Holiday Traditions and Memories

The topic for the December 1st Carnival of Genealogy is "Traditions - the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice."

Whatever traditions my ancestors may have had have long since been lost or forgotten. We can only guess at how they celebrated Christmas or other holidays. I'm sure though, that family members gathered 'round the table full of food, much the same as we do today. A special meal prepared for all to enjoy. Gifts were given, whether bought at a store or hand-made. The things inside the wrapped boxes have certainly changed with the times, but the thoughts behind the gifts are still the same.

I don't think that any of the things my family does at this time of year are really any different than what many families do. We have a family dinner that seems to get smaller in number with each passing year. The little kids have grown up and have families of their own. Things to do, places to go, people to see. It's virtually impossible to get everyone together in one place anymore. My mom still puts up her Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving and it stays up until New Year's Day. We don't make a lot of cookies or candy anymore. Gifts are still exchanged, though with only a few people.

Last year, Thomas MacEntee at Destination: Austin Family conceived the idea for a bloggers Family History Advent Calendar, and, with encouragement from Jasia, hosted a 24-day Carnival of contributions from the genea-blogosphere on various Christmas Holiday topics. For various reasons, I didn't contribute every day, but listed below are the posts for the topics that I wrote about.

• Christmas Music - Christmas Music. What songs did your family listen to during Christmas? Did you ever go caroling? Did you have a favorite song?"
• Fond Memories - Christmas and Deceased Relatives. Did your family visit the cemetery at Christmas? How did your family honor deceased family members at Christmas?
• Christmas Shopping - Christmas Shopping. How did your family handle Christmas Shopping? Did anyone finish early or did anyone start on Christmas Eve?
• Christmas Stockings - Christmas Stockings. Did you have one? Where did you hang it? What did you get in it?
• Christmas Church Services - Christmas Church Services. Did your family attend religious services during the Christmas season? What were the customs and traditions involved?
• Christmas at School - What did you do to celebrate Christmas at school? Were you ever in a Christmas Pageant?
• Christmas is Here! - Christmas Grab Bag. Author’s choice! Please post from a topic that helps you remember Christmases past!!
• Fruitcake - Friend or Foe? - Fruitcake – Friend or Foe? Did you like fruitcake? Did your family receive fruitcakes? Have you ever re-gifted fruitcake? Have you ever devised creative uses for fruitcake?
• Christmas and the Arts - Christmas and the Arts. Did your family attend any special events or performances during the holidays?
• In a time of need - Charitable / Volunteer Work. Did your family ever volunteer with a charity such as a soup kitchen, homeless or battered women’s shelter during the holidays? Were you able to make the holidays special for someone less fortunate?
• Holiday Travel - Holiday Travel. Did you travel anywhere for Christmas? How did you travel and who traveled with you? Do you remember any special trips?
• A Christmas Gift to Remember - Christmas Gifts. What were your favorite gifts, both to receive and to give?
• Holiday Parties - Holiday Parties. Did your family throw a holiday party each year? Do you remember attending any holiday parties?
• Christmas Cookies - Christmas Cookies. Did your family make Christmas Cookies? How did you help? Did you have a favorite cookie?
• Grandpa's Candy - Christmas Grab Bag. Author’s choice! Please post from a topic that helps you remember Christmases past!!
• Santa Claus - Santa Claus. Did you ever send a letter to Santa? Did you ever visit Santa and “make a list?” Do you still believe in Santa Claus?
• Outdoor Decorations - Outdoor Decorations. Did people in your neighborhood decorate with lights? Did some people really go “all out” when decorating?
• Christmas Cards - Christmas Cards. Did your family send them? Did your family display the ones they received? Do you still send Christmas cards?

Best Wishes...

The past few days I've been a bit under the weather... until I get back, please check out the posts my fellow genea-bloggers have contributed to the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories that has been hosted by Thomas MacEntee. I know that it has been a lot of work for you Thomas, but the time you spent putting it all together has been appreciated. Thank you Thomas! I have certainly enjoyed reading all of the articles. Thank you to everyone who participated.



To each and everyone, I wish you the best Christmas ever and may the spirit of the season be with you.

If you are in need of a good laugh (and aren't we all at some point during the holidays?) Janice Brown's video cartoons of GeneaBlogging Elves Running Amok will certainly cheer you up!

