Grant County Journal
December 27, 2010
Partridges and glittery things
Written by Janet Warren
I’ll bet you thought Christmas was over. Wrong. The Twelve Days of Christmas actually started the evening of December 25th and ends on the Eve of Epiphany, January 5. We have another week and a half to go (although my decorations usually come down before then). So settle down for a long winter’s nap while I tell you about partridges in pear trees.
One year my kids and I did the “12 Days of Christmas” for their grandparents. We started 12 days before Christmas, but now I find out I had the timing wrong. Regardless, the grandparents had a fun time opening their door to a small gift or plate of goodies each evening after we rang the doorbell and ran. We found out later that their assisted living residence had cameras on the front gate and they saw our van driving away each night on their television. They were good sports, though, and didn’t let on. The only gifts I remember were the “two turtle doves” where we left a couple of Dove Bars and the “four calling birds” where we left a beautiful book of birds.
All these years later, I find myself interested in the origin of things. Perhaps it’s because the internet makes it so easy to do research. Or maybe it is because history brings on new meaning once you get to the age where you actually lived through some of the things they are now teaching the kids in history class. As always, I will put in a disclaimer on research on the internet; there is a lot of conflicting information. The only thing we know for sure is that “calling birds” were originally “colly or collie birds,” which are blackbirds. There are many variations on the origins of the song Partridge in a Pear Tree, one of them that it was a mnemonic (device to aid in memory) to teach a secret catechism during the years of the religious wars in the 16th century. My true love being God and the partridge being Jesus, the pear tree the cross. Snopes.com debunks this theory as a myth, but the truth is no one really knows where the song came from. I always thought it was a nonsensical song with a catchy tune. Which, of course, might be all that it is.
Since I’m dabbling in some Christmas trivia here, do you know where eggnog originated? That seems to be sketchy too. Kitchenproject.com has a couple of ideas which seem as good as any. Eggnog is first mentioned in the early part of the 17th century as a drink to toast one’s health. Rum was commonly referred to as grog in Colonial America, so eggnog could be a shortened version of egg ‘n grog. Or perhaps the name comes from a small wooden carved mug called a noggin. Egg ‘n grog in a noggin. Try saying that after a few cups of the stuff. George Washington had his own recipe for eggnog made with rye whiskey, rum, and sherry “reputed to be a stiff drink that only the most courageous were willing to try.” The popular version in my family was a virgin eggnog, which gave way to the store-bought eggnog because the eggs were pasteurized. I stopped drinking it altogether when I figured I didn’t need any more help to raise my cholesterol. Mike never even tasted eggnog until this year when I needed a cup to use in a recipe. There were three cups left in the quart I bought, so I poured him a noggin. He wasn’t impressed, which is good because your 50’s is no time to develop a taste for artery-clogging beverages.
This week I am doing all the things I postponed until after Christmas. Mike and I traveled to Colorado to see my daughter, Jodie, graduate from University of Colorado on December 17th. We were only gone for three days, but it kind of threw off my momentum. I didn’t plan a lot of activities for Christmas, and I must say it was the most relaxing week before Christmas I have ever had. I was able to get in a little reading, watch a couple of Hallmark Christmas specials (sappy and predictable, but I admit I got a little teary-eyed), and I forced Mike to sit down and watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve. He loves Jimmy Stewart, so I didn’t have to twist his arm too hard.
If you’ve seen the TV commercials this season, this next story will make you laugh. My friend Janice in Albuquerque has taught second grade for over 25 years. Janice wrote: “Funny story. This is why I love being a teacher! Please read on: A little boy in my class brought in a gift for me. I proceeded to open it. Inside was a piece of costume jewelry in the shape of a snowflake and very glittery. A little girl who was watching squealed, ‘He went to Jared!’" Can’t you just see that as a commercial for Jared Galleria of Jewelry? By the way, Jared’s isn’t near as nice as Harrison’s Jewelers right here in Ephrata. They have a lot of glittery things too. Hint, hint, Mike…we do have an anniversary coming up in January.
This column has turned out a lot like my week—random things popping up. It’s good to have a week like that sometimes. It does come around full circle, however, because whenever I am ticking off a list of unrelated items, I usually add “and a partridge in a pear tree” no matter what time of year it is. Next week we’ll get back to business since it is time for New Year’s resolutions…just sayin’.
