This time of year with Christmas around the corner always has me reminiscing of Christmases past. My mom's house was filled with the majority of us children and grandchildren. The ones who couldn't make it because they lived much further away would call, and we'd just pass the phone around to say hi and Merry Christmas. Mom would start between 6-7 am making apple, pumpkin, mincemeat, and chocolate pies and storing them in the back part of the house where the room was cold (you could see your breath). Christmas dinner consisted of a ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pearl onions, green beans, corn, a tossed salad, fresh baked rolls, and of course her famous raisin sauce for the ham. There was always more leftovers than we knew what to do with. The Christmas songs were blasted from the radio all day and into the night. In the evening, us kids would go play and the adults would play penny poker. It was fun to hear their laughter in the kitchen. As I got older, the card games changed but I had finally been included. I have so many memories, it's hard to nail down a favorite as each one meant the world to me.
Now, we're spread out quite a bit. Mom has many more grandchildren and great grandchildren. It been 16 years since my dad had passed away and 7 years for one of my brothers. I'm not saying Christmas now is less than great. Just that it's changed and I'm learning how to make my own family's Christmases memorable for them. It's just nice to go back and remember the smell of Mom's apple pie baking as I opened my presents with Dad sitting in his recliner dressed up like Santa handing the presents out. Or my brothers and sisters showing up later on for dinner and how I couldn't wait to see them. Great Christmas memories :)
Here's the deal. Tell me about one of your favorite Christmas memories along with your email address and I'll have my son draw one lucky name to win a copy of The Swan Cove Murders and my new bookmark. See below.
And be sure to stop by
The Dark Phantom Review for my guest interview!
AVAILABLE NOW @ Soul Mate Publishing: The Swan Cove Murders Release Date December 28th: Secrets of Jenkins Bridge
Christmas was always such a great family time when I was young. It was just my parents, my siblings, and me since the extended family was extended all over the country. A spaghetti dinner eventually became our traditional Christmas eve meal while Christmas day was essentially a repeat of the Thanksgiving meal and that wasn't a bad thing at all.
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A great post, thanks for sharing about your Christmas. Heading over to Dark Phantom....
ReplyDeleteI love to remember the Christmases of my childhood, now are so different and so consumerist that I can hardly recall those happy Christmas around the fire and enthusiasm that I did receive a single toy. Now the children are 6 or 7 toys and are dissatisfied and do not appreciate.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas memories involve the wide-eyed shock on my children's faces when they see what's under the tree every year. It's priceless.
ReplyDeleteChristmas would not be the same without white fluff puffs, new pajamas, board games, and one big fit from a sibling. We're a bit competitive. It can be dangerous!
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And Romance Reader is the winner!!!!! Email me at shieldsdonna@hotmail.com.
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