Advent Calendar – Pass or Fail?

When the Advent Calendar “assignment” first came out, I was excited that I finally had a primer of basic questions to ask my Mom about her memories growing up!  We talked alot – in person and online – to see what she remembered.  Sometimes, there’d be days with no word from her as she was packing her house to get ready to move to a condo so I also got input from my uncle and it was interesting to see how their memories differed.  But I started the assignment with gusto and then developed a passion to write a poem for my Mom for Christmas so that she would have a record of everything we had discussed.  The project grew and grew and basically took over all of my free time – especially when I decided to use the family photos that I have been collecting to illustrate the poem.  I put them into Photoshop and used different filters to try my best to make them look like hand sketched illustrations (which really worked GREAT for photos that weren’t in focus to begin with!)

So while I feel like I failed the “assignment”, I’m so happy that I will have this gift to give to my mother on Christmas this year and I’d like to share it with you as well.  (Please remember, I’m a math teacher and punctuation is not my strong suit!)

I’m praying that everyone has a joyous holiday season celebrating the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ!

T’was two weeks before Christmas and time to prepare,
For the glad Christmas season the family would share.
Selecting a tree from those on display,
Each side of the tree she’d carefully survey.

While times were not easy and money was tight,
Christmas was special and deserved to be right.
Gifts under the tree would be pretty spare,
But they had each other so they didn’t care.

A slice from the trunk of the tree they’d remove,
“Is it straight in the stand?” Mom would have to approve.
How long it would last was always the test,
So Jack added water to keep the tree fresh.

The jumbo sized bulbs in each string of lights,
Were the first items added to make the tree bright.
If one bulb went out, the whole string would go,
Each bulb must be checked to make the string glow.

Bells for the tree!  Betty decided were needed,
She’d make them herself so for milk lids she pleaded.
The round disks of foil were cut as she’d sing,
Then shaped into bells to hang with some string.

Aromas of popcorn would drift from the kitchen,
With thread and a needle they all would then pitch in,
To make a long garland to add to the tree,
The nicest tree ever, they all would agree.

Icicle strands must hang perfectly straight,
Hung one at a time, quite a shimmer they’d make.
So carefully saved from the previous year,
They’d drape from each branch to add holiday cheer.

A star on the top to remember the reason,
for sparkle and shine at the holiday season.
The star that led shepherds with flocks they were keeping,
To manger so far where sweet Jesus lay sleeping.

A little white church atop some fake snow,
Another small building the “village” did show.
Imagine the carolers in this small town,
And children asleep on their pillows of down.

Frosty glass windows – a canvas revealed,
For scratching out snowflakes or trees in a field.
Toss socks through the transom, a fun game to play,
When weather was too harsh and inside they’d stay.

Uncles might visit to bring Christmas cheer,
To help them to celebrate this time of year.
A bag full of pennies for children to count;
A small bit of money to help Mother out. 

From the kitchen some music would quietly play,
The radio helped the time pass and she’d pray;
Provisions she’d need to take care of her brood,
While Christmas songs lifted up everyone’s mood.

“You’d better watch out”, Gene Autry would say,
For Rudolph and all his friends pulling the sleigh.
“Santy” is watching for good girls and boys,
To see who’ll get coal and who will get toys.

Winter-time laundry hung outside to dry,
Frozen and stiff clothes would come back inside.
While still slightly damp, she ironed and pressed,
To try to make hand-me-downs be at their best.

Sometimes a clothesline must be hung indoors,
Nails in the door jamb to help with this chore.
Five small argyle socks each hung from a nail,
For Betty insisted the custom’d prevail.

The stockings all hung, it was now time for bed,
Cold milk and a cookie for Santa to be fed.
Then under the blankets together for heat,
They’d whisper their secrets, then drift off to sleep.

A kiss for her mother ‘fore going to bed,
“Good night, Don!”,  “Good night, Jack” each night Betty said.
“To Phyllis and Barbara, good night to you too!”
Then Don ate the cookie for Santa, who knew?

But Betty and Jack did early arise,
To see any gifts ‘neath the tree to surprise.
Then back into bed to sleep in some more,
To dream and anticipate what was in store.

Morning arrived and they leaped out of bed,
A day full of laughter and playing ahead!
Bedrooms were cold and the floor felt like ice,
The heat from the stove in the kitchen felt nice!

The socks were now lumpy for Christmas treats filled;
To see the socks bulging each sibling was thrilled!
For Mother had saved to fill socks for each child;
She saw their excitement and quietly smiled.

An apple, an orange and chocolate drops sweet,
Hard candies and striped canes for children to eat.
A small handmade gift to give to each other,
For no one was closer than sister and brother.

Paper wrapped gifts lay under the tree,
One or two each made them giggle with glee!
A sled and a doll, a toy sewing machine
That really worked!  Can you imagine the scene?