I hope Christmas was everything you and your family wanted it to be this year. Talk to you next year!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
I Believe--Powerful Words
Grant County Journal
December 20, 2010
I Believe—Powerful Words
Written by Janet Warren
There comes a time in everyone’s life when what they believe needs to be put into words. These words may never be spoken out loud, but they are expressed by the way we live our lives. I wonder sometimes what people will say at my funeral. What if one of my children gives my eulogy? I can tell you what I hope will be said. I hope Jenni will say that I was there for her. I hope Jodie will say that I accepted her. I hope Jon will say I encouraged him. I hope James will say that I prayed for him. And I hope Jeffrey will say I did my best. I also hope Mindi and Jeff will say I was a good wife to their father and that I loved him. But most of all, I hope all of them say that they know I loved them with all of my heart. I also hope they say I believed in Jesus Christ of the New Testament and that I did not think the Bible was a “Christian myth” as one of my professors once called it.
A few months ago, I got the official population of Ephrata from Leslie Trachsler at City Hall.
At that time it was 7,110. I know Logan and Audrey Nelson had a baby since then, so it’s at least 7,111. I had to go to the internet to get information on religion. I found out that 40.66 percent of the people in Ephrata are affiliated with a religion. Using my mad math skills, I came up with 2,891 people who belong to a religion. I have to deduce that those 2,891 people are Christian because those are the only religions listed in the yellow pages. This doesn’t take into account the people who believe in Christ but are not affiliated with an organized religion. For my purposes, however, we have a lot of Christians in Ephrata, which is why I am going to talk about Mary. Can you follow my logic? That’s okay…Mike can’t either.
While I was raising my family, I tried to stay focused on why we celebrate Christmas. I admit that some years I did better than others. When James was about 4 years old we were in a craft store in Colorado Springs. There was a life-size statue of Santa Claus that James rushed up to and exclaimed loudly: “Jesus!” I was always thankful he didn’t point to pictures of Jesus at church and shout “Santa Claus!”
I explained the symbols of Christmas to my children. The candy canes we always put on the tree represented the crooks of the shepherds who were among the first to know of the birth of the Christ child. The star on top of the tree reminds us of the sign shown in the heavens that first Christmas Eve. The lights remind us that He is the Light of the World. The evergreen is the symbol of life. We give gifts to each other to remind us of the gift our Savior gave us through His atonement for our sins.
I find myself contemplating Mary’s point of view when I read the Christmas story in Luke. I should have talked to my children more about that. I don’t think she complained as she was riding on a donkey while in labor, but I believe she may have been frightened about not knowing what to expect. My daughter, Jodie, came very close to being born in the parking lot of Providence Hospital in Anchorage. Had it not been for some alert nurses, we may have had to pick gravel out of her thick head of hair. There were no nurses to rescue Mary, but I wonder if angels attended her. Even though it was not customary for the time, did Joseph wipe her brow and offer encouragement to her? Jesus was born in a manger, probably more like a cave than a wooden structure, but I don’t believe it was an accident. The conditions were dark and dirty and smelly, but there was no room at the inn because He was meant to be born in lowly surroundings. His ministry was among the poor, the sick, and the humble. He was born to heal broken hearts and to give hope to a weary world.
This Christmas I was at a program where the song Mary, Did you Know? was performed.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.
The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the Lamb.
Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I Am. (Lyrics by Mark Lowry)
Mary was told by an angel that she would bear the Son of God, but I believe she had to learn what that meant little by little. After the birth of Christ was proclaimed to the shepherds, they told everyone they met about it. “And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2: 17-19).
This is how all of us figure out what it is we believe in, little by little, and by taking small moments of stillness to ponder. My beliefs will be added onto as I grow older, and I hope by the time my eulogy is written the main theme of it will be that I believe in Christ. I Believe. Powerful, life-affirming words.
May the power of this Christmas season heal your heart and bring you joy.
