Welcome to The Life List Club! I am a guest at Gary Gauthier’s blog today, so please come visit after you enjoy my guest here.
As you decorate your tree with ornaments handed down from one generation to another, gather the recipes for holiday foods you’ve made year after year, and send Christmas cards to relatives and friends with whom you have shared many happy memories, revel in the nostalgia and the comforting feeling that side of the Christmas season brings.
I’m happy to welcome Sonia Medeiros, from Not All Who Wander Are Lost, who reminisces about her childhood Christmases and discovers what memories she wants to make with her children.
Memories of Christmas by Sonia G. Medeiros
As Christmas approaches, this year more than ever, I’ve been reflecting on memories of Christmas past and how I want my children to remember their Christmases.
What is it I remember about Christmas?
Oh sure, there are the presents. I’ll never forget how nerdily excited I was to unwrap the Nancy Drew books my mom got me, or the bike my dad built or the beautiful cloth doll with the long blue dress my grandparents gave me. But my favorite memories of Christmas are the things that weren’t wrapped in shiny paper.
My mom shared her love of eggnog with me and always made sure we were stocked up for the whole season. I always think of her when I drink eggnog and sometimes we’re the only two people in our family who drink it during the holiday (the fifty bazillion calories be darned…do not even show up with the “lite” eggnog!).
I think of my grandfather’s model train running through the living room and around the tree. How I loved to watch it chug along the little track, past the ceramic, Dickenseque village and itty bitty model trees.
I think of the special candles lit only for Christmas.
I think of playing Nerf football in the street with my uncles because Christmas weather was almost always sunny and above 70 degrees where I grew up.
Most of all, I think of all of us sitting around, laughing and talking after the presents have been opened. Munching on stollen and Christmas cookies and enjoying each other. There were Christmases where family tensions ignited but mostly we tried to forget our differences and be together.
Now that I’m a parent, I realize how important that sense of togetherness was, how the joy of the little details far outlasted the shiny presents. We do love to indulge the children from their Christmas wish list but I know that those things will not last as long as the special atmosphere and the family rituals we create.
And, as a parent, it’s easy to get caught up in all the holiday hubbub…finding that “perfect” gift and running from store to store. And I must always keep in mind the memories that really, really last and strive to build those with love and joy and togetherness.
What are your favorite memories of Christmas? What kind of memories are you making now?
Thanks for being with us today, Sonia. I remember feeling the same way as a young mom. Now I see my own daughter creating memorable Christmases for her daughters. This was a lovely post.
Sonia G Medeiros is a writer of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. She’s the author of more than a dozen short stories and flash fiction pieces, blogs at WordPress, and is working on her first novel, a dark fantasy. When she’s not wandering along the tangled paths of her wild imagination, she wrangles home life with one fabulous husband, two amazing, homeschooled children, three dogs, one frog and two cats who battle each other for world domination.
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Marcia Richards 
Pingback: For Adoption: New Holiday Traditions | Sonia G Medeiros
@Jennie: It’s funny how obsessed we can get as kids with the present thing but those memories just fade. Realizing this has definitely changed how I approach gifts for my kiddos.
@Gary: I always hated “you’ll understand when you’re older” or “you’ll understand when you have children.” Sigh. They were right. 😀
@Jenny: We like to do one present at time too. That’s the way we did it when I was a kid. I think it increases the excitement. I agree with you Marcia, that gives each person a chance to feel and show their appreciation before moving on.
@Jennette: I love fruitcake. Don’t know why it gets such bad rap. LOL. We love going to see the lights too. Especially in the neighborhoods where they really go all out…something we’re just too lazy to do. LOL
@Jess: I love that idea of putting on jammies and watching a movie together. We may have to add that to our traditions too. And, of course, we’ll have to include home made hot chocolate. 😉
@Patricia: I love the idea of the men cleaning up!
Memories are the gifts of our Christmas too – those of the past and the new ones that begin each year as our family continues to grow. What a pleasure it is to watch our grandchildren placing treasured ornaments on the tree as their parents did for so many years. Marcia, you are right about the women in the kitchen making their own fun and the smiles become even wider as the men do the clean up. Yay! That’s a tradition we women truly enjoy!
I’ve noticed with my kids’ generation, the husbands do pitch in. It’s great to see that!
Sonia, thanks for reminding us all what the holiday season should really be about. I appreciate the heart in your story. One of my favorite Christmas memories is that after the mess of presents, we’d all put pj’s on and watch a movie together. It was tradition for many years, and something I always held a silent competition over: who could stay up the latest?! lol. fun memories.
I remember driving around and looking at lights with my parents and brother. Christmas Eve at my grandparents, I remember the gifts somewhat – more because grandma and papa always got us what we wanted, rather than what they were! But I really remember the food LOL. Homemade sauerkraut balls and beef rollups, homemade fudge, mmmm….. and my grandma’s fruitcake that was actually good.
Mmm…I’m fortunate that my family likes my fruitcake too. Growing up and being at my grandma’s, it was all about the big meal and then sitting at the table afterward while all the uncles told stories. Great times, weren’t they, Jennette?
We used to take forever to do presents because the focus was on one person at a time, rather than everyone diving in. I’ll never forget the first time I saw another family do it that way…I was so shocked! But the really big memories are of the togetherness, decorating the tree, and sitting down to Christmas dinner. 🙂
We’ve always done it one person at a time, too. It gives the receiver a chance to thank the giver and show some appreciation of the gift. If everyone dives in at the same time, no one knows what the others received and it all seems pointless to open gifts together. Enjoying the whole process of giving is part of the special memories for us. You’re right, Jenny, the most memorable part is the fun of being together.
I like the point you make, Sonia. It IS about the memories and the special atmosphere of love and belonging that makes Holiday-time special. As kids of course, it’s all about the presents. It’s as we get older we began to appreciate that they are just stand-ins for the holiday spirit. Nothing compares to being part of a loving household during the Holiday Season.
I don’t really remember a lot of gifts I got, but I do remember the family memories! That’s what makes Christmas 🙂
@Jennie & Gary—the time spent together makes for great memories…enjoy your time with your families this season and making new memories!
@Pam: Agreed, that sense of togetherness is what lives on. 😀
@David: I rather liked being in the kitchen with the women. 😀 Still do. At least part of the time. i love the smells of cooking and baking and the conversation. So lovely.
Lovely post Sonia! I love the thought of you playing Nerf ball in 70-degree weather on Christmas, because it is so different from my cold-weather memories : ). But I so agree that the most common and important thread is that comfortable togetherness with family and loved ones.
My family and my mother’s brother’s and sister’s families always got together for Christmas. It seems like the poor women spend their entire day in the kitchen. Meanwhile I played golf and/or forty-two with Dad and my two uncles. When I wasn’t busy being the oldest male cousin and hanging with the adult males, I’d play games with my cousins. Much fun for all (except maybe the women in the kitchen).
As a woman, I know how that feels, but I think most of us expect things to go that way, so wemake our own fun in the kitchen! Thanks, David!