12-18-2019
WHAT FAMILY TRADITIONS DO YOU HAVE WITH YOUR LOVED ONE’S OVER THE HOLIDAYS? IT SEEMS WITH EVERY GENERATION IN OUR FAMILY, WE ARE CHANGING OURS, OR RATHER, “ADDING TO THEM”. TRADITIONS ARE THOSE THINGS YOU SHARE TO BUILD UP THE PRETENSE OF CHRISTMAS AND LOVE OTHERS WHILE YOU TAKE PART IN THEM.
I AM A BIG FAN OF FAMILY TRADITIONS. I BELIEVE FAMILY TRADITIONS BUILD STRENGTH, UNITY AND LOVE IN A FAMILY NO MATTER WHAT HOLIDAY IT IS. HOWEVER, JUST LIKE THE PERFECT BAKING RECIPE, THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS MUST GO INTO THE BAKING, AND WITH TRADITIONS, THAT IS: 1 CUP LOVE, 1 CUP SWEETNESS, 1/2 CUP OF BONDING, 1/3 CUP HISTORY, (A TRADITION WHEN IT IS FIRST BEGINNING, MUST CONTAIN THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS TO BE A SUCCESS!)
TRADITIONS BUILD CHARACTER AMONG FAMILY AND EVERY YEAR, THEY SEEM TO TURN OUT DIFFERENTLY, LETTING US TALK ABOUT AND SHARE SPECIAL MEMORIES WHEN THE TURKEY GOT BURNT. AND YEAR IS DIFFERENT FOR THE LEBOEUF FAMILY. MY MOTHER STARTED FAMILY TRADITIONS, AND I TRULY BELIEVE I BELIEVED IN Santa Claus UNTIL I WAS AT LEAST NINE YEARS OLD. ON Christmas Eve, MY BROTHER, SISTERS AND I WOULD GATHER ROUND THE WINDOW, WONDERING IF WE COULD SEE IT. I WOULD EVEN ASK MY MOM IF SANTA CLAUSE WAS REAL, AND I REMEMBER HER SAYING SOMETHING SIMILAR TO MY FEELINGS ON FAITH AND STRENGTHENING IT.
I WOULD SAY, AS I GOT OLDER, “MOM, IS SANTA CLAUS REAL? SHE WOULD TELL ME THIS: “SANTA IS AS REAL AS YOUR HEART ALLOWS THEM TO BE. IF YO BELIEVE IN WHAT MY MOTHER SAID IN THIS CASE, EVERY YEAR. WAIT UNTIL WE WENT TO BED, AND HER AND MY FATHER WOULD FILL ALL THE STOCKINGS WITH AN ORANGE, APPLE, BANANA AND CANDY CANES AND SMALL TRINKETS OF LOVE. OBVIOUSLY AN EIGHT YEAR OLD WITH A SIX YEAR OLD LITTLE SISTER SHE SHARED A ROOM WITH FOUND NEITHER OF US ABLE TO SLEEP. I COULD ALWAYS HEAR THE CRINKLE OF PAPER DOWN THE HALL AND THINGS BEING MOVED AROUND. I TRULY BELIEVED IT WAS SANTA. MY MOTHER AND FATHER STAYED UP ALMOST ALL NIGHT TO DO THESE THINGS AND GET ABOUT AN HOUR’S WORTH OF SLEEP BEFORE WE WENT POUNDING ON THEIR BEDROOM DOOR DEMANDING THEY GET UP AND LET US OPEN OUR GIFTS. WE NEVER SLEP THE PREVIOUS NIGH EITHER, SO THERE WERE MANY CHRISTMAS DAYS WITH MY MOM SLEEPING AND DAD NAPPING AND DRINKING HOT COCOA TO GET HE SUGAR HIGH AND YOU CAN BET IT TASTED GOOD!
OBVIOUSLY, I GREW UP AND RAISED TWO CHILDREN DIVORCED FROM THEIR FATHER, THOUGH WE REMAINED GREAT FRENDS. SOMETIME, AROUND THE TIME MY DAUGHTER WAS ABOUT 12 YEARS OLD, IT WAS THE HOLIDAY SEASON AND WE HAD A HORRIFIC BLIZZARD. SHE HAD HER BEST FRIEND, HAYLEY, (THEY REMIAN SO TODAY BFFS), STAY ALL NIGHT. THE ROADS WERE IN NO CONDITION TO TAKE HAYLEY HOME AND MY SON WAS BORED RIGHT FROM THE START.
I SUGGESTED WE ALL BEGIN BAKING CHRISTMAS COOKIES SINCE IT WAS THE HOLIDAY SEASON ABOUT 3 WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. EVERY YEAR AFTER THAT, NOT ONLY WOULD WE BAKE THE YEARS PREVIOUS COOKIE OR BREAD RECIPE WE HAD CHOSEN, WE WOULD MAKE SOME KIND OF NEW CANDY OR BREAD TO GO WITH IT, SLOWLY HAVING 7 RECIPES WE MADE EVERY YEAR WE KNEW WERE DELICIOUS, AND THE CROWD GREW BIGGER AND BIGGER. MY WHOLE KITCHEN, THANK THE LORD, WAS HUGE WITH A BIG SQUARE CENTER ISLAND. WE WOULD SET UP STATIONS. STATION ONE WAS THE MIXING STATION, TWO, THE BAKING SECTON, STATION 3, COOKIE DECORATING AND STATION 4, THE EATING STATION! ONE YEAR, I FOUND A BUNCH OF DANISH BAKING TINS A NEIGHBOR HAD SENT OVER I HAD SOMEHOW KEPT.
