My Mother's Temple
Welcome to the Memories Room
Holidays
All family's have special things they do on the holidays. Some dress up and are quite formal, others lay around and watch the tube. For my family, Holidays were special. Mostly because that is how Mom created them to be.
Here are a few of the special things she did, things that I am passing on to my children so that they can always remember how special she really was....
For New Year's she kept it simple, letting us kids stay up and bang pots and pans together and shout in the New Year...
For Valentine's day, she would create the prettiest Valentine's from construction paper, and lace...I think I still have one of these in my keepsake trunk.
Easter was grand. She would hustle us kids off to bed, and then color dozens of eggs. They would be marbled with shades of blue, red, and green. Glossy and never were they less than perfect. She hid them about the house, and created Easter baskets for not only her own children, but friends as well. Each year, there would be a small toy or two for us kids, and chocolate rabbits.
She would sit calmly in her chair while us kids squealed with delight over the pretty eggs and wonderful gifts in our baskets. With a secrective smile on her face, she would watch us race about the house finding her treasures. Looking back now, I see that she adored these things...seeing our glee, and it filled her heart with joy to know she had created so much happiness for us.
She would bake ham, potatoes, corn, and put on a meal that would feed an army. And at the end of the day, when we were all tucked in bed, she would finally collapse, feeling happy.
May Day was equally as wonderful, as she would make up small baskets of flowers that as a small child, I would deliver to our neighbors and friends. Nothing fancy, just violets from the yard, and some lilacs if they were in bloom already.
The 4th of July was always celebrated with sparklers and snakes, cap guns and a picnic. In our younger years, we would spend them in Minesota with Grandma..
Halloween was a grand affair...the house would be decorated, and she would do us kids up in style. She always let us keep our candy...
Thanksgiving would come, and that was always something else. I remember Mom cooking for days. Just about everything you can imagine...pies, potatoes, jellos, puddings, cookies... it was a feast fit for a king. She made this a wonderful day, as it was strictly for family.
St Nicolas Day was next in line...Celebrated Dec. 6. We would wake up to stockings filled with nuts, oranges, apples, ribbon candies, and mittens and scarves. It was like a mini Christmas to ease our anxiousness of the coming festivities.
Christmas was perhaps the one I remember most. The scent of baking cookies, and fudge still remind me of the warmth I felt growing up. Mom never decorated the house until we were fast asleep on Christmas Eve...and this she would do after dragging four children to midnight mass...!!
In the morning we would be greeted with a glittering house...garland strung decoratively on the banister, and about the ceiling. The tree up where none had been before, sparkled gaily beckoning us little ones. Simple ornaments dangled and lights blinked invitingly.
The festively decorated parcels were arranged carefully. The wrappings were always bright and colorful, tied with bows that held candy canes in them. Sometimes, the bright ribbon streamers would hold a special message for us. These boxes I can still see, in my mind's eye, as we would all congregate about the tree, marvelling at how the elves could do such a job in one short stop....
Laughter would fill the house and shake the rafters, and if we were really lucky, it would snow...
The decorations would remain up through Epiphany, the crib would be out, and the feeling of joy would permeat the air. In my heart, I truly believe that Christmas was her favorite holiday, above all the others....