When my younger sister and I got a little bit older we and our parents created a Christmas Eve tradition that I LOVED. We would go to Christmas Eve Mass and then come home and gorge on appetizers foods for dinner. All while watching my beloved White Christmas. My heart feels like it gets squeezed just thinking about it. Over the years this has morphed into our Christmas sit down dinner with a turkey as we just got a wee bit too busy on Christmas Day.
One of my favourite Christmas Eves happened when I was very young. The most memorable as it helped cement my belief in Santa for years to come, as I HEARD his reindeers’ sleigh bells.
When I was about 6, my Mom, my younger sister and I went to my grandparents’ house for a visit on Christmas Eve. My Dad stayed at home to hold down the fort, my older sister was at her Dad’s family’s Christmas for the night. It was early evening, I remember it being dark. My grandparents on my Mom’s side would make the biggest, most glorious feast for all of us on Christmas day. Their preparations would start weeks in advance with the most spectacular of baking: rocky roads, ginger snaps, fudge, lemon meringue pies, squares, numerous of other cookies and the most highly revered and fought after treat of them all: Cherry Dainties (think a little taste of heaven in your mouth). On Christmas Eve they would start a lot of the food-food ahead of time. And they cooked tons of food. (Well, with my family you would have to!) Their cooking/baking is the most amazing food one will ever eat. In addition to the pies, squares, and cookies galore, there was the most divine of stuffings, fluffiest of potatoes, succulent of turkeys, juiciest of ham, sweetest dry garlic pork, heavenly meat pie, you name it, it was there; all seemingly touched by the hand of a culinary God. A feast fit for a king.
My grandparents have a second kitchen off their rec room in the basement where the Christmas festivities took place. Long tables ran down the whole of the rec room, a place for all the 30 or so of us at the time, aunts, uncles and cousins. My Mom headed into the kitchen to give my grandparents a hand and my younger sister and I sat in the rec room admiring my grandmother’s decorations. We were relaxing on the couch when we heard the very distinct sound of sleigh bells. Now, we did not see Santa, but we heard him. Hearing was all it took. This one defining moment helped confirm for years to come what I knew to be true. We, shocked as we were, as it was still early, flew into the kitchen where my Mom and grandmother were standing, mysteriously; my grandfather must have been upstairs. “MOM! Did you hear Santa’s bells?!!?!?” A small grin on her face “No, what are you talking about? We didn’t hear any bells.” I excitedly recapped what we had heard, my Mom and grandmother listening earnestly as I nearly exploded from my skin with excitement. Soon after, grandfather came down the stairs, his face shinning in his usual happy grin. (Happiest, most positive person alive, my grandfather he is) “GRANDPA! Did you hear Santa’s bells?!?!?!” His grin never waivered, “No, but I think I heard something up on the roof.”
Now my grandparents are thankfully still with us, as is the rest of my amazing family, I am truly blessed. They don't do the gigantic feast anymore because everyone drops in now throughout the day, more like an open house, they do however, still make the classics and beloved favourites. My younger sister told me she doesn’t remember the bells, she would have been too young. Regardless, I know wherever I go, whatever I do, I know I will remember the sound of those bells for the rest of my life.
My grandparents have a second kitchen off their rec room in the basement where the Christmas festivities took place. Long tables ran down the whole of the rec room, a place for all the 30 or so of us at the time, aunts, uncles and cousins. My Mom headed into the kitchen to give my grandparents a hand and my younger sister and I sat in the rec room admiring my grandmother’s decorations. We were relaxing on the couch when we heard the very distinct sound of sleigh bells. Now, we did not see Santa, but we heard him. Hearing was all it took. This one defining moment helped confirm for years to come what I knew to be true. We, shocked as we were, as it was still early, flew into the kitchen where my Mom and grandmother were standing, mysteriously; my grandfather must have been upstairs. “MOM! Did you hear Santa’s bells?!!?!?” A small grin on her face “No, what are you talking about? We didn’t hear any bells.” I excitedly recapped what we had heard, my Mom and grandmother listening earnestly as I nearly exploded from my skin with excitement. Soon after, grandfather came down the stairs, his face shinning in his usual happy grin. (Happiest, most positive person alive, my grandfather he is) “GRANDPA! Did you hear Santa’s bells?!?!?!” His grin never waivered, “No, but I think I heard something up on the roof.”
Now my grandparents are thankfully still with us, as is the rest of my amazing family, I am truly blessed. They don't do the gigantic feast anymore because everyone drops in now throughout the day, more like an open house, they do however, still make the classics and beloved favourites. My younger sister told me she doesn’t remember the bells, she would have been too young. Regardless, I know wherever I go, whatever I do, I know I will remember the sound of those bells for the rest of my life.
I hope that wherever you are and what ever you have planned for this evening, I hope that a little Christmas Eve magic finds you! Now if only if I could see a few flakes falling … that’s where the true magic lies!
Wishing you and yours a very safe and Merry Christmas!!!
Somewhere in my memory
Christmas joys all around me
Living in my memory
All of the music-
All of the magic-
All of the family
Home... here with me
