Country Focus: Sharing Christmas Family Memories

One week until Christmas Eve. Have you made your list? Did you check it twice? I only need to wrap presents and I am done. After that, I can turn my focus to planning my daughter’s birthday a couple weeks after Christmas.

Growing up, my family ushered the Christmas Eve Mass which was called the Children’s Mass since it was celebrated at 4:00 in the afternoon. After the first year, Dad hatched a plan to strategically place chairs along the outside aisles and anywhere else someone could sit. The church would be packed full. After Mass, we put all the chairs away and for a couple years, we were the carolers for the annual Christmas Eve supper. Once we got back home, we would eat supper and open gifts. Christmas Eve was always a bigger event for us than Christmas Day. Every year, Dad told us the animals talked to each other on Christmas Eve. I passed that tradition on to my daughter.

Christmas morning, we’d excitedly run down the stairs to see what Santa brought us. One year, Santa forgot to remove the shipping label from my brother’s gift. Mom shot me and my sister the “Don’t you dare tell your brother!” look since he was the last kid to receive gifts from Santa. Who knew Santa used Sears for making and delivering gifts?

My dad’s birthday is between Christmas and New Year’s on December 29. He will be 75 years old this year.

When you see him, wish the old duffer a happy birthday! I’m sure he’ll be out and about having coffee somewhere.

I wish all of you a blessed and Merry Christmas. Hope you can spend time with your loved ones making new memories and celebrating family traditions.