The holiday season is upon us, and regardless of your culture or beliefs, everyone has some family traditions about one holiday, celebration, or other special day.  So, it's time to share!  What special days do you celebrate?  What traditions does your family hold?  What is your favorite holiday?  What are your favorite holiday memories?  This is the writing assignment from Featured Grownups site.

I mentioned a Christmas that I don't often mention here, and it was too sad to enjoy retelling.  So, let me just say that I really have mellowed with my holiday enjoyment.  I once was an awful mess trying to make a perfect holiday happen which only made my family somewhat miserable.  Now, I have only myself to celebrate with, and I am still figuring out what is important and what isn't, sometimes.

Part of the holiday activity with my early parenting years was going to all the parent's homes.  I had 8, and my husband had two.  His didn't live in the same state, so all the visitations that my kids will remember has to do with my family.  I'll explain as we go.

On Thanksgiving, we always used fine china and crystal or at least stoneware and glass ware for the kids.  Everyone would have a chair to sit in and a place at a table.  Christmas was the same way, as is Easter.  Other holidays we will use the disposable stuff as much as possible!  The meal was usually served at 2 pm, to allow enough time to travel, or the time for someone to go to church before they had to get their part of the meal and come to dinner.  Everyone brought something for the meal, but the host family always had the turkey, dressing/stuffing, gravy and mashed potatoes.  There would have to be black olives, but the desserts could be varied.  In the last decade or so, there was usually pumpkin roll since my sister and I made them together before Thanksgiving.  We'd always make enough to give some away as Christmas gifts, so the freezer was stuffed with 'em.  She'd do the filling and I'd make the cakes.  We'd both take them out of the oven as the timer told us to, and she'd do the rolling.  We could both do either part, though. 

Right after Thanksgiving would be Advent.  The wreath would come out right after the Thanksgiving company would leave or just as we'd come home (depending on whether we hosted or guested for it that year).  There would be three candles of one color, and one candle of another color and finally the white one in the middle: the Christ candle.  One year we had three green and one red, but generally we did stay with the three purple, one pink and one white.  I wrote about  the colors and what they meant beginning here.  I also mentioned how I used the wreath to keep Christmas from being such an insane time, and I still do it for the same reasons.  I might do with out anything else, Christmas tree, Christmas cookies or even gifts; but I've always observed the Advent wreath devotions.

While I was married, we saved decorating the tree until Dec 15th, because that was our anniversary.  It was the one thing that we could be sure to do to celebrate, so it was reserved for that day only.  I would have the tree up and the lights would be on it, but no ornaments until the 15th.  Then we'd deck the halls, the walls and anything else that stayed still too long, lol.  I once decorated one of the kids who was sitting too still. 

I have to admit something here.  I tend to make a friend of the Christmas tree.  I will sit down and look at it during the day and in the evening with all the other lights off in the house and only Christmas music going and I will move an ornament here or there, drape some tinsel in a better way or move some garland around until it's just right for the tree that its all placed on.  Then I will sit and think over old holidays, what's happening this holiday, or just other languid thoughts about Christmas - and I'll even pray to God about the things I remember.  But I will spend hours just looking at the tree with the lights on in a darkened room or during the daylight and just enjoy it.  I would tell my puzzled sons who would wonder at me, that I was "making friends" with it.  I think it was another way I would keep the pressure from building too much.

By Christmas Eve, the merry race was ON!  Dressed nicely for pictures, we'd arrive at my first foster parents for their party.  There would be a fire in the fireplace, my foster brother and sister with their families, lots of gifts and pictures and great food.  My sons loved the time at Gramma and Grampa S's, since they were always child friendly and had a good sense of fun.  We'd take the way home late in the evening, and tuck the kids in before hurrying to wrap final gifts for the morning.  When the kids got older, we'd let them open one gift before bedtime (usually a nice robe or pajamas to have morning pictures taken in).  Even later on, we'd let them open them all that evening instead of waiting, and you'll see why...

