Night" always reminded her of that Christmas Eve as it was being sung by carolers in the hall at the hospital and it was the last Christmas song my grandmother ever heard. She died on New Years Day. I was only 5, so that time was still fuzzy for me yet. But after mom passed away, Christmas just didn't feel the same. Oh, I went through the motions of putting up the tree, making cookies (dad had a sweet tooth ) and making us a nice big turkey dinner with all the trimmings. I still exchanged cookies with the neighbors, but gradually they started passing on too as did my dad.

Now I have the memories of those years which come flooding back every year at this time. But I love the music of the season, and I enjoy watching the Hallmark movies, so not so and others yes. I quit decorating just for me, but am still baking those annual Spritz cookies. Thought not as many. I shed a tear too once in awhile thinking back oer time. But we kids of the "greatest generation" grew up at a different Christmas time when life was slower. Everything closed down on Christmas and people came home for the holidays. Kids seemed to stay near to "home" rather than scatter to the 4 winds like today. We were there before "Black Friday" and it's madhouse shopping frenzies, before shopping online with the click of a button. when people mailed Christmas cards to wish us Merry Christmas, instead of Social Media and Politically Correctness of "Happy Holidays" . When we enjoyed the music of the season and didn't pick on certain songs cause of their "sexual" theme which seems to be going on of late. When we go, those Christmases past that we had will go with us and not return in this fast paced world.

So cherish you memories, shed a tear once in awhile and remember. Like Anne said, we can't "go home again" but it will always be in our dreams.

[monik7]

While it’s clear many have their memories of Christmases past and miss those times with family and friends, we can still enjoy and focus on the REAL meaning of Christmas which is the same today as it was then and will continue to be in the future.
Sandi

[Colliemom]

Fortunately the old Carols are still around to remind us of that. Joy to the World, Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, O Holy Night. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear are among my favorites.

[cnq50b]

So true, Sandi.

[Cudedog]

While it’s clear many have their memories of Christmases past and miss those times with family and friends, we can still enjoy and focus on the REAL meaning of Christmas which is the same today as it was then and will continue to be in the future.
Sandi

Hrm. I have been mulling this over all day. Is there something wrong with sharing our memories of our mothers, and of joyful times in our pasts, on this board?

Sorry, I am really confused.

Thank you.

Anne

[JudyJB]

I think our memories are our own and personal, so we can choose what we want to remember.

[Shirlv]

Anne, nothing wrong at all. Your post has brought back so many fun memories. Sledding on a big hill, roll off before you get to the bottom or you end up in the creek. Was it so much colder then? Snow would cling to your clothes, freeze and you crunched when you walked. The smell of wet wool drying in front of a fire. A bowl of chicken noodle soup and go out again.

[gypsyrose1126]

I have really enjoyed reading all the postings on this thread and have enjoyed all your memories. I think as we get older, we all remisness about Christmases past. I grew up in Northern WI, we owned the country store and lived in the attached home. We knew all the people in the surrounding area, as we were the only store and gas pump in the area. We would go out with my Grandpa several days before Christmas and get a tree to take home. We would decorate it at night after the store closed, with lights and loads of tinsel. Looking back on photos, the trees were not quite as shapely as the ones today, but we did not notice that then. They always looked beautiful. My Mom would have Christmas music playing and we would be trying to decorate my Dad with as much tinsel as possible. Many of the folks friends used to bring over cookies that they baked and other goodies. We never lacked for cookies or fudge, yum! My Mom liked to bake and when she put cookies in the oven, she would leave the door between the store and house open, and when the bell jingled indicating someone had come into the store, she could look out and see who it was. Most of the time, she would just tell them she was waiting for the cookies and they would yell out when they were ready to check out. At that time, most of the people just charged their groceries! Christmas Eve we would go to church. Christmas morning we would open presents and have a small breakfast. Then travel 2 miles down the road to my grandparents. There we would meet up with all my cousins and have a great day playing and eating. In the evening, we would travel to town (15 miles) to my Dads side of the family and meet up with my other grandparents and more cousins. More fun and more food! We always had a blast on Christmas.
No white Christmas for us this year, darn! I will be going to MN to have Christmas with my family. This year is the first year that my Mother will be joining us for Christmas in a long time, as we moved her up to Chaska MN this fall from NC.
I hope everyone has a nice Christmas and here's to a wonderful New Year, involving travel, fun and friends.

[monik7]

While it’s clear many have their memories of Christmases past and miss those times with family and friends, we can still enjoy and focus on the REAL meaning of Christmas which is the same today as it was then and will continue to be in the future.
Sandi

Hrm. I have been mulling this over all day. Is there something wrong with sharing our memories of our mothers, and of joyful times in our pasts, on this board?

Sorry, I am really confused.

Thank you.

Anne

I guess I’m at a loss, Anne, trying to figure out how my post could mean anything other than reminding a way to celebrate Christmas and its meaning in addition to the memories we’ve saved in our hearts from Christmases long ago.
Sandi

[chalet05]

I grew up with a lot of Christmas decorating and baking. Until life on the road, I did all that, too. Now I don’t even send out Christmas cards.

Sunday School Christmas reenactments were always part of the holiday. The Christmas Eve candlelight service with Christmas carols was always a delight.
My older daughter played piano in high school accompanying the chorus. When she played the Hallelujah Chorus, I was awestruck! One year Steven found 3 used bicycles and refurbished them for my mother, brother, and sister – this was after my parents divorced. Other years he made a rocking horse and doll cradles for my nieces.

In 1977 the girls were 4 and 6. My mother was battling terminal cancer. We were a 2 ½ hour drive from her and on the way Christmas Eve, one of the girls said she had asked Santa for a sled. Steven dropped us at my mother’s, went to the local general store and a sled was under the tree on Christmas morning! That afternoon a friend of my mother’s called. The friend was at a dinner with a local newspaper photographer and needed a Christmas photo. He came to the house and took pictures of the girls with their Barbie Dream House. We came home from sledding in the mountains the next day and found the girls were front page news!

Mother passed away in May, 1978. My sister and I carried on all the holiday traditions though now there could be personality conflicts during holidays. My brother participated by having a great time buying gifts! In 1999, my sister decided she and my four nieces no longer wanted to share Christmas. I was devastated as that was the last Christmas before we started fulltiming.

The Reason for the Season is why we were able to create so many memories that might not have been otherwise. I know we get caught up in the preparations, but what joy we have in giving and making special times for family! Amidst all the décor I’m sure many of us have a crèche and a star or angel on the tree, and Christmas Carols playing. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas no matter your circumstances!