Christmas magic is silent. You don’t hear it — you feel it, you know it, you believe it. ~Kevin Alan Milne
One of the times when that magic is so real, especially for kids, is on Christmas Eve. I do remember feeling that magic, that anticipation, that feeling of wonder. Do you?
The picture is of my family’s tree when I was thirteen. It’s squeezed there between the couch and our piano in our living room. We have a spot on the other wall, but that was too close to the woodstove that was our heat. And we couldn’t put it on the other side of the couch because then it would have been in the way of our old television set. You can see that somebody got tired of stringing popcorn before the string got long enough to decorate the entire tree. Have you ever strung popcorn? It takes more than you think even if you don’t eat any!!
Mom had our school pictures on the wall behind the tree. You can see my sisters’ pictures, but my picture is hidden behind the tree. It was back there wishing for Christmas to hurry, I’m sure. Looks as if we had a lot of presents under the tree. Funny that now I don’t remember ever having so many presents. I didn’t think Sanda ever wrapped his presents, but maybe he did after the youngest, me, got a little older.
That Christmas might have been the one where I asked Santa for an ink pen. A real fountain pen where you had to suck up the ink into it from a glass bottle that had a litte well like spot in the top. How I wish I’d saved one of those ink bottles. I do still have the pen even though the point went bad on it. I guess I wrote too many stories with it or perhaps I got too intense while I was writing and bent the nib. I don’t remember that, but I do remember Christmas Eves.
On Christmas Eve, we always went to our grandfather’s and aunt’s house. My aunt never married and she treated us girls like grandkids. She was the best and made Christmas fun. On Christmas Eve we would walk to her house through the field part of the way and along the road the rest. Maybe alittle less than a mile. Once there we helped her set the table, put candy out on pretty dishes, and get the dinner ready for when mom and dad would show up later. I loved filling up the little salt cellars (or whatever they were called) for each plate. My aunt got out the silver and the good dishes for the dinner.
When I got old enough, she let me make the punch with pineapple juice, orange juice and grapefruit juice. Right before dinner, I’d put in some orange shebert and gingerale. We always left some of the gingerale in the big glass bottle so each person could add some to their individual cups. We never used paper cups. We always drank out of the glass punch cups. That made it twice as good. I still make that punch and I put out the little glass cups but most of my family use the extra plastic cups I have in case we need them. I don’t. I use those little cups. I do have a dishwasher. My aunt did not, but we used the cups anyway.
My sister, who was only a little older than me, and I would watch out the window for Mom and Dad to come. They were never in a hurry. We’d look at the gifts under the tree and the clock and then out the window again. There still wouldn’t be any car headlights showing up in front of the house. I’d read the Christmas story and then look at my aunt’s trinkets on her shelves. Then look out the window again. I’d go watch my aunt cooking and then go back and look out the window again.
The afternoon of Christmas Eve was always the longest day to the year. Finally our parents would come in the door with a fresh breath of winter air. Then we’d have dinner while the anticipation grew to finally get to open those presents. It wasn’t as if our aunt gave us a lot of toys. Mostly she gave us clothes and maybe a coloring book or paperdolls. Often she would have found some fun trinket for us or a puzzle. After we opened the presents, we might get some more punch, eat some of her homemade candy, or get another piece of her fruit cake. I was never a big fan of the fruit cake, but I loved the cornbread sticks. So, I ate them with my punch. Sometimes we would work one of those jigsaw puzzles or play Scrabble or cards.
It was a simply gathering. Just my grandfather and aunt, my mom and dad, and us three girls. The gifts were simple, but good. The memories are a treasure.
What were your Christmas Eve celebrations like?
Leave a comment to get another entry into my Christmas books giveaway. I just drew for this weekend’s winner and it was Janette. I sent her a message but I’m sure she, the same as most of you, is very busy with Christmas gatherings and family. Since we had our Christmas family gathering last weekend, my husband and I are having a quiet Christmas Eve at home.
To get an entry in the giveaway just leave a comment. You must be at least 18 years old to enter and I’ll pick a winner by random drawing through a random number generator next Sunday. You’ll have one more chance to enter on my blog post Wednesday or Thursday.
Thank you all so much for your many comments about your favorite pies. Loved reading them all and made me ready to start mixing up some pie dough.
Merry Christmas to all of you. You’re the best.
Comments 20
Loved reading your story and all the others listed above. We always went to my Daddy’s parents house. It was a large family so there were lots of kids to play with and also lots of good food, since all the moms brought their favorite dishes to go along with the meal. After we ate we all gathered in the parlor and opened the presents, which were under the small cedar Christmas tree on a table. The kids usually left to go play or get into some mischief, however, the adults all stayed in the parlor where everyone who could play an instrument would play and sing Christmas songs. My uncle Eugene played the piano, Aunt Nina the accordion, Uncle Henry the mandolin, Uncle Keith a bass guitar, uncle Bernis a guitar and Daddy played his juice harp. In later years some of the grandchildren started playing instruments along with them. I enjoyed playing with the cousins, but I always loved hearing the beautiful music and listening to them laugh and tell stories on one another. It was such I fun time. Today I get to have a similar experience with my husband’s family, only now, I’m one of the adults and unfortunately we don’t play any music. But it is still a wonderful and special time where memories are recalled and new memories are made.