December 20, 2010
I Believe—Powerful Words
Written by Janet Warren
There comes a time in everyone’s life when what they believe needs to be put into words. These words may never be spoken out loud, but they are expressed by the way we live our lives. I wonder sometimes what people will say at my funeral. What if one of my children gives my eulogy? I can tell you what I hope will be said. I hope Jenni will say that I was there for her. I hope Jodie will say that I accepted her. I hope Jon will say I encouraged him. I hope James will say that I prayed for him. And I hope Jeffrey will say I did my best. I also hope Mindi and Jeff will say I was a good wife to their father and that I loved him. But most of all, I hope all of them say that they know I loved them with all of my heart. I also hope they say I believed in Jesus Christ of the New Testament and that I did not think the Bible was a “Christian myth” as one of my professors once called it.
A few months ago, I got the official population of Ephrata from Leslie Trachsler at City Hall.
At that time it was 7,110. I know Logan and Audrey Nelson had a baby since then, so it’s at least 7,111. I had to go to the internet to get information on religion. I found out that 40.66 percent of the people in Ephrata are affiliated with a religion. Using my mad math skills, I came up with 2,891 people who belong to a religion. I have to deduce that those 2,891 people are Christian because those are the only religions listed in the yellow pages. This doesn’t take into account the people who believe in Christ but are not affiliated with an organized religion. For my purposes, however, we have a lot of Christians in Ephrata, which is why I am going to talk about Mary. Can you follow my logic? That’s okay…Mike can’t either.
While I was raising my family, I tried to stay focused on why we celebrate Christmas. I admit that some years I did better than others. When James was about 4 years old we were in a craft store in Colorado Springs. There was a life-size statue of Santa Claus that James rushed up to and exclaimed loudly: “Jesus!” I was always thankful he didn’t point to pictures of Jesus at church and shout “Santa Claus!”
I explained the symbols of Christmas to my children. The candy canes we always put on the tree represented the crooks of the shepherds who were among the first to know of the birth of the Christ child. The star on top of the tree reminds us of the sign shown in the heavens that first Christmas Eve. The lights remind us that He is the Light of the World. The evergreen is the symbol of life. We give gifts to each other to remind us of the gift our Savior gave us through His atonement for our sins.
I find myself contemplating Mary’s point of view when I read the Christmas story in Luke. I should have talked to my children more about that. I don’t think she complained as she was riding on a donkey while in labor, but I believe she may have been frightened about not knowing what to expect. My daughter, Jodie, came very close to being born in the parking lot of Providence Hospital in Anchorage. Had it not been for some alert nurses, we may have had to pick gravel out of her thick head of hair. There were no nurses to rescue Mary, but I wonder if angels attended her. Even though it was not customary for the time, did Joseph wipe her brow and offer encouragement to her? Jesus was born in a manger, probably more like a cave than a wooden structure, but I don’t believe it was an accident. The conditions were dark and dirty and smelly, but there was no room at the inn because He was meant to be born in lowly surroundings. His ministry was among the poor, the sick, and the humble. He was born to heal broken hearts and to give hope to a weary world.
This Christmas I was at a program where the song Mary, Did you Know? was performed.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.
The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the Lamb.
Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I Am. (Lyrics by Mark Lowry)
Mary was told by an angel that she would bear the Son of God, but I believe she had to learn what that meant little by little. After the birth of Christ was proclaimed to the shepherds, they told everyone they met about it. “And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2: 17-19).
This is how all of us figure out what it is we believe in, little by little, and by taking small moments of stillness to ponder. My beliefs will be added onto as I grow older, and I hope by the time my eulogy is written the main theme of it will be that I believe in Christ. I Believe. Powerful, life-affirming words.
May the power of this Christmas season heal your heart and bring you joy.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Ephrata Means Bethlehem
Grant County Journal
December 13, 2010
Ephrata means Bethlehem
Written by Janet Warren
Roberta Gibson gave me a call recently. She wanted to let me know that “Ephrata” means Bethlehem. She’s right. On the City’s website I learned this: “The first official name, recorded by the Great Northern Railroad in 1892, was ‘Station 11,’an unglamorous name for the water stop near Beezley Springs. Local legend has it that a worker on the rail line found that the orchards and the landscape were similar to the Holy Land and christened the area ‘Ephrata’… an older name for Bethlehem.” I didn’t know that. Here are some other things I didn’t know:
Bruce Reim is the Mayor Pro-Tem. That means if the mayor is absent, Bruce gets to rap the gavel at the City Council meeting. During the 1950’s, Bruce lived in Spokane where almost all of his extended family lived. His grandparents were the hub of their family and every Christmas Eve the entire family showed up at their house. They sang carols and munched on traditional goodies. Eggnog flowed like water for the children. Several members of the family played various instruments, so their family songfest was accompanied not only by a piano but also violins and a flute or two. Children sang solos, and skits were performed. Grandpa would then read the story of Christ’s birth from the Bible and then it was off to bed for the children. Bruce remembers waking during the night to the sound of the adults still singing and playing violins.
