Holiday traditions
Chris wrote a fun piece about Holiday Traditions of her blog In The Trenches Of Motherhood and invited everyone to share their traditions as well.
Our family is such a melting pot of traditions.
Being of Italian descent, one of our traditions is a large Christmas Eve dinner. My grandmother used to make a “pizza” with anchovies and black olives, several different antipastos, and a main entree of handmade pasta with sauce. Being from Bari, seafood was a big part of the meal. Our New York relatives, the Balducci family, (Andy and Nina are my cousins) celebrate the feast of the 7 fishes complete with Little Neck clams gathered at the beach and placed in a bucket on the back porch until it is time to cook them.
When I was growing up, the meal was eaten throughout the evening, with the main course served at midnight.
My husband would rather stick needles in his eyes than have the kids running around, spazzed out about Santa, until midnight, so we eat much earlier.
This year I will prepare the traditional Feast of the 7 Fishes. Photos of my kids eating anchovies and mussels to come.
Another tradition that we have is the celebration of the Feast of St Nicholas. We decorate the Christmas tree in the evening on December 5th, the kids hang their stockings and that night St. Nick comes for a visit and leaves fruit, nuts and some trinket toys.
This tradition was adopted the first year my kids attending Catholic School. On December 5th, Cory climbed into the car exclaming loudly “Mom, St. Nick comes tonight!!!!! We need to hang our stockings!” I was like, “O’rly???” and promptly called my friend Donna and said “Hi, I understand St. Nick comes tonight….WTF????” She explained the process, and St. Nick made a frantic stop at the candy shop to prepare.
This is a predominately Czech town, and St. Nick stems from that.
So, we now celebrate out of “OhmyGODthekidsatschoolgetstockingsandwedon’tahhhhh?”
My father was Danish, and when my grandmother died, I inherited some Christmas ornaments. One box contained candle holders for the Christmas tree. These holders have been on the trees of my grandparents, great grandparents and great-great grandparents. They have come across the sea from Denmark. They have little fish shapes on the bottom and are well used. This year, I will have a small tree, and we will use the candle holders, lighting small white candles on Christmas Eve. The volunteer fire department will be standing by, as well as my freaked out husband with a fire extinguisher.
Another tradition that I am trying to figure out how to squeeze in is our annual Christmas shopping trip on the Strand in Galveston. Usually we do this the weekend of Thanksgiving, but were unable to stay more than a day due to Bill’s new job, so I am not sure when this will happen. It is something we have done together for the last 19 years or so, Bill even longer. We grab a beer at the Strand Emporium, and stroll along, shopping and watching the people.
So, how do you celebrate? Blog about it, visit Chris blog and leave a link in her comments.
And Buon Natale!
Hi Jody,
Loved reading about your wonderful family traditions. My grandchildren also attend Catholic school and celebrate St. Nicholas Day. Even more meaningful because my oldest grandson is Nicholas!
((hugs))
Awesome, Jody. A few years ago at a tag sale I found a couple of boxes of old white German candles that go on Christmas trees. Talk about fire hazard!
Dear Jody:
Your blog brought back the memory of our first St. Nichol’s Eve. Kate our eldest was in first grade and during the month of December the ever so PC Fox Chapel School district mandated equal time for holiday traditions. They must have discussed St. Nick because that night as we were on the way to bed Bob stopped to lock the front door and it wouldn’t shut. Jammed between the door and the storm door were three small shoes.
Kate had educated her sisters and they had embraced the leave your shoes outside the door tradition? I think its the dutch version but I’m not sure. Luckly I had a few stocking stuffers that we could use on hand.
Yearly thereafter the Kids would put out their shoes. Mike din’t this year (I guess its not cool when your 13), And it made me feel a little sad to see a traditon go its merry way and to realize my baby isn’t a child any longer.
Enjoy the holidays I wish we still had a tiny like Mia around! I is a magic time.
mary Anne