A turkey with dressing the holiday meal,
Aroma and flavor they’d savor with zeal!
Sliced up and brown sugared, she fried sweet potatoes,
Marshmallows for topping, my goodness, they loved those!

A pan of fresh gingerbread, spicy and warm;
A spoonful of whipped cream like snow drifts would form.
Or mincemeat or pumpkin made into a pie,
Would make the meal special they would not deny!

Then outside to play in the afternoon snow!
With neighborhood kids all the gifts they would show.
Then taking a sled, down the hillside they’d slide
Or with their boots over some ice they would glide.

A stack of small snowballs the kids would prepare;
The snowballs went flying – bystanders beware!
The battle then over, they’d lay down to rest;
Wave arms and legs for a snow angel contest!

Back in the house feet so cold from the snow;
A warmed scarf was waiting to wrap around toes.
Dark cocoa powder, warm milk in a mug;
A warm winter drink to help them feel snug.

The end of the day, tired children to bed;
“So happy we’re family!” each one of them said.
Another year over, new memories to keep;
They prayed to thank Jesus and then fell asleep.

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Advent Calendar – Christmas Cookies

Christmas time has always been a great excuse to “pig out” and as long as I can remember, we did just that!

My mother-in-law would begin making cookies weeks in advance with the help of her mother who would come to visit from the Boston area.  They made complicated cookies that required rolling pins or shaping cookies while they were still warm on the cookie sheets.  Exotic cookies that were ONLY made a Christmas.  They’d store these cookies in dozens of tins, sealed with tape and stored in spare spaces in cabinets all over the house.  Go to grab a towel in the bathroom and it would very likely be next to a stack of cookie tins.

My mother went more for Christmas candy.  Every year, we had fudge – chocolate AND peanut butter as well as divinity.  One year, she put chunks of colorful chewy candy (kind of like gum drops) in each snowy white mound of divinity.  She also made peanut butter balls which she’d skewer with a toothpick and then dip in a mixture of melted chocolate and paraffin.  She’d make rice krispy treats, but she’d put green food coloring in the melted marshmallow and then shaped the treats into wreaths which she’d decorate with small “red hots” and piped frosting to make a bow.

The only homemade cookie that I associate with Christmas from my childhood would be Swedish Spritz.  Mom had a large, silver cookie press.  She’d make the dough and then put it into the press.  There was a large screw-type device and as you twisted the handle, a piece inside would push the dough through a metal stencil that gave the cookie a shape.  My hand would ache so bad after making a batch of those cookies, but we loved them!  We’d add red or green sprinkles to the tops of the cookies when they came out of the oven.

Tonight, my family and I will begin making cookies for our first family Christmas celebration of the year which will be this week-end.  I hope that my children hold these memories in their hearts as I have mine.

You could knock me over with a feather!

Thank you so much to Elizabeth O’Neal at the Little Bits of Life blog for sending me the Kreativ Blogger award!  To say that I was shocked when I checked my email last night would be an understatement!  It’s wonderful to know that this blog IS being read and that something thinks I’m doing a nice job and I’m looking forward to continuing to work on the blog in the coming year.

I know that there are some requirements that go along with this award and I’ll be working on those and posting again in the next week or two.  (Probably during exams at school!  LOL!)

Thanks again!  I am humbled!

Advent Calendar – Santa Claus

My parents are moving in a couple of weeks! (Great timing!)  I spent the week-end traveling to their house to help them pack and came home with a car filled to the rim with Christmas decorations that are being passed on.  Because of my week-end away, I’m a little behind on my posts.

To help me get caught up,  I’ve decided to make this one a “Wordless Wednesday” (even though it’s only Monday!)

I don’t specifically remember this happening, but Santa came to visit my brother and I when we were small.  I’m VERY surprised that I actually sat on his lap because – as you know – I’m pretty shy!

Advent Calendar – Christmas Cards

When I was growing up, we lived quite a distance from all of our family.  All of my parents’ immediate family lived in Indiana, while we lived in various towns in Minnesota, Indiana and Texas.  Because my parents each had a larger than “normal” number of siblings, we received a good number of Christmas Cards.  Those cards became a decoration around doorways.  Each card would be taped to the frame of the door leading into the kitchen creating a festive border of whimsical characters mixed with peaceful images of the very first Christmas.

I always thought we received a lot of cards until I went to visit my future in-law’s house for the very first time.  They had a double set of accordion doors that were solidly “wallpapered” with cards and letters from dozens and dozens of friends and family all over the county.  These people did not just send cards, they sent newsletters giving updates of events that had happened throughout the year as well as family pictures to show how much everyone had grown in that year.