Stephanie Knitter is the newest member of City Council. She, her husband Keith and daughter Kaitlyn moved to Ephrata 16 years ago after a 4-year stint in California. Stephanie hosted an exchange student from Norway several years ago. She introduced the family to a type of porridge eaten on Christmas Eve after attending candlelight services. In one of the bowls an almond is hidden. The person who finds the almond gets a special gift. (I’ve also heard that the person who finds the almond has luck the whole next year. Yet another reason to find the almond this year, Stephanie).
Stephanie grew up in Florida . She and her siblings were allowed to open one small gift on Christmas Eve, which always happened to be pajamas. Stephanie thinks her mom did this so the pictures on Christmas morning would look nice. Her family still opens gifts on Christmas morning, just as she did as a kid. (As a side note, I did the pajama gift on Christmas Eve too, and that is the only tradition my two daughters continued in their own families. There is something really nice about a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve).
Ben Davis has been on the City Council for 7 years. He has lived in Ephrata since age 11, except for his college years. He married Roberta (Nickel), a lifelong Ephrata resident, 42 years ago. Ben remembers selling fresh-cut Christmas trees in Ephrata. He and his brother, Don, cut about 100 trees in Pend Orielle County and their father transported them to Ephrata. They stopped cutting trees when they were in their mid-teens, yet people called for years after hoping they could buy one of their wild, fresh trees.
Almost all of Ben’s immediate family lives in or close to Ephrata, which enables them to spend time together during all of the major holidays. One family tradition that Roberta and Ben have continued through generations is the making of the Davis Crab Cocktail at Christmas. The concoction has many ingredients, but the most important one is a large quantity of fresh Dungeness crab. They watch the ads very closely just before Christmas, but have frozen ones on hand just in case they are not available. (I was at Safeway on Wednesday and they had the crabs, buy one get one free!).
Wes Crago isn’t on the City Council, but he is the City Administrator and presents the city business at the council meetings. He tells me Christmas is a big deal in the Crago home. The tree must go up on the Friday following Thanksgiving, pre-empted only if skiing conditions are too good to ignore. The tree is decorated with an eclectic mix of horse, princess, and history ornaments. He and his daughter Christa put up the lights. His wife, Vangie, and Christa make Wes’s favorite Christmas cookie—frosted sugar cookies which he describes as “boring perhaps, yet pure.” Wes’s church celebrates the season with a weekly advent event, culminating in a Christmas Eve candlelight service which is a big highlight for them. Many evenings during Christmas will find the Cragos watching movies together or listening to jazz/blues Christmas music in front of the fire.
Kathleen Allstot and her husband Rick, along with their children, moved to Ephrata in 1987. Kathleen has been the teacher-librarian at Ephrata High School since 1990. Rick and Kathleen spent the first three Christmases of their marriage in Poland teaching English as a second language. Each year they celebrated Vigilia, or Christmas Eve with local families. A Polish tradition is to buy a large, fresh fish (usually carp) from the fishmonger’s shop, take it home and keep it alive in the bathtub until December 24th, and then bake it as the centerpiece of a multi-course holiday dinner! Kathleen said, “While we enjoyed many of the courses, such as borsht or wild mushroom soup or poppyseed cakes, we never did develop a love of carp.”