Christmas Music

The topic for the December 21st installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas Music. What songs did your family listen to during Christmas? Did you ever go caroling? Did you have a favorite song?"

Back in the 1960's the primary (only?) local radio station we had available for listening to was WOWO in Fort Wayne. At that time it was a "music" station, not a news-talk station as it is now. Of course, at this time of year they played Christmas carols and, even though no one in my immediate family can sing very well, we would sit around the radio and sing along.

When we'd go to grandpa's for the family dinner, there would be a round or two of singing carols. Songs such as Silent Night, Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, We Three Kings, Do You Hear What I Hear?, Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Little Drummer Boy, Deck the Halls, and of course, The Twelve Days of Christmas as well as many others. Someone had a song book that had the lyrics to many of the carols in it. We didn't care much if we were in tune, we just had fun singing the songs as loud as we could, pretty much annoying the adults, I'm sure!

As far as going caroling, we went several times after we moved to the house on the Armstrong Road. We had neighbors nearby then so we inflicted our out-of-tune singing on them.

In my post Blog Caroling... I selected "Do You Hear What I Hear?" as my favorite, but in actuality, I like most of the "traditional" Christmas carols. However, there are some of the more "modern" Christmas songs that I don't care for very much.

Fond Memories...

The topic for the December 20th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas and Deceased Relatives. Did your family visit the cemetery at Christmas? How did your family honor deceased family members at Christmas?"

My family does not have a tradition of "honoring" deceased family members at Christmas, though I think that they are in our thoughts quite often. And if their name should happen to be mentioned by someone it usually sets off a rash of stories, especially if my mother and her siblings are present. I do take my mother to the cemeteries (they are in two different cemeteries) on or near Memorial Day to visit the graves of her parents and grandparents.

My father passed away on December 18, 1995 and the best thing that came out of that was that my brother came from Minnesota and my sister from Florida. It was the last time that the four of us kids were all together. And now that she has passed away too, well, it just won't happen again. It saddens me to think of her. I've been scanning pictures from my mother's photo albums and that has also brought back some memories of other family members that are no longer here with us, and perhaps a bit of melancholy as well.

My grandfather, who didn't talk much or show affection very often, but liked to have family around him. My Uncle Bob who had a very wry sense of humor. He didn't talk much either, but when he did, everyone listened. He loved to tell jokes that were a bit off-color. They weren't outright "dirty" jokes but the implication was there. Uncle Walt, who would do anything for anyone, if he possibly could. He was a healer too, his hands were blessed with a special touch that helped several family members over the years, myself included. My grandmother, who defied death and lived five years longer than expected (after being given 6 months to live). She tried so hard those last few years to get us all together at least once a year. Aunt Jane, grandma's sister, who's most memorable piece of advice to us all was that "You can marry for money, as well as love". LOL. She always said her first marriage was for love and the second was for money. But she was only married to her first husband for 12 years while she was married to Uncle Charley for over 30.

Isn't it amazing how we tend to think of the good times and the favorable aspects of their personalities? I don't think we should forget that there are always two sides to a coin, but perhaps it is best that we remember the good side most often!

Christmas Shopping

The topic for the December 19th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas Shopping. How did your family handle Christmas Shopping? Did anyone finish early or did anyone start on Christmas Eve?"

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that mom was the one who did the Christmas shopping in our family when we were kids. I don't ever remember her taking us kids shopping with her. And I'm sure she had all the shopping done long before Christmas.

There was only one time in my young-adult days that I waited until several days before Christmas to go shopping. I had a terrible time finding the appropriate gifts so resolved that I would always start my shopping no later than the first week of December. One time (just one time!) I went shopping on "black Friday" and went to "the mall" in Fort Wayne. Never again! No matter what bargains are available!

Christmas Stockings

Once again, this is much too late to get into the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (hosted by Thomas MacEntee) for the December 18th installment, anyway, the topic was: "Christmas Stockings. Did you have one? Where did you hang it? What did you get in it?"

When we lived in the little block house (up until I was about 10 years old), our Christmas Stockings were filled with a tangerine, an apple, nuts (unshelled walnuts), a toothbrush, socks, and undies as well as small toys and some candy. Christmas was the only time we ever had tangerines so they were a real treat. Much easier to peel than oranges, so we could peel them ourselves. We were allowed to use a ball-peen hammer to break open the unshelled walnuts. I'm sure there were a few smashed fingers but we all still have all ten fingers!

Mom has often told the story of when my younger brother, Jack, was three. All he wanted for Christmas was a teddy bear. For whatever reason she didn't get one for him (forgetful, lack of time, lack of money?).

Christmas morning finally came and we all opened the little gifts in our stockings (the stockings were always opened first). When Jack opened his package with the toothbrush, he squealed with delight "Me got me teddy bear!" It was purely by chance that when mom wrapped up the toothbrushes that had little animals on the end of the handles, he got the one that had a bear on it!

As far as where the stockings were hung, I don't remember. We didn't have a fireplace. Now that I think about it, I wonder how Santa came into our little block house?

Christmas Church Services

The topic for the December 17th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas Church Services. Did your family attend religious services during the Christmas season? What were the customs and traditions involved?"

Well, this will be short. When we were little Mom or Dad would drop us off at Sunday School and then go back home. That's about the extent of church services we attended. It was a very small church and I don't remember if they ever did anything special for Christmas. Once we moved to the "new" house, our parents let us decide whether we wanted to go to church or not. I chose not to. I don't currently attend church, preferring, for numerous reasons, to keep my relationship to a higher being personal and private.

Christmas at School

This is a bit late to be included in the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (hosted by Thomas MacEntee) for the December 16th installment, but better late than never and I still want to play along, so here goes. . . the topic was "What did you do to celebrate Christmas at school? Were you ever in a Christmas Pageant?"

It's been soooo long since I was in elementary school that I don't remember many specific events at Christmas. I'm sure we did the normal "crafty" things as gifts for our parents. I remember seeing one ornament that us kids made (our class pictures cut into a circle and put into a canning lid with a piece of red yarn attached so it could be hung on the Christmas tree) but I don't know if we did that in school or if it was one of Mom's projects to keep us busy. We probably also had class parties, but nothing rings a bell.

The school I went to through all 12 years was the same one that my Dad attended. We even had some of the same teachers! Anyway, there were only 40 kids in my graduating class and it was one of the larger classes; it was a small-town school. I vaguely remember Santa Claus visiting with members of the American Legion. They handed out an apple, an orange and a small bag of candy to everyone in the school or maybe it was just to the elementary kids.

As far as pageants are concerned, I only attended one and that was during my sister's senior year in high school. The small local schools had consolidated in 1966 (the year I graduated) and the last graduating class from the small schools was in 1968. So 1972 was the first year that a class graduated from Wawasee High School and that happened to be my sister's class. I was away in the Navy and wouldn't be able to make it home for Christmas but was able to get there the middle of December, before the schools let out for the winter break. Terry (my sister) was in the school orchestra and played the double bass. That year the orchestra and choir put on an "Olde English" Renaissance style Christmas pageant and dinner. All the participants were dressed in costume and the servers spoke in the old style. It was an interesting and fun evening and I was glad that I was able to be there. It was one of the few times that I attended any of her school events.

Christmas is Here!

Today was a busy day - preparing for our family Christmas dinner tomorrow. And I don't have anything written for the December 15th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee. The topic is "Christmas Grab Bag. Author’s choice! Please post from a topic that helps you remember Christmases past!!" So instead of recalling a Christmas past, I'll write a bit about tomorrow (our future memories, perhaps?).

Tomorrow's gathering will be a small one, there should only be about 12 of us. The cookies have all been made, and some caramel corn too! The presents have been wrapped, some of the side dishes prepared. The only thing that could stand in the way is the weather, but the forecast for Northern Indiana is only calling for 3-6" of snow tomorrow, and then not till late in the afternoon, so we should be okay. Looks like Kansas and Missouri will get the worst of it before it heads our way.

For the past 20 years or so, my immediate family has had our Christmas dinner on the weekend before Christmas and sometimes, as is the case this year, the weekend before the weekend before Christmas. It just all depends upon everyone's schedule. Christmas day is usually spent with my mother. Sometimes my niece and her husband and son come for dinner. If they come we play card games, but if it is just mom and me we talk and watch television. Just a nice quiet day spent together.

*** Update 8:00 p.m. ***
Thank you one and all for your good wishes. We had a very nice time. Lots of good food, talked a lot, laughed a lot, played some games. And Santa even showed up. Well, not really, but we did have presents! It started snowing about 11 a.m. and snowed off and on all afternoon but only about an inch or so accumulation. It was a bit slippery coming home. The 30 minute drive from Columbia City took about 45. I checked weather.com and they are still showing that Northern Indiana will get 6-12" of snow by tomorrow night. But that's okay since I don't have to go out in it anytime soon.

