My favorite memory of Christmases past is family gatherings. There was nothing better than the organized chaos of a big family in a small place.
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| A family gathering at my great-grandparents house circa 1977. I'm the short red head. |
Our family was very busy during Christmas season. We would have one Christmas celebration at my great-grandparents house, Clifton and Hazel White. This celebration was reserved for a gift exchange with my great-grandparents and a huge potluck. Then our more immediate family would have a celebration at my grandparents' house. This celebration included my grandparents, their three children and all the spouses and grandchildren.
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| The second family gathering of the day. |
This second celebration included another gift exchange. In later years it also included a massive potluck (when not held on the same day as the White family Christmas). There were always close to twenty people in a small house. There was a kid's table in the back room and some of the adults had to eat in the living room, but I don't ever remember hearing complaints. My mother would always bring her iced sugar cookies and my grandmother would make a turkey or chicken with all the fixings which included mashed potatoes, noodles, homemade yeast rolls and several pies.
My brother and I have since moved away and are not able to join in the family celebration anymore. My family does go back for the holidays, but we usually have to miss the big family gathering. Instead, we have a new tradition which includes my grandmother, parents, my children and my in-laws. My children are lucky to be the stars of the show!
But I remember back to the big groups and I miss tripping over people and being at the kid's table. What I wouldn't give to go back for just one Christmas.
To see my 2011 Grab bag - Christmas playlist post click here.
The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your
family’s holiday history 24 different ways during 24 days in December! Learn
more here.
1 comment:
Your Christmas gatherings of lots of people in small houses sounds a lot like the long-ago gatherings my family had at Christmas time, Heather. It didn't matter that we had more people than space, but we were family, so we made it work :)
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