One Christmas Eve, Kathleen and Rick walked home after attending the midnight service at one of the few Protestant chapels in old town Olsztyn. “It was dark, snow was falling, and the air was crisp. As we approached a guardhouse outside the gate of a military base near the university, a young Polish soldier wearing a greatcoat and carrying his rifle asked us what time it was. We answered him (in Polish, of course), agreed that it was cold that night, and exchanged holiday greetings before parting. The best part was realizing that the poor young Communist soldier was guarding his base and his country against non-Communists such as ourselves. We have always remembered that incident because all three of us were simply young people away from home on Christmas, not enemies, but just God’s children from different countries.”
Did you notice that the traditions in last week’s column, as well as this one focus on people? They are about remembering family and connecting to our loved ones. They are about making Christmas special for others. Two of them were about connecting with strangers. They are about music and peaceful feelings. My best Christmas when I was a child was the one where my Christmas gift was to fly to Reno with my parents to look for a place to live. It was one of the first times I had spent one-on-one time with my folks. Please spend time with the people you love this Christmas. Those moments are memory makers.
December 13, 2010
Ephrata means Bethlehem
Written by Janet Warren
Roberta Gibson gave me a call recently. She wanted to let me know that “Ephrata” means Bethlehem. She’s right. On the City’s website I learned this: “The first official name, recorded by the Great Northern Railroad in 1892, was ‘Station 11,’an unglamorous name for the water stop near Beezley Springs. Local legend has it that a worker on the rail line found that the orchards and the landscape were similar to the Holy Land and christened the area ‘Ephrata’… an older name for Bethlehem.” I didn’t know that. Here are some other things I didn’t know:
Bruce Reim is the Mayor Pro-Tem. That means if the mayor is absent, Bruce gets to rap the gavel at the City Council meeting. During the 1950’s, Bruce lived in Spokane where almost all of his extended family lived. His grandparents were the hub of their family and every Christmas Eve the entire family showed up at their house. They sang carols and munched on traditional goodies. Eggnog flowed like water for the children. Several members of the family played various instruments, so their family songfest was accompanied not only by a piano but also violins and a flute or two. Children sang solos, and skits were performed. Grandpa would then read the story of Christ’s birth from the Bible and then it was off to bed for the children. Bruce remembers waking during the night to the sound of the adults still singing and playing violins.
Stephanie Knitter is the newest member of City Council. She, her husband Keith and daughter Kaitlyn moved to Ephrata 16 years ago after a 4-year stint in California. Stephanie hosted an exchange student from Norway several years ago. She introduced the family to a type of porridge eaten on Christmas Eve after attending candlelight services. In one of the bowls an almond is hidden. The person who finds the almond gets a special gift. (I’ve also heard that the person who finds the almond has luck the whole next year. Yet another reason to find the almond this year, Stephanie).
Stephanie grew up in Florida . She and her siblings were allowed to open one small gift on Christmas Eve, which always happened to be pajamas. Stephanie thinks her mom did this so the pictures on Christmas morning would look nice. Her family still opens gifts on Christmas morning, just as she did as a kid. (As a side note, I did the pajama gift on Christmas Eve too, and that is the only tradition my two daughters continued in their own families. There is something really nice about a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve).
Ben Davis has been on the City Council for 7 years. He has lived in Ephrata since age 11, except for his college years. He married Roberta (Nickel), a lifelong Ephrata resident, 42 years ago. Ben remembers selling fresh-cut Christmas trees in Ephrata. He and his brother, Don, cut about 100 trees in Pend Orielle County and their father transported them to Ephrata. They stopped cutting trees when they were in their mid-teens, yet people called for years after hoping they could buy one of their wild, fresh trees.
Almost all of Ben’s immediate family lives in or close to Ephrata, which enables them to spend time together during all of the major holidays. One family tradition that Roberta and Ben have continued through generations is the making of the Davis Crab Cocktail at Christmas. The concoction has many ingredients, but the most important one is a large quantity of fresh Dungeness crab. They watch the ads very closely just before Christmas, but have frozen ones on hand just in case they are not available. (I was at Safeway on Wednesday and they had the crabs, buy one get one free!).
