Christmas Memories

WPRP remembers the magic of their childhood traditions

Christmas and children go together like cookies and milk. Whether you have little ones at home that you make the magic for, or the memories of your childhood take you back, there is something magical about this holiday that brings out the kid in all of us!

The East Coast Team would like to share their childhood memories and traditions with you, so grab some cookies and milk and enjoy a trip down our Christmas Memory Lane!

Linda: My Mom is from Guatemala, and Christmas is always celebrated on Christmas Eve.  We would stay up until midnight to celebrate the birth of Jesus and then open presents. Our house would be filled with family, friends and so much food!  Dad would play the guitar and everyone would sing. Then, the next morning we would always have Guatemalan tamales.

Feliz Navidad!

Jackie: One of my favorite memories is when I was 7 years old. On Christmas Eve we went to midnight mass and returned home around 1:30 a.m. Santa left one gift for each of us to open before we went to sleep – and you know it was PJ’s – matching in some way for (5) girls ranging in age from 7 to 17. The tradition probably started before that, but I was 7 when I started going to midnight mass.

Josh: I would say my favorite tradition would be going over to Grandpa and Grandma’s house and not being allowed to go downstairs until everyone arrived. Once everyone arrived, Grandma would say, “Let’s go see what Santa left you all”, and we would run downstairs so excited to see all the presents! Grandpa would be the one to hand the presents to all of us. He would pick up the gifts and call our names out. “Where is Josh?” “I don’t see him” and I would yell “Right here Grandpa! Right here!” He would pretend to not see me and I would be waving my hand, “Over here Grandpa!” He would say, “Oh there you are Joshua, Santa has a gift with your name on it” as I raced to open it smiling so big.

Each and every present was handed out that way until there weren’t any left. It was a very fun tradition! I think we all take these memories and create the same traditions in our own little ways.

Stephanie: There are so many wonderful memories of Christmas Eve at my house when I was a kid. We are Italian, so everything revolves around food and family! My mom made the Feast of Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. The centerpiece of the meal was the baccula (buck-ooh-la) or salt cod, which mom prepared several ways. She made baccula soup, a chilled salad, and a red sauce tossed with pasta. She also made calamari two ways and spaghetti with anchovies, which might not sound good, but when you sauté them in olive oil with copious amounts of garlic, the anchovies melt away and leave you with a delicious salty taste that is second to none! She also made a tuna fish sauce and baked cod. As a kid, I was never a fan of all of the fish (ahh, if I could only go back), but my grandma made fried smelts that were legendary. Grandma would take great care to filet and clean each of the tiny fish for hours before frying them one by one at the kitchen counter. They were crispy, golden, perfection on a paper towel-lined plate! They never made it to the table and grandma never minded.

Even more wonderful than the feast, was the company. We would have an open house all night on Christmas Eve. It would start with a sit-down meal at 5:00, with my immediate family and then the guests would start pouring in shortly after. You never knew exactly who was going to show up, but our doors were always open and there were years when more than 100 people would walk through them! My Uncle Nick always brought his homemade wine (made with my grandfather’s wine press) and the line of empty bottles would collect on our dining room table. The evening ended with all of us going to midnight mass, where mom and dad sang in the choir.

Christmas Eve has changed over the years. Mom’s feast, as well as the number of guests, has gotten smaller. My Uncle has passed away, so the wine now comes from someone else’s grapes. My oldest sister took over the smelts when my grandma was no longer able, and her daughter now makes them the same way. I am many miles from home and miss spending Christmas Eve with my family, but there is still magic. I have wonderful friends to share this special time with and we have started new traditions with our children that they look forward to as much as we did when we were their age.

We hope that your holiday is filled with wonderful traditions, new or old. With family, friends, and memory-making good times.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!