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Letters to the EditorsChristmas traditions© St. Petersburg Times published December 25, 2001 The widespread celebration of Christmas dates from the 4th century, and over the years many customs and traditions have taken root. We asked Hernando Times readers to tell us about their family Christmas traditions. Whether religious or ethnic, each carries a personal meaning.
A book and a coconut As Christmastime approaches, I find myself going back in time and remembering my childhood days. I grew up in the Depression, and home life could have been grim. But our parents were loving and caring and put our welfare first. We had very little, but I remember my mother doing three huge washings on the board for a man to make a doll bed for my Christmas. Mother would always see that we had a book and a coconut. We would be given a piece of coconut, and she would read a chapter or two each night. I could hardly wait until I could go to school and learn to read for myself. Our dad would don a Christmas suit, knock at the door, and would ask us children if we had been good and what we wanted for Christmas. We were a bit shy and never dreamed it was him. Then he would go to the school Christmas program, where he would play Santa. When I grew up, married and had children, I carried on the same tradition of buying my children a book to read and a coconut. They too, like myself, love to read.
The glow of Papa's CrossOur Christmas tradition would have to be Papa's Cross. During my father Marvin Spencer's last year in 1991, while battling bone cancer, he made me a very simple cross: two pieces of wood crossed together, covered with foil and strung with old-fashioned large light bulbs, and he said, "Hang this every year to represent peace, love and family unity." This will be the first year in five years that we will be able to have our daughter, Jacqueline, and son-in-law, Chris King, who is serving with the Army Reserve Unit Military Police Combat Support Unit 251 Co., out of Ocala, as well as our son Donald Jr. and family from St. Petersburg, for dinner and celebration. Even though our other children, Kim Hichey and family from Niagara Falls, N.Y., and sons Jan Walker and family from Melford, Conn., and Ronald and family cannot be here, Papa's Cross will shine except for one change. It will have red, white and blue bulbs this year to represent peace among everyone.
A creche that grew-- Our family tradition is not uncommon, but ours has a little twist to it. My grandfather came from a small town near Naples, Italy, before 1902. He and Grandma brought with them their creche set from Italy. My dad came from the same hometown, so he also had the tradition of the creche. After he married, Mom and Dad started collecting nativity pieces that are about 7 inches tall. Over the years, he collected more than 100 pieces. Every year around the first of December, he would start to put this nativity scene together. He would start by getting wooden grape boxes. (Later on he had to save them when they became difficult to get.) He bought rolls of brown wrapping paper, and while mother cleared a large corner in my brother's room, we would start to prepare the paper. Dad would start with a wooden frame, and to that the grape boxes were nailed. God forbid he should nail the boxes to the wall! We would prepare the brown paper by tearing off sheets of paper and crushing them into different sizes and shapes. He would then staple this brown crinkle paper over, and sometimes into the boxes to resemble mountains and caves. After the paper was splashed with green paint, it looked like rocks and mountains. The nativity pieces were placed in front of all this. There's a stable with Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the animals. Then, from the distance, came the wise men, shepherd and sheep, camels, goats and many more pieces. But this is where his scene was different. He always had a modern section off on one corner. We never knew what to expect. One year it was a farm with rows of vegetables grown in dirt made from dried coffee grinds, complete with a farmer working in the field. Another year it was a snow scene with children on sleds and skates on a mirror that looked like ice. Who could forget the year he had a Mount Vesuvius that erupted? How could he top that? The next year he had a waterfall driven by a motor. We really laughed since the motor really roared. The noise was incredible. One year an entire group of nuns from our local school came to see it. They were amazed that he would take it down and put it up every year. They suggested he hang a sheet over it. But he said that wouldn't be any fun. My oldest son was 10 when he helped Grandpa build the scene. Dad was 80, and it would be the last time he built it. My son, Larry, is now 40 and has inherited the set. He still builds it, but not as large as his grandfather's. But one day, when he is retired and has more time, he'll build it to show all of our generation and younger ones, too. Dad put up the nativity to remind us of Jesus' birthday and the tree because he loved this country. Lee Pecora, Spring Hill Asleep on the hayI am 86 years old, and when Christmastime comes around, I relive the beautiful Polish tradition from when I was a young boy. I was born and raised in southwest Poland. When Christmas Eve came, everyone watched for the star in the sky. Then the family sat down at the table, which was covered with hay, full of aroma. In the center, on top of the table, was placed a wafer. Before the evening supper, the family shared the wafer, wishing each other good health and prosperity before starting the supper. The candles were lit on the Christmas tree. After supper, they played on the violin and sang beautiful Polish Christmas carols late into the night. All of them went to church to celebrate the solemn midnight Mass. The supper consisted of 12 varieties of food that were placed in a large bowl, in the middle of the table on top of the wafer, which is supposed to stick to the bowl as a prediction for a good harvest. The hay was put not only on the table, but also underneath the table -- a lot of it. When I was a young boy, I slept underneath the table on the hay after the Christmas Eve supper. In the morning on Christmas Day, I woke up with a lot of bumps on my head, due to the fact that when I turned around in my sleep, I hit my head underneath the frames of the table. I still was satisfied that I slept on the hay during the night, just like baby Jesus slept in Bethlehem. The day after Christmas is also a holiday in Poland. It is St. Steven's Day. During these two holidays, numerous people go to church, where many times they have to stay outside during the Mass because the church is full. Christmas carols were sung in church as well as in the homes from Christmas Eve to February, the second celebration of the holiday season. During this time, carolers would walk from house to house singing and presenting a puppet show, dressed in different costumes, singing and playing different carols.