Wes Crago isn’t on the City Council, but he is the City Administrator and presents the city business at the council meetings. He tells me Christmas is a big deal in the Crago home. The tree must go up on the Friday following Thanksgiving, pre-empted only if skiing conditions are too good to ignore. The tree is decorated with an eclectic mix of horse, princess, and history ornaments. He and his daughter Christa put up the lights. His wife, Vangie, and Christa make Wes’s favorite Christmas cookie—frosted sugar cookies which he describes as “boring perhaps, yet pure.” Wes’s church celebrates the season with a weekly advent event, culminating in a Christmas Eve candlelight service which is a big highlight for them. Many evenings during Christmas will find the Cragos watching movies together or listening to jazz/blues Christmas music in front of the fire.
Kathleen Allstot and her husband Rick, along with their children, moved to Ephrata in 1987. Kathleen has been the teacher-librarian at Ephrata High School since 1990. Rick and Kathleen spent the first three Christmases of their marriage in Poland teaching English as a second language. Each year they celebrated Vigilia, or Christmas Eve with local families. A Polish tradition is to buy a large, fresh fish (usually carp) from the fishmonger’s shop, take it home and keep it alive in the bathtub until December 24th, and then bake it as the centerpiece of a multi-course holiday dinner! Kathleen said, “While we enjoyed many of the courses, such as borsht or wild mushroom soup or poppyseed cakes, we never did develop a love of carp.”
One Christmas Eve, Kathleen and Rick walked home after attending the midnight service at one of the few Protestant chapels in old town Olsztyn. “It was dark, snow was falling, and the air was crisp. As we approached a guardhouse outside the gate of a military base near the university, a young Polish soldier wearing a greatcoat and carrying his rifle asked us what time it was. We answered him (in Polish, of course), agreed that it was cold that night, and exchanged holiday greetings before parting. The best part was realizing that the poor young Communist soldier was guarding his base and his country against non-Communists such as ourselves. We have always remembered that incident because all three of us were simply young people away from home on Christmas, not enemies, but just God’s children from different countries.”
Did you notice that the traditions in last week’s column, as well as this one focus on people? They are about remembering family and connecting to our loved ones. They are about making Christmas special for others. Two of them were about connecting with strangers. They are about music and peaceful feelings. My best Christmas when I was a child was the one where my Christmas gift was to fly to Reno with my parents to look for a place to live. It was one of the first times I had spent one-on-one time with my folks. Please spend time with the people you love this Christmas. Those moments are memory makers.
Monday, December 6, 2010
TRADITION!
Grant County Journal
December 6, 2010
Janet Warren
TRADITION!
In one of my favorite musicals, Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye says tradition has helped him keep his balance for many, many years. TRADITION! TRADITION! Now I’ll be humming that song all day.
Family traditions are important for a number of reasons. When you think back on your childhood, it’s usually the traditions that bring back pleasant memories. In this age of divorce, children hang on to those traditions because they can represent stability and continuity. A wise parent keeps these traditions going even when life seems anything but stable.
My family traditions when I was growing up most often revolved around food. My mom always baked sugar cookies. On the Santa cookies, she made a coconut beard and used colored sugar to painstakingly paint his eyes blue and his cheeks and mouth red. They were works of art. I keep this tradition in a way. I collect cookie cutters and always feel the need to bake a batch of sugar cookies during the holidays. But, on the other hand…a can of frosting and some sprinkles suffice for me. One of the newer traditions in our family came about 10 years ago when my sister, Sara, made some pear and sausage stuffing for Thanksgiving. She sent the recipe to her siblings, children, nieces and nephews and most of us still use that stuffing recipe. I had to change it when I married Mike since he is allergic to pork. I started using turkey sausage which isn’t quite as tasty, but I can keep the tradition alive without making my husband sick. Tevye learned to be flexible and change with the times too.
I nosed around a little bit in Ephrata and on Facebook asking people to share some of their traditions with me. I was not disappointed by the response.
Andrea Larsen remembers a time when she was young and her parents couldn’t afford Christmas presents. One very cold Christmas Eve in Seattle, a Secret Santa started a tradition that he/she/they may not even be aware of. A box of Christmas dinner fixings and gifts for the whole family was left on the doorstep. All these years later, Andrea remembers the Yahtzee game she received from a stranger. On years where her parents could afford it, they started paying it forward, providing Christmas gifts for a less fortunate family. Andrea wanted her children to be raised with this legacy, so they have made it a tradition in their family to give gifts and food to a family who otherwise might not have much under the Christmas tree.