I thought that my husband and I would CERTAINLY go the newsletter route when we got married, but it seemed like we never had the time to write a letter and were lucky to send cards at all!  We do, however, continue the tradition of taping the cards we receive around the door frame to our kitchen.  In this electronic age, the number of cards we receive each year seems to dwindle.  As I’ve been focusing on collecting these family memories for this Advent Calendar, I’m saddened to think that this comforting tradition may be slowing fading away.

Advent Calendar – Ornaments

The ornaments that were on the tree when I was growing up were mostly typical Christmas balls and other shaped glass ornaments.  But each year, we would go to a kiosk at the mall that offered dozens of flat, gold ornaments in various shapes.  My brother and I would each get to choose one that we liked and then the girl behind the counter would engrave whatever we wanted on the ornaments.  The tool that she would use to engrave looked a little like a wood burning tool, but the tip would vibrate so that wherever the tool touched, it would leave tiny engravings in her handwriting.  Some years, the handwriting was very nice, but other years, the handwriting looked quite sloppy.  You never knew what you were going to get until it was finished.  We would usually have our name and year engraved on the shapes.

When I was in high school, I bought 2 kits to make cotton stuffed ornaments from felt and sequins.  I made a Mr. and Mrs. Claus and a Mr. and Mrs. Snowman.  I still have the Claus family, but I think the stitches came out of the snowman family.  Every year, when I put them on my tree, I remember how proud I was of those ornaments.

I never considered that tree decorations would have a theme OTHER than Christmas or winter, but the first year I visited my future husband’s family at Christmas time, I found out I was wrong.  Each year, they bought a real tree that was so tall, we had to stand on a ladder to decorate the top.  And many of the ornaments were souvenirs of places they had visited on vacations.  Amongst the stars and manger figures were miniature lobster traps, palm trees and golf bags.  I found this very interesting and while I can’t say we’ve adopted this tradition, I do like the idea of  reliving those memories each year.

Advent Calendar – Holiday Foods

According to Mom, Christmas dinner when she was growing up including turkey “with all the regular trimmings”. 

Each year, as Mom and I discuss what to have for our holiday meal, she remembers that Grandma used to make sweet potatoes by slicing them and then frying them in a big, black iron skillet.  She added brown sugar and other secret ingredients to make her special holiday dish and of course, tiny marshmallows were sprinkled on the top and then browned in the oven.  No matter how often she tries, Mom can’t seem to duplicate that dish.  Could it be that the special childhood memories add an extra dose of sweetness to the dish from long ago?

Mom also talks about the delicious pies that Grandma used to make:  pumpkin and occasionally – mincemeat pie.  The Pumpkin Pie recipe has been passed from Grandma to Mom and I’ve never know anyone who didn’t say it was the best Pumpkin Pie they’ve ever had.  (I can’t testify to this since I don’t care for pumpkin…)  My own kids love the pie so much, every year they beg her to make a pie for each of them to eat during their Christmas break.  A couple of years ago, Mom outdid herself and made TEN pies for my 4 children and my husband!

I think the only dish that I serve at Christmas that my Mother’s family didn’t have is a recipe that comes from my mother-in-law.  It’s a strawberry “salad”.  It’s made of strawberries mixed with jello and topped with a sweetened cream cheese layer.  It has a crust on the bottom made of crushed pretzels mixed with melted butter and sugar.  For years, I had this with my husband’s family and I thought the crust was made with pecans!  I never would have guessed it was made of pretzels!

I don’t think it’s any secret that with every family, no matter how many generations ago, the real ingredient that makes our holiday meals special is the warm memories created by being together with those we love.

Advent Calendar – Oh Christmas Tree!

Because finances were tight, Christmas time was rough for Mom’s family while she was growing up.  But the kids never knew what they were missing because they’d never known anything else – and they were happy with that!

2 weeks before Christmas, Grandma would begin the search for the perfect tree.  Tree vendors may have been frustrated with the quiet woman asking them to hold up tree after tree as she looked at each one from every different angle.  As soon as it was in the house, they would cut a couple of inches off of the trunk at the bottom to help it stay fresh. It was Uncle Jack’s job to crawl under the tree to add water to the tree stand.

Strings of multi-colored lights would go on first.  The bulbs were large and if one bulb burned out, the entire string went out.  Each bulb would have to be tested to find the “dud” before the lights would shine again.

There were a few store-bought decorations, but most were made by hand.  Mom was the youngest of five children and she remembers taking the thin metal caps from the milk bottles and cutting a slit to the center of the cap.  She would thread a string through the center and then bend the cap into a bell shape. 

The family would work together to make a festive string of pop-corn to add to the tree and thin, silver icicles would be added – one at a time – to add sparkle to the tree.  Each strand needed to nice and straight to have the perfect effect.  The finishing touch was a star on the top.

After the holidays, each piece of silver icicle would be meticulously wrapped around a piece of cardboard so it could be used again the next year.  The string of pop-corn would go outside to feed the birds.  And another year of memories would be packed away to be reflected on years later by this blogger and her mother!