Christmas Memories

 It's Christmas morning. I remember growing up in our modest home with my siblings, excited and anxious for the day to arrive when we could open our presents. The evergreen scent was strong, and our tree was trimmed with colored light bulbs (they really were bulbs), silver icicles which we painstakingly separated and hung with care on the branches, and fragile round ornaments which shattered in our hand if we didn't handle them carefully. I honestly don't remember asking Santa for any special gifts, and we were happy with what we received. As an adult looking back on my childhood, I know that my parents must have saved frugally throughout the year in order to provide us five kids with gifts. Back then, Christmas was a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and a time for our family to enjoy the special holiday together. 

When I became a wife and a mom, Christmas took on a new meaning. Now we were setting new traditions as a family. Like many young middle-class families, we were struggling a bit but wanted to make this day special for our sons. So we made our home festive, sang Christmas carols, read stories about the meaning of this special day, and had them select gifts for each other. (Read about this special gift from Jarand to Justin here.)  Of our three sons, Jordan was the only one who believed in Santa. He rarely cried as a youngster, but the day when he realized that Santa wasn’t a real person, he was inconsolable. 

I’m glad we took these photos of our first Christmases:

Our first Christmas as husband and wife in 1977. Randy and I were renting a 2-bedroom condo in Pearlridge and had a small tree that fit in our small living room. I handcrafted several of the ornaments; I still have them today.

I was pregnant with Justin; he was supposed to be born in early January but surprised us on December 28.

Justin’s first Christmas in 1978. We were still living in the condo. 

Jarand’s second Christmas in 1980. By then, we were living in our first home in Mililani.

Jordan’s 2nd Christmas; he was 18 months old. This is our present home. Notice that the tree is much more festive. 

When the boys were growing up and Randy was in politics, we started a tradition of having one of our sons design our annual Christmas card. In those days, we sent out hundreds of cards so it was a family affair with everyone chipping in to put the cards into envelopes, putting on a stamp (no self-stick back then) and mailing label, and getting them mailed out in time. (Read about our card designs here.) Today, that is probably my favorite family Christmas memory.

The boys grew up, and before we knew it, Randy and I were empty-nesters. Justin has a family of his own, and eventually moved to the mainland. When our grandsons were little, we mailed them gifts, but as they grew older, we realized that taking them to get something they wanted was a better idea. When we visit them during Thanksgiving weekend, we go to the mall and they pick out what they want. The practical side of me appreciates that I don’t have to make the decision of what to buy for these young men. 

Today, we don’t get a tree. We usually get a wreath for its pine scent and I take out my Christmas music boxes and put out a few other decorations. I’ve given away some of the ornaments - I kept the personalized ones -  and the Christmas tree lights. And yesterday, as I was filled with nostalgia,  I realized that there was another activity that used to mark the start of the holiday season in our family - baking cookies. Selecting the recipes, buying the ingredients, preparing everything, assigning different tasks to each son, singing along to Christmas music, the wonderful smell that filled the air - what a wonderful memory! So yesterday, I baked cookies for the first time in many years, 

We will be celebrating today with family and friends at my sister’s home. We are now the older generation, keeping up traditions that our parents started, gathering together and enjoying each other’s company at this special time of the year. We'll probably play some trivia games, maybe sing some carols, and probably watch some football games since this is the last week of Fantasy Football. Mostly, though, we'll just enjoy each other's company. 

Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday!