Monday, December 21, 2009

My Mom's and My Christmas Traditions

I love Christmas. I love the excitement in the air of the festivities. Christmas is a time when most are happy and ready to receive! It may not be just gifts given, sometimes it's other things.

My Mom was BIG on Christmas and always made it loads of fun for our family. We decorated like it was going out of style!

We always baked Onion Bread and took it to the elderly in our community. They loved Momma's onion bread and I hated it although Mom made the time spent baking and delivering it a lot of fun. Now that I think back maybe the little old ladies hated it too but if they did they never let my Momma know it.

Every year we made my Great Grandmother's "Fig Cake" recipe.  Now, we all loved fruitcake but NO WAY Momma had to make Fig Cake instead because it was her Grandmother's recipe and she had always had it growing up. I hope I don't do this to my children?

We drove around Jackson as a family at least one night during the season and looked at the Christmas lights. Dad really didn't enjoy looking at lights with us probably because we could look for hours and we wanted him to drive real slow. Dad use to drive really fast to get it over with and boy did he catch it from all of us. We also visited historical places to look at the decorations.

On Christmas morning we got up early, opened gifts and ate "Sausage Balls" a tradition I have continued through the years although we don't get up early anymore!

Mom would set the table for Christmas day like no other time of year. I remember the last Christmas that Momma was able to serve us she served her fruit salad in wine glasses. During the meal she broke one of the glasses and she was worried that there was glass in some of the food. We as a family tried to assure her that the food was all ok but with her being nervous due to her last accident she dropped another glass and broke it in the midst of two dishes. Without a doubt this time there was glass in some of the food and no one would be able to eat any more of it. Poor Momma cried and cried, we can laugh now but then it was not funny.

Even after I got older, married and had a child of my own Momma saw to it that we did these things and because of that Ashia had a taste of Granny Margaret's Christmas cheer. Oh how I wish I had my Momma back here to make onion bread, fig cake and a disaster of our meal.

These are just a few of my Christmas traditions:

I love Christmas music I could listen to it all year long, but I don't because I want it to be special during the holiday season. This year I bought  "The Hymns and Carols of Christmas"  by Jim Brickman. It is wonderful, I can't believe I didn't buy it earlier! By the way I love Jim Brickman's music!


I love buying my kids that special stocking for my house. Each child and most of the grandchildren have a stocking that in one way or the other makes me think of them. I haven't bought for the new grand-babies yet I'm waiting on them to develop a personality of their own. It just wouldn't be Christmas without my hanging the stockings.

I love soft peppermint not just for Christmas but anytime of year. But when else do you find a container like this? I'll enjoy this for a while if I don't give most of it away! During the Christmas season I always have lots of candy and snacks around the house.

I love Christmas stories, movies etc. I always buy my grandchildren a book at Christmas and write them a special note inside. What better way to spend time with the grandchildren than to read them a book! A friend of mine recently posted a story that is so true and I'd like to share IT with you!


I love Christmas villages.  I know many people leave them out all year, but my village was once my mother's village, so i keep it safely tucked away until Christmas then I bring it out and set it up for all to enjoy.


I love Christmas trees, they are beautiful and each one has so much history on it.  This year we debated on whether to have a tree or not, because we will not be having Christmas at our house.  Although Steve and I felt it wouldn't be Christmas without a tree, so here it is!


I love nativity scenes.  This one is extra special to us because my mother hand-painted each piece.  Look at THIS neat page that I found on the nativity.




I love Christmas cards and send out around sixty each year!  I run to the mailbox everyday in anticipation of who may have sent me a card. For those of you who have THANK YOU if you have not but would like to drop me a note and I'll gladly send you my address!


I have blogged about candles being one of my obsessions. I love buying and burning candles and can never have enough. I always have tons of candles out at Christmas and burn them continually. The candles above were bought a few years ago just to use in centerpieces, they cost too much to burn.

Share with us your favorite Christmas traditions we'd love to hear from you!

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