*** Update 11:30 p.m. ***
I just opened the front door and it's snowing pretty heavily. The wind is whipping the snow around. I always get pretty good drifts across the front of the apartment and the driveway. It's about a foot high in a couple spots even though we probably only have about 2" of snow.

Fruitcake - Friend or Foe?

The topic for the December 14th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Fruitcake – Friend or Foe? Did you like fruitcake? Did your family receive fruitcakes? Have you ever re-gifted fruitcake? Have you ever devised creative uses for fruitcake?"

As I've often been told, I'm not normal - I must be one of the few people who actually likes fruitcake. That statement should be qualified somewhat, I like "good" fruitcake. Not dry. Not with candied fruit. No frosting. But perhaps with a hot cinnamon sauce drizzled over it. There have been a few times that I've thrown away fruitcake, but only if it was extremely dry or totally inedible.

Until recently, my aunt Phyllis gave her siblings a fruit cake every year, but it isn't your traditional fruitcake. I really do need to get that recipe from her. It's good.

I've never re-gifted a fruitcake. If it wasn't fit to eat I didn't think it fair to thrust it on to someone else. However, if I had known about the Great Fruitcake Toss and lived reasonably close to Manitou Springs, Colorado I might have taken it there to dispose of it.

Some pictures of the 2002 event and highlights of the January 2007 event.

Christmas and the Arts

The topic for the December 13th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas and the Arts. Did your family attend any special events or performances during the holidays?"

The Arts? My family? The closest my family ever got to "the arts", "special events" or "performances" were the Christmas Concerts at school. We're not what you'd call an artful or culturally enlightened family. After all, we lived in rural Indiana, in a time where those things were not all that important. In elementary school, my brothers and I participated in the school concerts, along with our classmates, but our teachers didn't voice any complaints when we "silently" sang the songs. I'm sure that if any of us kids had shown any inclination towards or talent in the arts or music or whatever, our parents would have supported us in those endeavors as much as possible.

Let's see, my Mom and I went to see Andy Williams in his Christmas concert one year, that would have been in the mid-1980s. My niece, Tami, and I went to see Kenny Rogers' Christmas concert several years ago. Both would have been in Fort Wayne. One year while in high school, one of my teachers sponsored a trip to Chicago to see "The Flower Drum Song". I don't remember if that was during the Christmas season or not, but it was sometime in winter ;-)

In a time of need...

The topic for the December 12th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Charitable / Volunteer Work. Did your family ever volunteer with a charity such as a soup kitchen, homeless or battered women’s shelter during the holidays? Were you able to make the holidays special for someone less fortunate?"

To my knowledge, my family did not participate in "charity" work at a soup kitchen or shelter. However, if a family in the neighborhood was in need of anything, we and the other neighbors all contributed what we could. The Salvation Army gets my change whenever I see their red bucket and bell ringer. Goodwill gets my clothes that I no longer wear, and I contribute in other ways too. Nothing special or out of the ordinary.

But one year, we needed help. In the fall of 1988, my sister and her new husband decided to move to Florida where his sister and mother lived. She had two girls at the time, 15 and 14 years old, both going to school, but that didn't seem to matter. Anyway, they were in Florida about six weeks when we got a phone call. The girls couldn't get into school and my sister and her husband couldn't find work.

To make a long story short, it was November when the girls came to live with my mother and me in an old farm house we'd bought the previous year. We had some trouble getting them back in school but finally made arrangements. The problem was, they came to us with just a small suitcase and the clothes on their back. Neither mom nor I were making much money at the time and basically were getting by paycheck to paycheck. We had no idea how we'd manage. But word got out to our neighbors and co-workers and we received coats and clothes and other things the girls needed. We were relieved and very grateful.

Christmas seemed to come quickly that year. Money was still tight, with little left over for anything except necessities. I'm not sure how it happened, but a few days before Christmas a couple of ladies in a van pulled into the driveway and started carrying boxes up to the back porch. We had no idea who they were but they had boxes filled with wrapped gifts for the girls along with several boxes of groceries. They wouldn't tell us who they were or what organization they were with. To us, it was incredible. But the really amazing thing to me was, when the girls opened the gifts on Christmas morning, they unwrapped things that they had wanted. Perhaps the girls had made a list, but I don't remember them doing so. I suspect that somehow Mom had something to do with it but she acted as surprised as I was. But then, she always was a good actress. Regardless, it was one of the best Christmases we had together.

That was the first time that I'd been "in need" and on the receiving end of charity and, thankfully, it was the last time as well. But I will always remember the two unknown ladies who showed up on our doorstep that year and will be forever thankful to them and the unknown others who contributed and helped when we needed it most.

Holiday Travel

The topic for the December 11th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Holiday Travel. Did you travel anywhere for Christmas? How did you travel and who traveled with you? Do you remember any special trips?"

My family never traveled far at Christmas when I was a kid. Perhaps to Fort Wayne or maybe Auburn, both only about 25 miles. Almost all my close relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) lived within a 25-30 mile drive. No holiday vacations away from home for my family.

My first Christmas away from home was spent at Boot Camp after I joined the Navy in 1969. It wouldn't be the last time that I wasn't home for Christmas though. Out of the nearly 10 years I was in the Navy, I think I made it home four times.

In 1970, I was stationed at Norfolk, Virginia and was determined to get home. One of my roommates lived in Pennsylvania and she too wanted to get home for the holidays. Another girl lived in Ohio. And another roommate lived in California. She couldn't afford to go home but didn't want to stay in the barracks so I said she could go home with me. I had just purchased a car that fall, so we all pooled our resources, managed to get leave and took off. It was my first long-distance driving trip.

It had started snowing just south of Washington, D. C. and was still snowing, quite heavily, when we got onto I-70 at Frederick, Maryland. It was dark too, as the day had turned to night. By the time we got into Pennsylvania and onto the turnpike, the snow had turned into a blizzard. Virtually no visibility. There was a vehicle in front of us and we were following it in an attempt to stay on the road. We traveled like that for quite a while, following the vehicle in front, the blind leading the blind. Well, we followed that car, unknowingly, off the turnpike! When we tried to get back onto the turnpike the State Police were blocking the entry. No one was allowed on the turnpike heading west unless they had chains. Did we have chains? No. Well, sorry, but you can't go any further.

We probably should have just turned around at that point. But being determined young fools, we found a garage that sold us the necessary chains, and they even put them on the tires for us. Besides, we weren't far from Somerset, which is near where the one roommate lived in Pennsylvania. We still couldn't see very well, but we finally made it to Somerset. Her folks graciously put us up for the night. We decided that sleeping on the floor was a better alternative to getting stuck in the snow and freezing and who knew what else.

The next morning it was still snowing, but it was daylight, and we could see the road. The snow plows had been through but we were advised to leave the chains on until the roads were completely cleared. However, it wasn't long before we heard clank, clank, clank. The chains on one tire had come loose and were banging the underside of the wheel well as the tire turned. We managed to get that chain all the way off, but couldn't figure out how to remove the others. Luckily, a good Samaritan came along and removed the other chains for us. Then we merrily went on our way. The highway was relatively clear, the sun was trying to peek through the snow, and we were moving at a pretty good pace. The rest of the trip proved to be quite uneventful. Thank goodness! We all made it home before Christmas day and safely back to Norfolk. And on time.

A Christmas Gift to Remember

The topic for the December 10th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas Gifts. What were your favorite gifts, both to receive and to give?"

Probably the most unusual and most memorable Christmas gift I ever received, though not necessarily my all-time favorite, was a present from my 14-year old sister in 1968. As you can see by the picture, it was a very large box, the biggest one "under" the Christmas tree. In fact, so big it couldn't fit under the tree!

I opened the box, and inside was another box. And inside that one was another box! And another, and another! Six in all. The box that actually held the gift was only about 4x4 inches. By the time I opened the final box, it really didn't matter what was in it. We had so much fun with getting to it. But, what was it you ask? A watch. Actually, a broken watch. It was a watch that didn't work! Not only was this a surprise to me, but to my sister as well. Being only 14 years old, she didn't have much money, and had gotten the watch from a friend. It didn't matter. As they say, it's the thought that counts, and a great deal of thought (and effort) had gone into that gift. Favorite gift, no. Memorable, yes!

Holiday Parties

The topic for the December 9th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Holiday Parties. Did your family throw a holiday party each year? Do you remember attending any holiday parties?"

We didn't give or go to any Christmas "parties" although my mother's family got together every year for Christmas when all of us kids were little. We usually went to my Grandpa Vic's house in Larwill, which is the house the family moved into in the late 1930s. Grandpa lived in that house for more than 50 years until he moved to an apartment in Columbia City. My cousin Marilynn purchased the house at that time and she still lives there.

Grandpa would fix the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and gravy while the side dishes and some desserts would be brought by mom and her brother and sisters. There was never a lack of food when this family got together, but it was even more bountiful at Christmas time.

Grandpa's house was a two-story duplex with high ceilings and large rooms (when they first moved in they rented the other side to another family but later my uncle Bill and his family lived on that side of the house). There was a wide "pocket" door that could be closed to separate the front room from the dining room. After the main meal had been eaten (adults at the dining room table that expanded to easily seat 14 - my cousin still has that table - and kids in the front room at card tables or wherever a seat could be found) that pocket door was closed and us kids played games and sang songs while the adults talked, and talked, and talked. (Wouldn't it be neat to have a recording of what was being said? I'm sure I couldn't have cared less back then, but now? Oh, yeah.)

The pocket door had windows in it so we could see them and they could see us, but waiting was absolute torture for us. There we were, in the front room, where the Christmas tree was with all the presents beneath it and we had to wait to open them until "they" were ready. The time finally arrived but then we had to wait for everyone to get their gifts - then we opened them. It was total chaos. But oh, so much fun! The gifts weren't all that grand or expensive, but there was something under the tree for everyone. And if we really, really didn't like what we got, we could exchange it with someone, if they were willing.

The picture below, of my cousins and siblings, was taken in December 1954 at Grandpa's house after the presents had been opened. It was my sister's first Christmas, she's trying to get away from my brothers. There would be eight more cousins born between then and 1974.



As we got older, we would have to help with the dishes and cleaning up before the presents could be opened. And then, as the years passed, it became more difficult for all of us to get together at Christmas and there were really too many of us to fit in anyone's home. We all went our separate ways, some got married and had families of their own, others just went away!

In 1980 my Grandmother decided that it was time for the family to get together again for Christmas! My mother and I were living in rural Noble County and the township had a community building that we rented. By this time there were about 75 family members in four generations. The picture below was taken in 1983, grandma's third dinner, the last time we all got together. There were only a few cousins who not able to attend and several people who were there are not in the photo, one of the missing is me - I was taking the picture. Everyone in the picture has been identified and I've made an outline drawing that numbers and names each person. The quality of this copy isn't that great since the file size had to be reduced to display here, but in the large print that I've got, everyone is in focus.



My grandmother is in the wheelchair (she had cancer and passed away the following May), her sister Jane is sitting beside her, and my nephew Jason is sitting on grandma's lap. Jason was five years old then; he is now 29 years old and has a four year old daughter of his own. Grandpa is a little to the left and behind grandma. Even though they were divorced (for the second time) in 1947, they both attended all of our family gatherings.

Christmas Cookies

The topic for the December 8th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas Cookies. Did your family make Christmas Cookies? How did you help? Did you have a favorite cookie?"

My Mother and I have been making cookies together for at least the last 20 or so years. Snickerdoodles, Oatmeal Raisin, Gingerbread Men (and Women), frosted Sugar Cookies of various shapes sprinkled with colored sugar, and others too.





Mom made cookies for Christmas and at other times of the year when I was growing up but not for gift giving and not to the extent that we have been doing these past 20 years. After Thanksgiving we buy all of the ingredients we'll need and then the first full weekend of December we start mixing and baking. I've never counted up how many dozens we make, but depending upon the type of cookie, each batch makes between 3 and 4 dozen cookies. We usually made four batches of Snickerdoodles, Oatmeal, and Sugar Cookies but only two batches of Gingerbread cookies and a batch or two of several other varieties. The past two years we've reduced the number of batches by about half, but it is still a lot of work. And it is still fun. I wonder what would happen if we didn't make them?

After the cookies are baked and cooled, they get stored in sealed containers in the garage (where it is cool) until we are ready to package them, usually the following weekend. Our big family Christmas dinner is normally a week or so before Christmas so they don't need to be frozen for long-term storage. Mom mixed up a batch of Snickerdoodles today. Since her oven isn't working right, I'll be baking them tomorrow as well as mixing and baking a couple batches of oatmeal raisin cookies and a batch of Gingerbread cookies. Probably won't make the Sugar Cookies this year though - I really never did like having to roll out the dough, mess with cookie cutters, and then decorating them. Ours sure never looked like the ones shown above! My favorite cookies are the Oatmeal Raisin and the Gingerbread.

