Christmas Memories
 

A couple of days ago, my grandson and I were building and decorating a gingerbread train and the next day we decorated sugar cookies. I did the same sort of things with his mother when she was little. I kept him home from pre-school and he was so excited about it. He is almost 4, so Christmas is a big deal for him this year. I was thinking about how we are making the memories that he might reflect on when he is grown. This is the way that traditions are born. I think at Christmas-time we all think about special moments from years gone by. It is a big part of the warm and fuzzy magic of the season.
When I was a kid, my father would chop a Cedar tree down each year and it would be decorated with those big glass colored bulbs and glass ornaments and icicles. We always had a bowl of oranges out during Christmas and the thing that stands out in my mind is the way the house smelled of Cedar and oranges. When I smell Cedar now, it triggers memories of Christmases long ago.
I graduated high school at an American DOD school in West Germany. While I was there, I was part of Rainbow Girls (a teenage girl branch of the Masonic order). One year we went to a castle to visit a school for disabled children and we took them gifts. In return, they performed a Christmas show for us, complete with a visit from St. Nicholas. Later that night, we went to a German nursing home and took goody bags to the residents. We had practiced singing several Christmas carols in German and we serenaded the residents. These are some of my fondest memories of the holidays. What are some of yours? What sort of things are traditional in your family?

What wonderful memories. How fun that you have a grandson to pass down traditions. When I was growing up we always made and decorated cut out cookies with my mother. And we always went to midnight mass on Christmas eve. Going around the neighborhood singing Christmas carols was another thing we did. Unfortunately I don't have any grandchildren to pass down any of these traditions.

It's funny I don't have any real strong Christmas memories with my parents and sisters. We had good times, I do remember the year we got bikes and my parents kept a barricade up so we couldn't get to the tree before they got up, but my 2 older sisters lifted me over so I could help take it down so they could get through.
I was 14 years old the year my grandfather died, my Grandmother (my mom's mom) came to visit us in WA. We lived on a small lake north of Seattle, it was very cold that year and for the first time since we lived there the lake froze. My mom had rented an organ for my grandmother. On Christmas eve it started snowing those giant snowflakes and it snowed again on Christmas day. The house had huge 8 ft. high windows that were the length of the room, a very large fireplace and it was like a Christmas movie, sitting in the living room with a fire glowing and my grandmother playing the organ. I missed my grandfather so much. From the time I was very little I would follow him around like a puppy. I would never leave his side unless my mom made me.

When my children were young, about ages 2, 4, and 6. I found an article in a magazine how to build gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. Thus a tradition was born we did it every year until I divorced and moved. After my DD had her daughter and she was about two, DD asked if we could do graham cracker gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve. There are now 5 DGK's and three are in college and they still want to build graham cracker ginger bread houses on Christmas Eve!!!! Memories!!!!

I was thinking Christmas memories the other day and planned to ask my now grown and married children what their very favoritest memory of their childhood Christmases. Mine was when I was a teenager. We went to the midnight candlelight service at church and then drove to a heavily decorated neighborhood to look at all the Christmas lights. Back then, there wasn't the amount of decorating like there is now. Seeing all those lights was truly magical to me back then.

Quiltingcandy, My grandparents were very important to me too. My mom left me when I was an infant and my grandmother was more like a mother to me for the first few years of my life. Even after all these years, I miss my grandparents dearly.

Your story of the house on the lake sounds so beautiful. I can just picture it. What a heartfelt memory! It does sound like something from a movie. What a lucky girl you were to spend Christmas in such a wonderful place.

See what you started Maggie_Sue! I've heard of graham cracker gingerbread houses and I've also seen pretzels used.

thank you for sharing your Christmas memories with us.

We lived in a Japanese barracks in a small valley in Northern California. If you want to look it up, look up Tionesta and Newell. Neither one has a post office.

There was one outside light on a pole that lit up the yard. We would all stare out the window and watch for the biggest snowflake. The coyotes would run behind the house chasing pheasants, howling and yipping, but we weren't scared as Dad and Mom were there.

When I look back, I'm not so sure we were really safe.