Connie Balciar comes from a Danish background. Her paternal grandmother made Christmas mush to eat on Christmas Eve. It was a nice creamy mush made of flour, cream and butter. She would put a ladleful on each plate, butter was then put on the top and spread as it melted. It was topped with cinnamon and sugar. As Connie and her siblings married, the spouses were initiated into the Christmas Eve tradition. Some liked the mush, others didn’t, so other items were added into the night’s meal. Connie remembers Christmas Eve being a wonderful night full of singing, poem reading, and to top off the festivities—a visit from Santa!
My cute hairdresser, Mandolin Hope told me that she and her brothers and sisters were allowed to play with the unwrapped gifts that Santa had left on Christmas morning, but they had breakfast before any of them could unwrap any gifts. Mandolin said, “It was super cool because it dragged it out all day.”
Penny Quist’s favorite tradition is “Drawing Pixies.” The family draws names and does kind things for that person leading up to Christmas. They take turns on Christmas Eve guessing who their pixie was. Once the pixie is guessed, the pixie gives one last small gift.
Lyn Exeter’s children loved it when the elves would come and check on them. As Christmas neared, the kids would find lights suddenly swaying, little candies appearing, unexpected knocks on the door or windows and little footprints in the snow. The kids would beg to go to bed early on Christmas Eve. One year, Santa got a lungful of smoke from calling “Ho, ho, ho” down the chimney. A newer tradition the Exeters started is connecting to their grandson in upstate New York by way of webcam on Christmas morning. That way Grandma and Grandpa don’t miss out on seeing the joy in their grandson’s face as he opens his gifts.
Carol Snapp was my roommate in college 33 years ago. She has been teaching school in Alpine, Utah, since graduation. Her Christmas as a kid happened on Christmas Eve. They went for a drive to see the Christmas lights around town and when they got back, Santa had miraculously been there. No one ever questioned how he always knew when they had left the house. All these years later, Carol wonders why every year they had to beg to open their gifts on Christmas Eve, especially since her father commented years later that opening gifts at night was so much better than in the morning because people could sleep in and they weren’t so grouchy. Oh, the games we parents play!
My sister, Diane, reminded me of how many gingerbread houses my mom made during the holidays. Also, she and my brother Dave would sneak downstairs and unwrap, then rewrap, all the gifts under the tree to find out what they were getting for Christmas. This went on for years, even into their teens. One Christmas they were in quite a hurry and mistakenly mixed up the tags on the gifts. When the rest of the family opened up presents in the morning, we were surprised with some unusual gift choices.
My nephew’s wife, Brittany, told me every Christmas morning they made a trip to a nearby orphanage to give away one of the toys they had unwrapped that morning. “It really made us feel good,” she said.
My sister, Sara, said her kids filed downstairs Christmas morning youngest to oldest. When the married kids came home for Christmas, they insisted on following “tradition” and came down the stairs in order. Sara said they were only able to come down after she had showered, dressed, and put on her makeup because she didn’t want to be caught in the Christmas pictures with bedhead and no makeup. In my family, I made sure I was the one behind the camera.
It’s never too late to start a tradition. Just tell your family, “This year we’re going to try something new…” If it works out and you do it next year, it’s TRADITION!
December 6, 2010
Janet Warren
TRADITION!
In one of my favorite musicals, Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye says tradition has helped him keep his balance for many, many years. TRADITION! TRADITION! Now I’ll be humming that song all day.
Family traditions are important for a number of reasons. When you think back on your childhood, it’s usually the traditions that bring back pleasant memories. In this age of divorce, children hang on to those traditions because they can represent stability and continuity. A wise parent keeps these traditions going even when life seems anything but stable.
My family traditions when I was growing up most often revolved around food. My mom always baked sugar cookies. On the Santa cookies, she made a coconut beard and used colored sugar to painstakingly paint his eyes blue and his cheeks and mouth red. They were works of art. I keep this tradition in a way. I collect cookie cutters and always feel the need to bake a batch of sugar cookies during the holidays. But, on the other hand…a can of frosting and some sprinkles suffice for me. One of the newer traditions in our family came about 10 years ago when my sister, Sara, made some pear and sausage stuffing for Thanksgiving. She sent the recipe to her siblings, children, nieces and nephews and most of us still use that stuffing recipe. I had to change it when I married Mike since he is allergic to pork. I started using turkey sausage which isn’t quite as tasty, but I can keep the tradition alive without making my husband sick. Tevye learned to be flexible and change with the times too.