A couple of recipes I found online are quite similar to the recipes that we use. The recipe for Oatmeal Raisin cookies comes straight from the Quaker Oats box! When searching for these recipes, I found it amusing that the Sunmaid website called them Raisin-Oatmeal cookies. The pictures used above came from the sites below.

• Snickerdoodles
• Sugar Cookies
• Gingerbread Cookies
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Grandpa's Candy

The topic for the December 7th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas Grab Bag. Author’s choice! Please post from a topic that helps you remember Christmases past!!"

In a previous post, I mentioned that my Grandfather, Rolland Victor Phend, had been an apprentice at a bakery before he enlisted in the Army during WWI. He learned to make the usual pies, cakes and cookies but our favorite, by far, was his candy! He made it year round but Christmas was a time when he was especially busy with the candy making. Most of it he gave away or donated to church bake sales but we got our share too. We so looked forward to this time of year and couldn't hardly wait to get a taste of the caramels, turtles and cashew glace. He also made chocolate fudge, fondant, candy canes and taffy but my preference was always for the caramels, turtles and cashew glace.

Grandpa would "hide" the candy in his closet, which also happened to be the downstairs bathroom. That may sound kind of weird but the bathroom was really just the toilet - no sink or shower (you'd go to the kitchen to wash your hands after using the toilet). It was a very large room and the toilet was on the opposite side from where the candy was kept. The main reason he kept the candy there was because the room was cool. No heating ducts went into that room. It got enough warm air when the door was left open so that it didn't freeze, but it was a bit chilly; no one lingered long in that bathroom! Except when we were looking for the candy, although it wasn't really hidden. He always left some out in plain sight so we could easily grab a few pieces.

One year, I don't remember exactly when - I had graduated from high school and was working in Fort Wayne - I was allowed to "help" him make some caramels and turtles. I did measure out some of the ingredients, but mostly I just watched. Though he did let me dip the caramel-pecan mixture in the chocolate to make the turtles. His basic technique was to measure out all of the ingredients first, putting the dry ingredients on separate pieces of wax paper. Then when the sugar or salt or whatever was needed all he had to do was pick up the wax paper and slip the ingredients into the pan. I thought that was neat. It was convenient and also cut down considerably on the number of dishes that would have to be washed later!

On December 14, 1963 grandpa's talents were highlighted in an article in the Warsaw Times-Union (published in Warsaw, Kosciusko County, Indiana). The pictures below are scans of photocopies from that article so they aren't very good as far as quality goes, but they are all I have. For whatever reason we never took any pictures of grandpa in the kitchen. That's the cashew glace he's holding in the right picture.



Several years ago I made Grandpa's caramels and cashew glace for Christmas presents for my immediate family (mother, brothers, sister, nieces and nephews). They turned out okay, and everyone enjoyed them, but they were not quite the same as I remember Grandpa's. I don't know what happened to his recipes, perhaps one of his daughters or his son has them. These two recipes were published in the 1963 article mentioned above. No substituting allowed!

Grandpa Vic's Vanilla Caramels
In a large heavy pan, combine one cup granulated sugar, one cup light corn syrup, and one cup heavy cream. Stir occasionally, cook to 232 degrees. Add (while stirring constantly) 2 tablespoons butter, ¼ teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons evaporated milk. Cook to 240 degrees, then take from heat. Add one teaspoon of vanilla and stir only enough to mix. Pour into a greased or buttered baking dish (a standard sized cookie sheet with side walls works quite well). Let this cool then cut into bite size pieces. Wrap the individual pieces in wax paper. Keep in a cool, dry area.

Turtles can be made by pouring the caramel mixture over pecan halves place in the bottom of the baking dish or cookie sheet. After cooling, cut the pecan/caramel mixture into squares, shape into turtles, then dip in melted chocolate. yum-o.

Grandpa Vic's Cashew Glace
In a large heavy pan, combine 2 cups granulated sugar, ½ cup light corn syrup, ½ cup water. Cook together to 270 degrees. Add 2 tablespoons butter, ½ teaspoon of salt. Stirring to keep from sticking until temperature reaches 300 degrees. Take from heat and add 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 cups of unsalted cashews. Pour into a greased cookie sheet, pressing flat with the spoon or your hands. Let mixture harden, then break apart into pieces. Store in an airtight container, though it won't last long. Enjoy!

