Christmas memories

What memories do you have of Christmas from years gone past?

Funny ones? Traditions? Sad? Things that you look back on and say "wait, what?"


I'm headed out, so will add some of mine later, but, the thoughts have been running through my head, and I couldn't find a thread for days gone bye, so figured would throw it up on the wall

As a youngster in Galt, we had a big family room in the basement. There were 5 children, Mom & Dad, often times one or two grandmothers. (ps. @ninj lived in that house before us, though, the basement was finished into rec room, and other rooms after we moved in. I don't know what it looked like before)

I was able to open one gift on Christmas Eve, from the presents under the tree. I would always open the gift from my cousin in Puce, who was the most creative woman that i have ever known. The gifts would be decorated amazingly. We'd tuck into bed early. No going out or having company.

Christmas morning, my oldest brother would wake up super-early, and get us all up to go downstairs. (I think the rule was 5am, but, he would try earlier)
We were allowed to open our stockings, and play with the gifts that santa had left out.
Stockings always had an apple and an orange - both were massive , and candies. Toys were left beside the stockings. They would generally be laid out on a tray table, or a section of the couch. They weren't just small gifts, Santa was very generous for a family that didn't have much money.

Later, we would have breakfast, then together open our gifts from Mom & Dad and other relatives

There would be no alcohol served throughout the day as my father's family memories had been marred by alcoholism.

Lots of memories over the years..
My mother decided one year back in the late 60s that we should rent a colour TV for a week over Christmas, just to see what it was like. Well all of us kids just loved it and held our breaths hoping that we could buy it.
My Mom's verdict? It will never catch on, and back it went to the store and back we went to black and white TV.
Meanwhile my Dad took lots of pics of the TV, before it went back, with his Polaroid camera that processed the pictures instantly while you watched the images form right in front of your eyes. I think he would have embraced all the new technology had he lived longer, my Mom, not so much.....

I guess the one that stands out the most is also the saddest, darkest Christmas: We lost my uncle (Mom's younger brother) on Christmas Eve. He collapsed while we were at their place after church and died that evening. Yeah, not a good Christmas that year and it still sticks in my mind. It's the only family death that actually happened in my presence (though I only just missed Dad's passing).

There were some fun Christmasses and some depressing ones. When I was a kid - after visiting family friends one night leading up to Christmas and finding out my friends had Hanukkah and Christmas (Jewish on their dad’s side in their case) - they got to open one gift a day and still have “Santa” visit. “Hmm.” Not being religious, I said to my parents “Well that’s not fair.” And after a little discussion and explanation about us not being Jewish , my parents agreed (at least that year. I don’t remember if it was any years after that - I was allowed to open one on Christmas Eve) to let me open one gift per night, from that night until Christmas morning - and then stockings and other gifts Chistmas morning. There was no shortage of gifts for me at that age - I was still a very lucky only kid then. I think I was 6. I don’t know if theirs was a proper Hanukkah tradition or just a family one. They weren’t a religious family that I know of.

mom would bake & bake & bake for weeks or so it seemed. The freezer would have cookie tins full of all of our favourite cookies. Christmas cake (white) would be packed away to be gotten out. Mincemeat would be ready for the tarts.
Christmas Day, the table would be set ready for us all to sit, and mom would have the meal going all day.
It was an art in timing.
Mom was a great cook.
There would be the classic green / carrot/pineapple jello salad, home made lighter than air buns, turkey and the best gravy, cranberries, home made pickles from the summer, and gherkins..vegetables, so much food. Drinks would be milk or tomato juice. Probably the only time of year that i drank tomato juice with pepper on it.

For dessert there would be plates of cookies, squares, treats, chocolates, and mom made this ping airy thing with dream whip, raspberry & pineapple.

Afternoons would be filled with playing games, or finding a quiet spot & reading a book.
We would watch the queen's message. Afterwards, Dad would put on The Sound of Music

Afterwards, we would play euchre. There would be snacks -- bowls of peanuts, and homemade bits & bites.

In later years, there might be one drink served, but not often.

Crokinole board was known to come out. I have pictures of us playing kerplunk too

I remember childhood christmases as both magical and calm. My father directed, and my mother worked, largely. In October sometime, Dad mounted a large framed weatherproof picture of 3 angels (his daughters) in the space between the living and dining room windows outside, mounted a spot light and hooked it into a timer linked to the back door light. Mom made her Christmas cakes and puddings November 11 (with 3 kids to help cutting and flourig fruit). There was an intense period of card writing in late November, then we acquired and decorated a tree on a weekend mid-December. Don't know how Mom got the presents but they were hidden in their master bedroom closet. The dinner was identical every year: a shrimp ring, overcooked turkey with two stuffings, gravy, roasted potatoes, overcooked brussel sprouts, canned corn, canned cranberries. Homemade pudding with hard sauce or custard for dessert;

The whole season was quietly well organized and calm-ish. What I offered my own kids bit different. Chaotic and anxious. Weeping in the bathtub trying to thaw and dislodge gizzard/liver/neck from bird Xmas morning. To this day, there is a move afoot to "keep Mom as calm as possible over the holidays". Big guy likes it if I cook turkey early morning of the Eve, along with everything that can be pre-made and reheated, so buns and salads are big deal on the day.

It was the one day of the year that my Mom woud have a glass of Bailey's and there was one bottle of white wine on table, with little sherry glasses, for a toast.

oh, i remember being called to stir the cake, and make a wish.

Mom's dressing was basic, but, it was made with bread that had been saved & frozen (nothing went to waste).
and yes, the brussel sprouts. Mom would count them out - 5 per person knowing some would eat more, and others less.