IN ONE OF THE BEGINNING YEARS, MY MOTHER MADE CHRISTMAS APRONS, ONE TO FIT MY SON, ONE FOR HAYLEY AND WHOEVER ELSES FRIENDS LAUREN INVITED, WHO, OVER THE YEARS I GOT SO CLOSE WITH, AND WE CARRIED THIS TRADITION ON FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES. I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS HAS BEEN THE GLUE THAT HAS HELD US TOGETHER AS FAMILY AND WE HAVE FOLLOWED THE RECIPE I STARTED WITH UP TOP FOR FAMILY TRADITIONS. SADLY, EACH GIRL GREW UP, AND I REMEMBER, AS THEY WOULD SHARE THEIR SECRETS OPENLY WITH ME ABOUT THE NEW GUY THEY WERE DATING. THE FOLLOWING YEAR, IT SEEMED WHOEVER THAT PARTICULAR GIRL HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE PREVIOUS YEAR, WOULD BRING HER “FIANCE”. THERE IS SO MANY LITTLE LIGHT TOUCHES SUCH AS THE APRONS, THE “BAKENITE” ( THAT IS HOW WE SPELT IT) THE DANISH COOKIE TINS, AND THE FRIENDSHIPS MY DAUGHTER HAS MANAGED TO KEEP IN TACT MOVING FROM DENVER TO IDAHO APPROXIMATELY 7 YEARS AGO WHEN THEY HAD TO MOVE FOR JEFFS JOB.
THE STORMS HAVE STILL COME ROLLING IN, AND WE HAVE MOVED TO A DIFFERENT PART OF THE CITY NOW NEAR DENVER, AND I ALWAYS GET AN INVITE TO THE LATEST WEDDING OR BABY SHOWER EACH OF THESE SPECIAL, LOVING, DEDICATED GIRLS WHO ARE NOW YOUNG WOMEN, HAVE GIVEN ME A PIECE OF. I TEAR UP AS I WRITE THE LAST OF THIS. WE NO LONGER HAVE “BAKE NIGHT ANY LONGER, BUT IT WAS SO FUN TO GREET EACH “YOUNG WOMAN AND THEIR HUSBAND OR FIANCE OR NEW BABY BEFORE MY DAUGHTER MOVED AND WE STILL HAD THE TRADITION. THERE WERE SO MANY WORKING PARTS TO BAKE NIGHT IN THE END, THAT THE GROCERIES TO FILL ALL OF THOSE DANISH TINS, WERE FOUR TO FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!! MONEY FOR THOSE GROCERIES WAS WELL SPENT AS I WILL FOREVER CARRY WITH ME EACH YEAR AND THE SPECIAL MEMORIES, EACH YEAR CARRIED WITH IT, AS I WATCHED THESE LITTLE GIRLS TURN INTO FINE YOUNG WOMEN.
THE LESSON OR SUGGESTION I LEAVE YOU WITH, IS IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, START YOURS WHEN YOUR CHILDREN ARE YOUNG AND BUILD ON THEM, REPEAT THEM, TWEAK THE RECIPE FOR THE NIGHT ITSELF, AND CHANGE AND ADD THE ACTUAL RECIPIES AND ALL THE SURROUNDING DETAIL WE ALL FILLED UP BAKE NITE WITH, SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE THESE FAMILY TRADITIONS TO TREASURE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH TIME HAS PASSED. THE MEMORIES FROM THOSE WONDERFUL NIGHTS, STILL WITH ME, BUT BAKE NITE ITSELF HAD FRAZZLED DOWN. DESPITE MY DAUGHTER MOVING, AND EACH YEAR OR MONTH EVEN, ONE OF THESE SPECIAL GIRLS MOVED AWAY OR TOOK A JOB THAT KEPT THEM TOO BUSY TO COME, THE TIMELESS TRADITION OF BAKE NITE IS SOMETHING I WILL CARRY WITH ME UNTIL THE DAY I DIE WITH A TEAR IN MY EYE AND A SMILE ON MY FACE.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING WITH ME TODAY. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHATS BEEN WRITTEN AND PERHAPS A POEM ABOUT TRADITIONS IN YOUR FAMILY OR A COMMENT ABOUT THEM. PLEASE TAKE MY ADVICE….IT IS WORTH ALL OF THE HEADACHES THAT LEAD UP TO THESE WONDERFUL SERENDIPITOUS MOMENTS FROZEN IN TIME.
Samantha Leboeuf/DWW
OTHER SUGGESTED POSTS:
http://dailywisdomwords.com/celebrations/
http://dailywisdomwords.com/the-true-spirit-of-christmas/
