Holiday Wishes From Me!

[Kangacoo]

The Night Before Christmas

 

Throughout my childhood each year the night before Christmas was the highlight of my holiday season.  Our whole family would gather at my grandparents and so many magical things happened on this night. 

 

The evening would begin with the sweet smell of crab in the air as my grandfather perfected his annual batch of ciappino.  Warm hugs from family members filled my bones with warmth combating the chill in the air.  The house reeked and leaked Christmas from every corner.  Grandma always decorated perfectly with decorations that were both familiar and festive.  There were always two trees; one in the living room with gifts stuffed under it and the small white tree with the delicate, “special” ornaments in the formal family room.  Even the bathrooms greeted me with special holiday decorations.

 

After scanning the bottom of the tree for gifts with our name on it and announcing that “I have the most!” all of us children would adorn our warm coats and head outside to set up the luminaries that would line the entire court by the end of the evening.  It was a precise process of folding bags with exact measurement, filling them with the right amount of sand, setting them on the curb with the right amount of space in between, and planting the candles in the sand.  This is something we all took great pride in and there was not a year that went by that my brother and I didn’t argue about the right way to do it.  The biggest arguments came later when it was time to light them.....

 

With bags prepared perfectly on the curb we would all pile back into the house with our cold little noses and plead with grandma to open one gift before dinner.  She was always happy to oblige.  The adults would have a pre dinner cocktail as we opened our first gift and then we would head back outside into the dark of the evening to light the luminary bags.

 

I forget her name but one of the neighbors would bring out a batch of hot punch for us to sip on as we lit the bags with all our neighbors.  Each curb section in front of each house would come to life with the soft glow of white light.  We would then all stand back and delight in our annual creation of light and holiday cheer as cars drove through the court to admire our work.

 

Back inside for dinner we would find the long table set up in the living room and chef grandpa would load large bowls with ciappino.  Grandma always had plenty of garlic bread and large pan of mac and cheese for the kids.  We would eat for what seemed like hours until we were all stuffed and until us kids could no longer stand the wrapped presents under the tree mocking us.  The clean up would begin around Uncle John who would keep eating crab until we took his chair away.

 

Then the present opening would begin!  We would sort everyone’s gifts into piles where they would sit to open their gifts.  And when all the gifts were sorted we would take turns opening, youngest to oldest.  I knew I could always count on two gifts that made my holiday.  A new pair of pajamas and a Hallmark Village ornament from Grandma. 

 

With gift time over parents would gather sleepy eyed children and their presents into their cars.  Then with a kiss goodbye from Grandma and Grandpa and a “Merry Christmas” the magic would wind to an end.  Until the next year.

 

It was this night that truly defined the holiday spirit for me.  While I can’t remember all the gifts I received over the years I can remember the family that made the holidays special and the traditions passed down from two wonderful grandparents.  These memories shape my holiday as an adult.

 

Each year I light up a whole tree dedicated to the Hallmark Village ornaments from Grandma and I still look forward to my new ornament every year.  My husband is working on perfecting grandpa’s ciappino recipe so that we can enjoy it every year with our family.  I now delight in watching the excitement of children as they open their gifts.  But above all being with family is still the most important part of the holidays for me. 

 

We wish you a very merry holiday season and hope

that the traditions that have shaped your holiday

will remind you of the abundance in your life. 

 

The greatest gift you can give is love.

Merry Christmas from the Nguyens!

 

James, Katie, Cleo and Baby Nguyen

[Ellena]

Dec. 20, 2008 at 7:10 PM

Merry Christmas to you and your family as well! What beautiful memories you have, and you tell it so wonderfully :)

[LuvMyChloe]

Dec. 22, 2008 at 12:20 AM

What a great story.  And so well written -- I feel like I was there!