Tradition! Traditions, Where to Begin...

Submitted by HostGFSJayne@aol.com

Until her death, all the aunts, uncles and cousins gathered at my Great-grandmother Bishop's (my father's grandmother) for Christmas dinner. The "older" folks ate first, then the parents, then finally us kids. Dinner always consisted of ham, turkey, bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, candied yams, a veggie of some kind, coleslaw, cranberry sauce, biscuits and last but not least, pumpkin, mince meat and apple pies. What fun we all had and we were stuffed with food, love and happiness on the birthday of Jesus.

When I was little, I never saw our Christmas tree until Christmas morning. Depending on where we lived, even on Christmas morning I wasn't allowed to see the tree, let alone open presents until after we had had breakfast! The wait was excruciating (our youngest son has changed this "tradition," he hated it and didn't want his kids to have to wait) but OH what an awesome sight the tree was with the Angel on the top, the lights, all the decorations and the tinsel dancing and sparkling. The Angel still adorns the top of our tree to this day. She was on my parents' very first tree and this will be her 62nd Christmas. From years of storage in attics during heat and cold, her face is a little cracked, her wings are a bit tattered and her dress a little faded, but in my eyes, she is still the most beautiful Angel in the world and she is MY Angel. 

The holidays are a lot quieter now. My youngest son and family are in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan so we talk by phone. My oldest son lives close by and is not married so it's usually just the three of us, which is just wonderful. 

Happy Holidays to you all,
Jayne

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