Greetings from cold San Diego, with frost on the ground. Who knows we may have a white Xmas morning next week.
Happy Hannakuh, to my Jewish friends. Blessings to my other faith friends.
Christmas has a weird feeling this year. Interesting, contact by some has been so few we feel like they are slipping away and we are miss them. Distance makes a difference, but my parents never let distance be a major problem we had to keep in touch with our elders. Dad and Mom mandated it from when small. When distance is felt yet the people are close it is hard. When Distance applies but can't be helped it does not seem to bother as bad.
We gathered with family that lived near us always. Some times just my Aunt and Uncle and their boys until some of Mom's family migrated to California also. Then we had to make sure we did not leave out our Aunts and Uncles, no matter where they lived. Wyoming, Iowa, Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico, Nebraska.
As the families grew the states of Washington, Montana, Nevada, Arizona and Oklahoma was added.
Then came Kansas and Pennsylvania and Ohio and Minnesota, South Dakota, not to leave out Idaho and AK and HI.
When Korea happened in War, we had cousins all over the globe. Just like when we had WW2 and I was to small to remember more than the planes flying over and the coming and going of Uncles and uniforms and the black outs and the Coast Watch. We did get to have my Aunts stay with us at times due to husbands deployments or hospitalizations during the War and afterwards for recovery.
I remember toward the end of the 1940's I think maybe 46 or 47, my sister and I both got dolls. My Aunt made the doll clothes, Thank You Aunt Etta. A dear friend helped with a doll bed, home made.
I remember the stocking had an orange and a walnut and a peppermint stick candy cane, & a pair of socks and ribbons for our hair. There may have been ribbon candy in the stocking also.
We had homemade fudge and divinity for candy and rolled and designed cookies. Fruit cake and
mince meat pie (the real kind) made with meat and raisins and nuts and seasonings. When older I helped can the Mincemeat in the early fall for Xmas use. We also had Brownies and Blondies, a bar cookie with out Chocolate.
We also invited neighbors whom were elderly and alone or took food to them.
This topic came up when I asked a grandchild if they knew the significance of the orange and walnut in the stocking. For many when we were very young it was almost all the child received with a Candy Cane.
Remember during the War there was rationing, of many food products and other goods.
What do you remember of your early Christmas's?
