Christmas Past
I love Christmas!
It is one of my favorite holidays!
Celebrating the Birth of our Lord Jesus and celebrating family and loved ones!
I thought I would start my series with my Christmas past.
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| Santa comes on Christmas Eve Christmas Morning Playing Games Checking out what is behind the tree |
Growing up we celebrated Christmas with family. As a small child our family would either host Christmas dinner at our house or we would bundle up and head over to my uncle's or Grandma's house. I remember one Christmas being sick and dad bundling me up in a blanket and carrying me to my uncle's (they only lived a couple doors down that year). As our family grew we would have our dinner as a family and often inviting Grandma and my Mom's single Aunt and Uncle to eat with us.
Christmas Eve was spent singing Christmas Carols, eating, playing games, check for gifts under and behind the tree and "unjoying" the Christmas Tree. Our family "Unjoys" the Christmas Tree because one of my brothers when he was very young asked if "We could unjoy the Christmas Tree instead of enjoy.... So the Johnson family unjoys the Christmas Tree.
Santa comes to visit on Christmas Eve to see if you are Naughty or Nice. One year Santa need a gift more then the children as he came to visit bootless.
After my mom passed away, on Christmas Eve , we would go to the cemetery and sing songs. We would leave a lit candle at the graveside. This candle could be seen as we drove away and would burn for hours. Lighting candles at the graveyard is a Finnish Tradition.
After leaving home my traditions changed slightly. As a nurse I had to work many Christmases so some of them where celebrated with my coworkers and patients. Those years we usually had some kind of smorgasbord of food and you always hoped for a quiet year.
Now that I am married, my traditions have changed again. We usually have a traditional African Meal, although I still bake cookies and make some candies to have and give. I still put up a Christmas tree and all my candles ~ I still need to unjoy my tree.
Do you have traditions that you do every year or
Do you do something different every year?
I would love to hear what your Christmas is like.
**Sorry for some of my pictures, they were taken 15-20 years ago and are a picture of a picture.
How sweet tradition Marlys. Lovely
ReplyDeleteThis so sweet...Unjoy. Love that! I remember one year my Grandmother had a teeny bit too much eggnog and wanted to start a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve.....Well 2 hours later we had all opened up every gift. Of course we were just following G'Ma's orders, but teased her every year after that... about who had the reddest nose that year, Rudolph or her after 4 cups of eggnog...LOL
ReplyDeleteReally nice traditions - and lightning the candles in graveyard is very familiar for me, of course (as a Finn). Love to hear it is done over the seas also!
ReplyDeleteI love that you unjoy your Christmas tree! We always spend Christmas with my parents. Regardless of where they have lived, or I have lived, we always celebrate Christmas together. Tradition is Christmas Eve, but sometimes weather has dictated that we change that to Christmas Day :)
ReplyDeleteMarlys, it's so lovely to hear about your evolving traditions. The candles on your table look so pretty too!
ReplyDelete