We never taught our kids the Santa thing, cause we were too poor.  I didn't want my kids to think that they didn't get a very desired item because they weren't "good enough" (like my sisters and I had thought).  We just told them that other families played the Santa game, and that there really WAS a man in history who did some great things for kids, but he wasn't alive anymore.  This didn't always work well when we were in public :rolls eyes:.  So, Christmas morning they would get up and open gifts right away.  I'd try and get a breakfast served, but mostly, I was watching the clock.  We had to have the kids dressed in suits and ties and in the car for a one hour drive by 1 pm, or I'd be in trouble with my stepmom for sure (that happened a few times, cause I didn't have the heart to pull my kids away from their stuff).  Either before or after gifts, we'd light the Christ Candle and see the whole Advent Wreath lit up!

So, off to my father and step moms for Christmas dinner.  We'd meet my sister and her two kids there, as well as the other three younger sisters.  It was always the BEST food and great fun with really thoughtful gifts from their Gramma and Grampa Sr's.  As the kids got older, we'd play games after the meal and dishes were cleared up.

We'd leave there about five or six and go to my birth mother's home.  That was less comfortable, but we'd meet my sister and her kids there again, and some years there were my brothers and their kids as well.  So, we'd all exchange gifts and take the pictures before taking the tired kids home who were more than stuffed with all kinds of food and goodies.

The next day, December 26 was Boxing Day at a friend's home in the evening in our later years, but for the first couple of years when my firstborn was our only child, it was the day we spent with my second foster family.  They moved to Colorado after that, and so that day would be their day to play with their gifts until time to go to Boxing Day and be with their other cousins (my foster sister from that family would meet us there).  We'd bring a hostess gift for the hostess, but we'd save our other gifts for passing as we'd leave so we could make sure that my foster sis and her family were gifted rightly.

Then, from Dec 27 th onward, the gifts were to stay under the tree until the child wrote their thank you cards out.  When they were little they could dictate them to me and make their mark.  Or, I 'd have them draw a picture of them enjoying the gift.  Later on, I'd let them use pre-made cards and then write a brief note.  It was a good practice.  That was another good reason not to tell the Santa tale.  They needed to know who to thank.

New Year's wasn't ever the same thing, so it's wasn't always much of a deal.  Sometimes we'd party with family or friends.  Sometimes we just went to bed and slept through it all. 

On Twelfth Night (Jan 6th) - ahhh!  That was when we'd "Pack for Egypt"!  The Advent Wreath is lit one last time with all the Candles burning.  Then ALL the decorations come down and get put away at once.  I might have packed up the tree ornaments the night before; but generally - all of the decorations came down on that one day.  I reminded the kids that Mary and Joseph had to pack in a hurry, so we had to be calm but deliberate as we put our stuff away just like they had to pack.  It helped keep them from getting upset, but sometimes the stress of it all got the best of me and their father, (pooh)!  It just seemed like there was way more to put away than there was to getting it out.  Of course we put it up in more than one day, too.

What are YOUR memories about the holidays like?

I have been really REALLY busy lately, and part of that is the wedding that happened at Brookfield Zoo this past weekend (Congrats Tony and Shannon!).  Temps were in the mid to high 40's, so it was really chilly to be outside without coats.  The wedding party bravely managed to take their walk with bare arms and backs, but once the vows began, they gratefully accepted their coats from the wedding planner's assistant.  The bride toughed it out, and never wore anything on her back or arms.  I found out later her dress weighed 20 lbs!  She looked gorgeous in it, though.  I really wish I had a decent picture of it, but sadly, I don't.

I'm also deeply into working on my Christmas gifts for my sons and their brides.  I don't have much money since I am unemployed; but I do try to do something for the kids in the family as well; so I might resort to winding some of those balls as ornaments with prizes tucked inside.  We'll see.  I'm just thinking it's not a good idea doing that too soon after having done them; but fun is always fun - like candy.