Jesus' birthday cakeMy favorite holiday family tradition is baking a birthday cake for Jesus. My mom started this when I was young and now continues the tradition with my children. On Christmas Eve day, my mom gathers all the baking ingredients; and my children, Brynn and Brett, go to Grandma's house to make the special cake. It is made from scratch and with lots of love. On Christmas Day, before opening the gifts and eating dinner, we hold hands in a circle and sing "Happy Birthday to Jesus." Because Jesus is the reason for the season.
A harvest tableChristmas in our family begins with the traditional Christmas Eve supper, consisting of 12 dishes with no meat or dairy products. Many of its customs recall Ukraine's importance as an agricultural society. Straw or hay is spread on the floor or under the tablecloth to recall Jesus' manger. The cloth is white, representing swaddling clothes. A loaf of bread serves as a candleholder. An extra plate set on the table is filled with a sample of each dish. This was brought outside after the meal to feed the animals in honor of the cows and donkeys who warmed the manger. We place a small bunch of wheat on the table; three generations ago there would have been a big sheaf called Grandfather. The meal starts by breaking bread and wishing each other well. Ukrainians use prosphora, a small loaf of bread; our Polish relatives have oplatek or wafer; and our Slovak priest introduced us to garlic dipped in honey, since life is both bitter and sweet. Two foods are absolutely essential: kutia and fruit compote. Even now, when we share our church's Christmas Eve meal, I like to have a bowl of each at home; combined and warmed, they make a wonderful breakfast. Kutia, the first course, is boiled wheat flavored with honey, poppyseed and nuts. According to custom in the farm villages, a spoonful of kutia was flung up to the thatched roof. If most of it stuck, the coming year's harvest would be good. We remember this custom every year without actually trying it. This is followed by bread and borscht, either beet soup or a mushroom-sauerkraut juice-rice recipe from my husband's grandmother. Then come fish, gravy, vegetables, and two ethnic favorites, stuffed cabbage and pierogies. Desserts include fruit-filled crepes, poppyseed or honey cake, and the compote. Add carols, and the spirit of Christmas fills everyone.
A parade of memories'Tis the season. A reminder of Christmases long ago comes to mind. There's nothing quite like it. Thanksgiving brings Santa Claus to town and the Thanksgiving Day parade and Detroit Lions football games and reminds us to be thankful. Memories of our holiday traditions include spending Christmas Eve with our grandma, uncles and aunts and our cousins, going outside Christmas Eve, looking with our dear aunt for Santa Claus and Rudolph flying through the sky. Having Santa join us Christmas Eve, dressed in red from head to toe, sometimes with bruised knuckles from playing football at Denby. To see young and old, fat and skinny, sit on Santa's lap Christmas Eve and receive their gift. Going door to door singing Christmas songs, when we weren't laughing out loud. Shopping at CO-OP for all those cousins' needs. Footprints left from Santa one Christmas morning. Handmade rocking cradle left under the aluminum Christmas tree. Over the hills and through mountains to Michigan we would go to see everyone, even though there's a lot of snow. We now make traditions with our family, our kids and our friends. Santa still comes around ever year. He isn't dressed in red from head to toe. No more bruised knuckles. But the kid in Santa still carries on in each one of us. He now visits his neighbors and those in retirement homes. He sings and puts on shows and leaves all the children a bag of cheer, called reindeer food, to be put out Christmas Eve, so they all can see Santa and Rudolph flying through the sky. Thus, these memories of the holiday spirit make our family's traditions very dear and special to us, for without the Christmas spirit, we wouldn't have our family's holiday traditions.
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From today's Hernando Times Jan Glidewell |
