Topic 63: Seasonal Joys

Carol:

 The Family Tree 

When Megan announced today’s topic, I was delighted. Finally, something I can write about without googling the subject or bugging neighbors for ideas.. My seasonal joy is decorating.  I have boxes in the laundry room labeled “Easter,” boxes in the garage labeled “Thanksgiving,” and boxes in the laundry room, the garage and the basement labeled “Christmas.” My Yule-time enthusiasm came from my mother Winnie and traditions all centered around the Christmas tree.

I imagine Winnie came by her “seasonal joy” from her own mother and grandmother when they all lived together in Plainfield, New Jersey. In 1919, Winnie wrote a story called “The Brightest Star”:
 

             When Christmas was a time of wonder working, three children of Happy
             Valley were getting ready for the day.  One morning they found a Christmas
             tree standing in the best room. It was not decorated so the children said, “How
             Shall we make it beautiful”? A wise and dear old Grandmother who lived with
             them said, “Only by keeping the Christmas Spirit can you make it beautiful,
             children.”

Christmas 1919

The nine-year-old Winnie’s notion of “keeping the Christmas Spirit” grew into her grown-up joy in sewing hand-made gifts, baking cookies for the neighbors, and putting up the tree in her own “best room” with me, her only daughter, as #1 helper. As we pulled the Christmas ornaments from the box, I would look for my favorite ornaments, two tiny glass figures of an old-fashioned Santa and a pink-dressed angel. Once they were placed on the tree, the holiday had officially  begun.

After I got married and we started a family, we created our own version of “keeping the Christmas Spirit” embellished with our own traditions. The Season officially starts the day after Thanksgiving when I put the turkey decorations and the cornucopia centerpiece back in the garage and clutter up the living-room with Christmas boxes while I unpack my collection of Christmas mangers and hang the Advent Angel on the wall. But, it’s always about the Tree.

 A Christmas tree is really just a giant hanger for all the glass balls, hand-made dough ornaments, and tiny framed pictures of the nieces, nephews, and eventually the kids.  After Megan was born, I began to collect soft, unbreakable toys: furry little teddy bears, quilted candy canes and stars made from kits, and all sizes of bright red apples. After all, a teacher can’t have a tree without apples. After Marshall was born, we added a few dinosaurs. My favorite is the one with the red Santa hat.

As the family grew, so grew the trees. As the family shrank and left me with an empty nest, so shrank the tree. I now have an artificial tree that is permanently attached to a stand and permanently strung with lights. I can put it up by myself in 15 minutes. I like to organize the ornaments the way I organize my kitchen, like objects together. The little felt mouse in the gingham dress should be near the mouse in the stocking and the mouse in the red hammock. Ann of Cleves needs to be near the other wives of Henry the 8th along with the two different Elizabeth  I ornaments. But, the little furry teddy bears need to be spread out, not clumped together.

This year, Megan was here the day after Thanksgiving for the first time in 10 years, so I handed her the boxes of ornaments and put her work….unsupervised.  She’s tough. “Mom, this red ball is really ugly and its hanger is a big, white paper clip. Throw it out it !”  And, “Mom, you just have way too many teddy bears.”  But, I noticed that she did hang the little gray mice together.

“Hey, Mom, look at this ornament. With all those fake jewels it really is pretty gawdy, but let’s keep it anyway. It’s the one I made for Grandma.” 

Megan:

Since outgrowing Santa Claus, I look forward to this time of the year because of the food. Specifically eggnog and pumpkin pie. In fact, food is probably my favorite part of any holiday – chocolate at Easter and Halloween, BBQs for the 4th of July. The food sometimes means more to me than the day itself.

This attitude runs in the family. When he was younger, my brother’s favorite seasonal “food” was the Cadbury Crème Egg. The commercials would show up on TV, with the rabbits who laid the eggs,  and he would remind our mother again and again that he needed Cadbury Crème Eggs in his Easter basket.

So, imagine his surprise when he came to visit me in the England and realized that Cadbury Crème Eggs were available year round in every supermarket check out line. You can get individual eggs, or you can buy them by the half dozen.  There are mini eggs and giant eggs and caramel eggs and crunchy eggs. The variety of choice is frankly astonishing. I think it kind of ruined it for him.

Speaking of England, have you heard of Pancake Day? On the day before Ash Wednesday (Mardi Gras), the British eat pancakes. They are not like the pancakes we have in the US – they are closer to French crepes and are served with lemon juice and powdered sugar. While I was living there, I tried several times to make the pancakes and never got them right (even though the ingredients came out of a box, just like they does here). I never heard of anyone ever having pancakes except on that one day each year. Maybe if one of my English friends came to visit me, and realized that we eat pancakes every Saturday morning, the novelty would wear off for them.

I’m glad my seasonal favorites aren’t available year round – especially eggnog. This is the only time of the year that I willingly go to Starbucks. Most of the time I support local businesses, but I make an exception for eggnog lattes. Also, my father makes the best eggnog with milk and ice cream. He hasn’t made it yet this season because we’re all trying to eat a little healthier, but after I pick my brother up at the airport for Christmas, I’m going to stop at the store for the eggnog supplies and I'll also make a pumpkin pie.  And cookies. Maybe some gingerbread. I love Christmas.