I have Bingo to call today, and some friends to meet as we celebrate another friend's birthday, so I have to hurry and get moving!   Here's a recipe that I posted on my Facebook a week ago, but I thought you all would enjoy as well. 

No Halloween party is complete without some kind of gruesome treat to serve the guests. Here is the best one I’ve seen yet!


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the pudding according to the directions on the box. Fit a jellybean in the center of a gummy Lifesaver and place it in one half of the plastic egg.

2. Do this for each eyeball. Fill the egg with a dollop of the pudding (so it’s the size eyeball you’d like) and place in the egg carton for support. Place in the freezer for about 3 hours.

3. You want them to be firm. To remove after they’ve set, let them rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes and then gently squeeze them out of the plastic egg. Ready for use immediately or place the eyeballs into a freezer safe dish and keep for up to 2 days before use.

Yield: 2 dozen or so eyeballs

I've had so many posts where I had to admit that not all things have been simple or easy for me lately.  Happily, I can change that tone today.

I did some shopping yesterday, and I had decided I was going to make soup and fresh baked bread for a dinner I am having with my youngest son today (I should be in bed, but I'm not).  So after going to bed early (it must have been the fresh air, lol), I got up and put some beef shank bits on the stove with some water to boil them in.  I skimmed the foamy stuff off, and discarded it, and while the stuff boiled I cut up the turnips, celery, onion, parsnip, and chopped the stewed tomatoes.  I save the potatoes, cause they will discolor and need to go right into the broth when it's ready.  When the meat was done, I took it out, cut it up and tossed the bones in the trash with the trimmed off gristle and fat.  I divided the broth and meat and put half away for another day.  The first half I added to the cut veggies in the crock pot.  Then I cut up the potatoes (I used both Idaho and sweet potatoes), and tossed them in with some frozen corn and peas.

I had to go to the store and try to find some orange streamers for my Halloween gift project, and I wanted to get some frozen bread dough, cause I don't have the kitchen surfaces for making it from scratch (no room to knead, and no table to do it on).  I had gone to Wally World, Target, Michael's and none of them had any orange colored streamers.  I went to Hobby Lobby in desperation, and found ONE package left.  God loved me :D.  I ended up buying some glitter glue to use on my project, and thankfully it was half price.  Actually, MOST of the stuff in Hobby Lobby is half price, so if you are looking for high end decorations, go there first!

The frozen bread dough had also been unavailable at Super Wal Mart, Freshmart and Aldi's, but I finally found some with an employee's help at Jewel (Yaaaayyy!).  So, my son will have his tasty dinner and I will be able to complete my gifts in time for the party on Saturday.  I have to make 5 girl gifts and three boy gifts.  That's not too many, but enough to feel like I have been a good Aunty =].

So when I got home and walked in, this heavenly smell hit my nose: the soup was done.  What was even better was the warmth of the moisture in the air that went with it.  Of course I had a bowl for dinner though I didn't have any bread to eat with it.  The dough will thaw overnight in the pan, and be ready just in time for dinner baking tomorrow.

I scanned some stuff for my birth mother, so when I see her on Wednesday, she'll be happy to see that it got done.  I scanned some patterns from crochet magazines so I could toss the magazine and save on clutter.  I am pleased with myself on that.

I will need to begin working on the crochet projects I have assigned myself for Christmas, so I will be off more than "on" the internet as I work these things out.  I will post some pictures of my home in its Harvest decor pretty soon too.

I miss seeing LoquaciousLady's posts, so if anyone knows her well enough to send her email - tell her that for me, will ya?

Lord, I thank You for the warmth of soup, and how it does more than just feed an empty belly.  I thank You for the crisp air that sends allergens away from my stuffy nose, and makes it easy to see the gleam of the moon.  I thank you for the sukka fun that is going on this week with families who observe the festival of the tabernacles, and how we get to enjoy knowing we have a God who asks us to do fun things on a routine basis.  You amaze me, Father, and I like that.  Amen