I nosed around a little bit in Ephrata and on Facebook asking people to share some of their traditions with me. I was not disappointed by the response.
Andrea Larsen remembers a time when she was young and her parents couldn’t afford Christmas presents. One very cold Christmas Eve in Seattle, a Secret Santa started a tradition that he/she/they may not even be aware of. A box of Christmas dinner fixings and gifts for the whole family was left on the doorstep. All these years later, Andrea remembers the Yahtzee game she received from a stranger. On years where her parents could afford it, they started paying it forward, providing Christmas gifts for a less fortunate family. Andrea wanted her children to be raised with this legacy, so they have made it a tradition in their family to give gifts and food to a family who otherwise might not have much under the Christmas tree.
Connie Balciar comes from a Danish background. Her paternal grandmother made Christmas mush to eat on Christmas Eve. It was a nice creamy mush made of flour, cream and butter. She would put a ladleful on each plate, butter was then put on the top and spread as it melted. It was topped with cinnamon and sugar. As Connie and her siblings married, the spouses were initiated into the Christmas Eve tradition. Some liked the mush, others didn’t, so other items were added into the night’s meal. Connie remembers Christmas Eve being a wonderful night full of singing, poem reading, and to top off the festivities—a visit from Santa!
My cute hairdresser, Mandolin Hope told me that she and her brothers and sisters were allowed to play with the unwrapped gifts that Santa had left on Christmas morning, but they had breakfast before any of them could unwrap any gifts. Mandolin said, “It was super cool because it dragged it out all day.”
Penny Quist’s favorite tradition is “Drawing Pixies.” The family draws names and does kind things for that person leading up to Christmas. They take turns on Christmas Eve guessing who their pixie was. Once the pixie is guessed, the pixie gives one last small gift.
Lyn Exeter’s children loved it when the elves would come and check on them. As Christmas neared, the kids would find lights suddenly swaying, little candies appearing, unexpected knocks on the door or windows and little footprints in the snow. The kids would beg to go to bed early on Christmas Eve. One year, Santa got a lungful of smoke from calling “Ho, ho, ho” down the chimney. A newer tradition the Exeters started is connecting to their grandson in upstate New York by way of webcam on Christmas morning. That way Grandma and Grandpa don’t miss out on seeing the joy in their grandson’s face as he opens his gifts.
Carol Snapp was my roommate in college 33 years ago. She has been teaching school in Alpine, Utah, since graduation. Her Christmas as a kid happened on Christmas Eve. They went for a drive to see the Christmas lights around town and when they got back, Santa had miraculously been there. No one ever questioned how he always knew when they had left the house. All these years later, Carol wonders why every year they had to beg to open their gifts on Christmas Eve, especially since her father commented years later that opening gifts at night was so much better than in the morning because people could sleep in and they weren’t so grouchy. Oh, the games we parents play!
My sister, Diane, reminded me of how many gingerbread houses my mom made during the holidays. Also, she and my brother Dave would sneak downstairs and unwrap, then rewrap, all the gifts under the tree to find out what they were getting for Christmas. This went on for years, even into their teens. One Christmas they were in quite a hurry and mistakenly mixed up the tags on the gifts. When the rest of the family opened up presents in the morning, we were surprised with some unusual gift choices.
My nephew’s wife, Brittany, told me every Christmas morning they made a trip to a nearby orphanage to give away one of the toys they had unwrapped that morning. “It really made us feel good,” she said.
My sister, Sara, said her kids filed downstairs Christmas morning youngest to oldest. When the married kids came home for Christmas, they insisted on following “tradition” and came down the stairs in order. Sara said they were only able to come down after she had showered, dressed, and put on her makeup because she didn’t want to be caught in the Christmas pictures with bedhead and no makeup. In my family, I made sure I was the one behind the camera.
It’s never too late to start a tradition. Just tell your family, “This year we’re going to try something new…” If it works out and you do it next year, it’s TRADITION!
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