My Dad died when I was five so that Christmas my Mom's parents and sister spent Christmas with us. Well this became a Christmas tradition at our home. Every year my Uncle Leonard would pick up my Grandma and Papa and bring them to our house for Christmas Eve. We always ate ham sandwiches and drank tea. My Mom was raising five kids by herself but she always managed to buy the one thing we wanted for Christmas. My Aunt Grace always bought us a coloring book and crayons. My youngest brother and I would lay and color for hours. And around ten they would go home. One year it started snowing around 3 p.m. and I was horrified that they wouldn't come for Christmas because my Papa wouldn't get out. Mom tried to tell me we would still have Christmas but I just couldn't imaging Christmas Eve without my Grandma and Papa, Uncle Leonard and Aunt Grace! I watched that door for hours in sheer panic!LOl And then around 6 in pulled my Uncle Leonard and I was literally jumping for joy as he helped my Papa and Grandma out of the car and walked them to the house!! And when I told him I didn't think he would come, he just hugged me and told me he would never disappoint me! He was the closest thing I had to a Dad. On Christmas Day we spent it with my Grandma and Papa eating at their house and having fun with the entire family. Their house was small so you just found a place to sit and ate out of your lap. But I wouldn't take anything for the love we shared every Christmas. How did you spend your Christmas when you were growing up? Tomorrow I will share Christmas tradition as an adult. Merry Christmas everyone!!!!
Winter 2024
1 week ago
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5 comments:
Wow! What a wonderful tradition! I can see why you were such a tearful little girl on your white Christmas. What a loving uncle! Your family sounds very dear. :)
My traditions growing up were:
Christmas Eve, my Aunt and Uncle came. We would open presents, eat Christmas cookies, ring bologna, and cheese. My sister and I loaded up on those. Then it was ping-pong tournaments in the basement, laughing at my dad and his brother's "trash talk". "Come on, Old Man..." was frequently heard. LOL!
Christmas Day was spent at my family home. My grandmom, aunt (my mother's sister), and a friend of my grandmom, would come. My pop-pop did, but he passed away when I was in 3rd grade. We always had fruit cup first. The friend, Helen, always gave us a Barbie and a stuffed bear.
It is hard growing up. My grandmom, aunt, my grandmom's friend- have all passed on. My Uncle comes over for Christmas Eve, but my aunt is in a nursing home. Wii tennis is played, but the cheese and ring bologna remain- just not in the same qualities- again a result of being older.
Thank you soooo much for sharing your story. It really blessed my heart to heart your tradition, and to remember and cherish my own...
Christmas Blessings!
Heather
Wonderful family traditions, love to hear about them......aways stayed home as youngsters with the family......Blessings Francine.
Heather that is such a touching story! I get sad when I think about everyone being gone and knowing that all I have are memories, but they are good ones. God Bless and Merry Christmas, Valerie
I loved reading about your traditions! My dad only had one brother so his family and my family would always go to my Grandma and Grandpa's house on Christmas eve. We always had to take pictures around the tree first and it took forever to get them right...really we were just so anxious to open the presents. My dad and uncle always passed out all of the presents and we had to go around the room and open them one at a time, my Gram was pretty strict! Then about 10 pm we would all bundle up and drive a half hour home. We always sang Christmas carols and dad always pointed out a "nose" in the sky saying we had better get right to sleep when we got home because that was Rudolph and Santa and they were close but wouldn't stop unless we were asleep. The next morning we would wake up and run to the tree to see what Santa had left us. Later on Christmas day my Gram and Grandpa and my Godparents from my mom's side would come and spend the day.
Be blessed,
Cindi
I am loving to hear about other Christmas traditions. Seems that they are all similar with a personal touch. Families getting together and celebrating in love. Merry Christmas, Valerie
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