Santa Claus

The topic for the December 6th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Santa Claus. Did you ever send a letter to Santa? Did you ever visit Santa and “make a list?” Do you still believe in Santa Claus?"

Writing letters to Santa Claus is not something that I remember doing as a kid. I don't think we ever paid a visit to him either. Although, when I was about 14 years old, on the family's only summer vacation one of the places we visited was Santa Claus, Indiana. Of course, since it was summertime, Santa was not in residence at the time. And it wasn't the big commercial venture then that it is now.

I'm sure my brothers and I made lists for mom and dad, or maybe we just told them what we would like to have. Though we usually received clothes. The toys and games we were given were always things that we all would play with. It's not that we didn't believe in Santa, it, well, I guess it just wasn't that big a deal back then. Of course, it may also have been that we lived in the country and didn't have television. (The TV set came along when we moved into our new house in 1960, when I was 12 years old.)

As with most little kids, I discovered that Santa was not a real person from one of the older kids at school. Though when Santa came to school with veterans from the American Legion to deliver bags of candy and oranges and apples, those older kids were there, standing in line to receive their bag of goodies!

Do I still believe in Santa Claus? Well, let's just say that I believe in the spirit of Santa Claus and that all things are possible! Especially since Santa Claus has a blog!

Outdoor Decorations

The topic for the December 5th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Outdoor Decorations. Did people in your neighborhood decorate with lights? Did some people really go “all out” when decorating?"

Growing up in the 1950s and 60s we lived out in the country, moving to a rural subdivision in 1960. There really weren't many outdoor decorations at that time. It was the time before the era of great consumerism emerged, when Christmas sales didn't start in August, and stores didn't put up Christmas decorations until Thanksgiving. We always put up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, added a few other indoor decorations, perhaps a few lights around the big picture window in the living room, and that was it. No outdoor lights or decorations.

In 1987, Mom and I bought an old farm house in rural Noble County, Indiana. Our nearest neighbors were a mile away in every direction. There we put up a large tree in the living room that could be seen by the passing cars. It was a two-story house so the eaves were way too high for putting lights up, but if we'd been able to do so, Mom would have been all for it. We did string lights and garland around the deck railing and the back porch and around all of the windows, upstairs and down. None of our neighbors put up outside lights. I'm not sure why we bothered since very few people saw them, but they seemed to make my Mom happy. I'll admit, I enjoyed them too ;-) except for the fact that I was the one that had to put them up and take them down, usually on the coldest and windiest day of the year!

Ten years later we moved to a subdivision north of Columbia City. There were a few neighbors who went a little overboard but for the most part the decorations were a bit sedate. With a one-story house, the lights went up on the eaves shortly after Thanksgiving, sometimes before, if the weather was nice. But they weren't turned on until the day after Thanksgiving. These were the blinking kind, that could be set to change in a continuous pattern. We also had some small trees and shrubs around the house and those were covered in non-blinking multi-colored lights.

We still drive around the countryside to see the decorations that others put up. Some are definitely extravagant, to the extreme. There is a subdivision in Columbia City that we love to drive through. I think they have a competition to see who can display the most lights. They come up with some imaginative displays. Some pretty, some just plain gaudy. Either way, I sure wouldn't want to have to pay their electric bills! But it is fun to see what they come up with each year. I don't particularly like the big "blow-up" Santa and Snowman figures and Snowglobes that seem to be all the rage now. It is amusing though to see them deflated, lying flat on the ground.


No, this isn't my house from a Christmas Past. It's from the 2006 collection at Ugly Christmas Lights

And then, for some more fun, there are the people Showing Off at Planet Christmas!

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories

Thomas MacEntee at Destination: Austin Family conceived the idea for a bloggers Family History Advent Calendar, and, with encouragement from Jasia, is hosting a 24-day Carnival of contributions from the genea-blogosphere on various topics. I had planned on participating from the beginning but, well, it just didn't work out. So, I'm going join in now and, hopefully, stay on track through the 24th. My first post in this series is Christmas Cards.

Thomas' post at Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories allows you to click through to his post on the contributions for a particular day.

A list of topics for each day can be found at Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Calling All Bloggers!

There are some very good posts, perhaps they will jog your memory and help recall precious moments from the past.