McCann - Celebrating Christmas: share, remember, cherish

introduction

I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED CHRISTMAS. Growing up, we would go to church on Christmas Eve, and then come home to a seafood dinner with our immediate family. Christmas Day was a different story. My mother would prepare a traditional dinner, and aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, friends, and anyone else who risked being alone for the holidays were invited. A motley arrangement of tables would stretch from room to room to room so that everyone had a place. You were out of luck if you needed to get up for something, but no one really wanted to. Wed sit for hours after dinner engaged in lively conversation. For my mother, it was heaven on earth. She loved a packed house that vibrated with the happy hum of people celebrating.

Life has a funny way of repeating itself. As the oldest of five, Im lucky that my siblings live nearby, so now we carry on the tradition at my house. My wife, Marylou, spends the week before getting ready for the big day, and in addition to the forty or so loved ones who join us for dinner, we welcome many more who drop by. Like my mother, I love being in the mix of it all.

I grow nostalgic thinking about the common thread that ties the whole of my life together. Keeping the traditions of my boyhood connects my past and presentthe people who shaped me with the people I have helped to shape. I truly miss the loved ones who are no longer with us physically, but when I sit down to Christmas dinner, their spirit is very much with me.

This year, after the last guests had left, I found myself feeling a bit melancholy. Our children are grown, and it is only natural that soon, they will want to stay home with their families on Christmas Day. Plus, its a long trip for the ones who travel from out of state.

Who knows how many more years well do this, I wondered aloud.

Enjoy what we havedont worry about what we might not have, Marylou said. It was good counsel. No good comes from worrying about tomorrow. Instead, revel in the moment. There is no better time than the holidays to reach out and reconnect to the important people in your life. Share favorite memories, laugh together, and make sure they know how much you love them. In this season of giving, it costs very little to put a smile on someones face, but when you do, its the best gift of all.

I love parties, but even more, I love getting ready for parties. To deck my house for Christmas means that soon, it will be filled with family and friends. It means that soon, it will be filled with love. CANDACE G.

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.

WASHINGTON IRVING

Each Christmas, my grandmother would hang chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil and netting on her live Christmas tree. There was one for each of her sixteen grandchildren, but also extras just in case. With the illumination of the lights against the gold foil, her tree was one of the prettiest sights of Christmas. PATTI M.

My mother baked lots of goodies for Christmas, but Daddys favorite was coconut cake. When she finished icing the cake, she would let Daddy have a piece while it was still warm. Thats why, on Christmas Day, the coconut cake, otherwise perfectly decorated, would always have a big slice missing!

SHARON A.

Some of my friends cant wait to pull out their Christmas decorations, but to me, the best decorations are my three childrenall home to celebrate the holidays. NANCY K.

T HE FIRST LIVE NATIVITY SCENE
WAS CONCEIVED BY F RANCIS OF A SSISI IN 1223. W ANTING TO BRING THE C HRISTMAS STORY TO LIFE, HE BUILT AN ALTAR OF STONE ON WHICH TO PLACE THE C HRIST C HILD , AND INCLUDED TWO LIVE ANIMALS, AN OX AND A DONKEY, IN THE SCENE . T ODAY, THE NATIVITY IS A HOLIDAY MAINSTAY.

Merry Christmas in Ten Languages

Mitho Makosi Kesikansi Cree

Boldog Karcsonyt Hungarian

Frhliche Weihnachten German

Souksun Was Christmas Thai

Nadolig Llawen Welsh

Joyeux Nol French

Sung Tan Chuk Ha Korean

Feliz Navidad Spanish

Hyv Joulua Finnish

God Jul Swedish

The traditions of Christmas are the best part of the season to me. My hands-down favorite is my parents annual over-the-top feast on Christmas day that always, always , starts with homemade sticky buns, bacon, and mimosas .

As the day continues, presents are opened, toys are played with, but the dining room remains the center of activity. Guests change from year to year, along with friends and family members who are able to make it into town, and at times, it has been only the five of us in my family. Still, more memories are made sitting around the dining room table than anywhere else. ERIN S.