@BetteTheRed sorry re the weeping in the bathroom...so much stress for such a short event, isn't it.

My first christmas where i was hosting our family, it was chaos.
I, the organized person, with charts with times and everything planned out to the T had had our hot water heater break two days before, and they finally got to replace it christmas morning. I was having 20+ people coming for dinner, and we had no hot water. We focussed on our own gifts. When the water came back on, i quickly moved into cooking our breakfast/brunch, and in the rush, used my best carving knife to open the peameal bacon package. oops -- carved my thumb.

A few tears were shed, a few "i've ruined Christmas". My oldest had his driving license. My husband helped me get dressed, I phone sister & mom and told them to come as they would be cooking, then headed off to ER.
I arrived home to dinner being set out, all the fixings were perfect, and I didn't have to do dinner dishes! A bunch of stitches help you get out of them.

God I'm boring.

My mom is a hazard in the kitchen. My dad cooks, my mother reheats. We generally do two turkeys a year - Thanksgiving and Christmas. I mash the potatoes and make the gravy. My mom heats up some sliced carrots with an unhealthy amount of brown sugar on them. Desert is usually store bought cake.

Christmas, for as long as I can remember, is about the start of ski season and that turkey. The last Christmas I had where we weren't north and preparing for a ski season was probably 1976 and I was 4.

Our kids have never had a Christmas dinner at home. It’s always with my parents, and Boxing Day morning we're on the hill. Christmas racing camp starts the 27th. I was in that camp, I coached that camp for 10 years, I put my daughter in that camp for 10 years, she now coaches that camp, and so do I again.

Anything with extended family is done before Christmas, or we miss it, and I used to get in trouble with my wife's brothers' families. Now they know better than to invite us anywhere for the 25th.

The Christmas gifts were almost an afterthought growing up. A few times it was new skis or equipment, so centered around what we'd be doing that winter.

It was a privileged upbringing for sure. Still, we were always the "poor" people at the club. There used to be more like us there, but not anymore. We built our own chalet on a lot that is now worth 50x what we paid. I was 12, operating a pneumatic nail gun. I didn't fit in with other kids, first because I'm me, but I also didn't go to a private school in north Toronto. I didn't have the latest and greatest of everything, but I spent a lot of time with my parents and did a lot of the things the rich kids did, except no Whistler racing camps (which is why I took my daughter to one 4 years ago). My dad refused to work winter weekends. I did the same for my kids.

So yeah. Skiing and turkey leftovers for a week. Then another turkey. Note to self: No more second turkey.

This year, like the last 18 at least, we'll have Christmas morning at home, then drive north. I'll get the skis ready. My wife and I do more of the cooking now. One day my parents won't be there to greet us, but I know where we'll still be on the 25th.

I remember the first turkey I ever cooked was at Christmas just after I got married......it was beautiful and wonderfully browned from all the basting. I'd never made one before and I thought about how well I did for the first time. (My mother had died when I was 17 and I never learned how to cook, let alone a turkey. So I was pretty proud of myself. My in-laws and my Dad with his new wife were there and my younger sibling. I figured I'd honour my Dad and let him carve the Turkey, which he did masterfully, but as he carved deeper out came a little sac of giblets? still wrapped in the bag.....everyone burst out laughing, and I'm like What???? I found out what I did wrong throughout all the laughter.

The first time I cooked a turkey I used Italian sausage for the stuffing - our guests had never had turkey and stuffing. I was trying to make it traditional, like my mom’s and grandma’s - the basic with onion and celery and poultry seasoning, maybe a bit of garlic powder (not a fancy foodie recipe), and add regular sausage. But instead I bought Italian sausage. I’m not sure if it was the only kind left at the store, or I thought it would be better. It wasn’t. They didn’t know the difference and politely ate it, but I was disappointed in it. Basil and oregano or whatever else is in Italian sausage clashed with the poultry seasoning. Not as interesting/ funny as leaving the giblets in but it’s a memory.

Edit: I just looked it up. Fennel seed is in Italian sausage. It goes terribly with traditional stuffing fyi

Having friends over every year to make a gingerbread house when I was a young kid. Eating the candy as we went. My mom had a house pattern and made her own gingerbread, and we picked various candy from the store to use for it.

Making ornaments out of “baker’s clay” at a friend’s house. Our moms and us.

Going carolling when I was a kid. And having carollers come to the door. Nobody does that now. Singing Christmas songs at parties. Nobody does that either. Except at church things. But I don’t mean just religious Christmas songs…any of them. My family does try occasionally - one side of it. But it used to be common at most Christmas parties.

Family parties all up and down the block. Christmas pageants at school. Christmas was a big deal in the 70’s, early 80s and even though I was lucky, it wasn’t all about the shopping and presents back then. There was more crafting, more quality time, less shopping. It changed.

Christmas parties when our houses looked like that 70s show!

I’m feeling sad now This year is a quiet one.

Lying under the tree and staring up at the lights and old familiar ornaments, while listening to Christmas records.

Lots of memories flew into my brain reading your memories @Kimmio Laughterlove

I'm remembering when my oldest brother got engaged to my now sisterinlaw one Christmas.

She opened a parcel not expecting it. Who gets engaged in the middle of the hubbub of our family.

Good on her that she accepted us. She was from a quiet family in Victoria

Some of the customs mentioned already are familiar to me from my childhood, too.

Christmas dinner with extended family.
Opening one gift on Christmas Eve.
Stockings first Christmas morning.
The big orange and the big apple.

Church wise I remember an annual bazaar/ Christmas party and White Gift Sunday.