Author
Loved reading your Christmas memories, Patricia. I knew you had a musical family but didn’t know you enjoyed the music together at Christmas. Maybe we should sing carols at our gatherings, but somehow I doubt if we could get the others on board for that. But it is wonderful to be able to gather as a family and enjoy the easy talking and sharing about our children and grandchildren. So fun to have one of your grandchildren there to brighten up our family gathering this year.
Usually we were at our own house for Christmas, but I remember one year we drove to Charlotte, NC, from Richmond, VA, for Christmas with our grandmother, aunt and uncle, and three cousins. We kids had great fun together and gave our parents some time to themselves as we went to the movies in the afternoon.
Author
That sounds like a great Christmas for making memories, Suzanne. I always had such fun with my cousins. I remember being together with them on a few Christmas Days where we played board games.
I love peering into the window of your past–makes my mind wander to those childhood days of long ago. It’s like acquainting myself with comforts and joy long since past but treasured still. (more than ever)
Thank you for reminding me of the importance of family and the wonderful way a family fits together and contributes to the whole. Have a Merry Christmas and thanks for letting us get to know you and see the beauty of who you are.
Author
What a super nice comment, Amy. I’m glad my memories help you take a journey back to your childhood Christmases too. I do treasure those sweet memories. I was blessed to have a good home and loving parents.
My family is from the North but we lived in many places when I was growing up since my father was in the Army. Christmas Eve was the grandest day. A few days before Christmas, like two or three days my father would get a Christmas tree and put it in a bucket of water to soak up as much of it’s favorite beverage. On Christmas Eve my father brought the tree in the house and screwed it into the red and green base. Then almost all day was spent decorating with beautiful Shiny Brite ornaments and ornaments from Germany,. While we were living in Germany my father sprayed on snow on the picture window and put garland around the window. It was so beautiful mimicking the fallen snow outside. Europeans traditionally put up there tree on Christmas Eve and so my parents did that for years. My parents gave us the job of putting the tinsel on the tree! So much fun! The tinsel was my favorite decoration. Us kids would sit and be enthralled by all of the glitter and glow of something so beautiful! And after supper we got to open one present and yes it was usually new pajamas. And then, like the movie Miracle On 34th Street, we went to bed uncharacteristically early!
Author
You have some special memories, Karen. Thanks for sharing about your Christmas Eves. Since you were in different places, and sometimes different countries, you were able to see different traditions. I love the way your father made things so special for you, even spraying that snow on the window.
Those sparkling and glittering Christmas trees do seem magical, especially to kids.
I don’t remember growing up what we did. When my kids were home I’d make fudge or the last of it and my husband & son would deliver it to neighbors. We would watch Its a wonderful life and rest.
Author
I’m sure your neighbors loved seeing that delivery coming around on Christmas Eve, Lisa. Reading about all this chocolate fudge has me ready to go make some even though I’ve had more than my share of sweet already this Christmas. But homemade chocolate candy – Yum.
We would go to a relative’s house for a nice Christmas Eve dinner and then open some presents.
Author
Sounds like the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve, Diana. That’s sort of the same thing we did. I remember after my sisters and I had kids that it was hard to get them to wait for us old grownups to finally get through eating so that we could get to the part they were more than ready for – the presents.
We usually made our cookies and all the other baked goodies.
Author
Sounds as if you were keeping your oven busy on Christmas Eve, Linda. Christmas cookies are great. My mom didn’t make Christmas cookies, but she made all kinds of candy. So did my aunt. With my sweet tooth, I was in Christmas heaven. 🙂 Sometimes I had to sneak a piece if Mom thought I’d had enough.
When I was little, we always went to my grandparents house for Christmas. However, they lived several states away. Daddy, Mama and I had our Christmas a few days early, then loaded the car and headed out. We lived in the Deep South and my grandparents lived in the Midwest. I always prayed for snow so we could have a white Christmas. It happened only once, but I loved it and have wonderful memories of building my first snowman with help from my Grandpa. We didn’t have any special Christmas Eve celebration, but I did usually get to open one present. I don’t remember the gifts, but I do remember the special time with extended family and the feelings of being surrounded with love.
Author
So fun that you did get that one white Christmas when you were a kid, Judi. I used to be fine with white Christmases when the kids were young and my parents lived just over the hill where we could walk if we needed to. But once my kids grew up and a couple of them moved to other states, I hope for clear roads to let them be able to drive home for Christmas.
It’s so wonderful to have those great memories of being with family at Christmas.
We always went to our grandparents house on Christmas Eve.
Author
Christmas Eve was a much chosen time to celebrate with grandparents and extended family. We did that too. At my grandfather and aunt’s house when I was a kid and then to my mom’s and dad’s after they died. I miss doing that now, but we sisters have our own families and we have to work around all the schedules. Sometimes we still find a way to get together on Christmas Eve.
When we were kids we went to our Grandparents house ( Daddy’s parents) for Christmas Eve. Mama’s parents went too.Mama was an only child and Daddy had 1 brother.But Daddy and his brother each had 6 kids, Three girls and three boys each. By the time I got old enough to remember some of my cousins were married and having babies ,so it was a full house full of love.
Afterwards we always went to look at Christmas lights and after we got home we were always surprised that Santa had already came.We must have been the first stop on his route!
Christmas brings so many great memories with it!
I hope you, Darrell and all your readers have a very Merry Christmas!
Author
I love that thought, Lisa, of a house full of love. That’s the way Christmas is supposed to be and would be my wish for everyone to experience.
It’s fun how your parents figured a way to get some sleep on Christmas morning without kids wanting to get up before daylight to see if Santa had come. 🙂