Since I'm on the topic of Christmas presents and traditions, here's one more.
My paternal Grandfather lived in the small village 5 miles from our farm. We liked our Grandpa. There were times that he stayed at our place.
Grandma had died recently so we had a Christmas present for Grandpa. The three of us four to seven year olds ran up to his house to give him his present. We expected that he would put his present some place and open it at Christmas. No! What did he do? He opened the present right in front of us! We were appalled and went home and told our mother as she had knitted him a pair of wool mitts.
So that was Grandpa's tradition for Christmas presents.
Grandpa was a Central European peasant. His family were farmers in the Ukraine. They came to Canada in the early 1900's as there was not any more land for them in Europe. They came to Canada in the early 1900's and homesteaded in Saskatchewan. Their traditional Christmas was only religious.
There are many unique ways to mark Christmas.
Do you have some unique traditions?
Good memories to have.
ReplyDeleteSomehow the family things stick with me.
DeleteNo unique traditions - not really. We have simply absorbed the Christmas traditions of our society which are - in the vast majority - rooted in our pagan history. Christianity came along much later and purloined the old mid-winter traditions for its own ends.
ReplyDeleteMuch or most of our traditions have origins in the pagan past. It's a very interesting background. You are one of the few people who has a knowledge of how we have been influenced.
DeleteOur kids used to get pyjamas on Christmas Eve. It was a way to help satisfy their anxiety but leave the best for the next day. Now Shauna does the same with the grandkids.
ReplyDeleteIn other words it took their minds off of the main topic.
DeleteHow fortunate you were to know your grandparents and know some of that rich family history!
ReplyDeleteLocal family did much research and the stories were kept and passed down. We lived close together and often visited.
DeleteI don't think we have any unique traditions. Now that my children are grown, we celebrate whenever it is convenient for them and so we might have several small get-togethers.
ReplyDeleteThe modern life we live has made us be adaptable and change a few dates here and there. I've done that from time to time.
DeleteNo, not really. I sure enjoyed hearing about your delightful grandpa, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe central European traditions were different. My ancestors were peasants and were given 40 acres of farmland.
DeleteI'm with Grandpa. Rip it open and find out what it is!
ReplyDeleteAs little kids we couldn't see that.
DeleteWhat a wonderful memory.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It's one I'll never forget.
DeleteNot sure if we do anything olde worlde...or even unique. We have changed a lot over the decades. I think opening in front of the giver is fine!
ReplyDeleteThings have certainly changed when more people started to live an urban life.
DeleteGrandma Violet's fruitcake. I'm not sure how 'unique' it is, because she got it off the back of the Nonesuch mincemeat jar years back, but Grandma Violet was a wonderful woman and our memories of her are unique to us all.
ReplyDeleteGreat story and I love fruit cake.
DeleteWhen I was young, my parents were into healthy eating so we didn't eat a lot of eggs (bad for cholesterol back then) or breakfast meats, etc. But on Christmas morning, we splurged and made all those breakfast things that were "bad" for us and then some. My brother and I also received one box of sugary cereal each for the coming week until it ran out and then we were back to plain cheerios.
ReplyDeleteWell that's an interesting tradition.
DeleteAnd I say, why not?! Who needs to wait for Christmas?! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think He had any idea of the gift giving tradition.
DeleteOur Christmas reflects our northern European heritage, a mix of Scandinavian, German, and English, fairly typical of much of the US.
ReplyDeleteNorth Americans have a great mixture of European traditions.
DeleteI love reading about people's Christmas traditions. I also love knowing that your grandfather was born in Ukraine. My paternal grandfather was also from Ukraine and came to the United States in 1921. (NewRobin13)
ReplyDeleteAll my paternal side of the family were born in either the Ukraine Poland or Russia.
DeleteThese are such great memories.
ReplyDeleteRed, Another interesting holiday post. Quick question: How do you remember these things. Wow, I sure can’t remember much, if anything, from when I was seven years old. I glad that you do, though. Also, when you were growing up did you live in Saskatchewan? Lastly, your previous post, Presents Under The Tree … nice post by the way … sent me off to Google to see if I could find out when humans first started cutting down trees to celebrate a holiday. Yep, “Mr” Google says the answer is 1605! Have a great week ahead. John
ReplyDeleteGood questions John. We lived amongst relatives and the stories were told over and over. I did live in Saskatchewan and lived there until1963 when I went to the Northwest Territories. Now when you start looking at the history of Christmas traditions you can go on forever.
ReplyDeleteI used to always receive an orange or a tangerine in the toe of my Christmas stocking, and a little bag of gold foil wrapped coins, which I always admired for their pretty shininess and their chocolate. I would pretend I was rich, with gold coins. I loved that orange or tangerine on Christmas it tasted good in the afternoon. The rest of my Christmas stocking was always filled with other little toys and surprises.
ReplyDeleteYears later when I put an orange or a tangerine into and the little bag of gold foil wrapped chocolate coins into our children's Christmas stockings, the orange or tangerine from each of them ended up on the dining room table. The chocolate coins were eaten immediately. And they played with the small toys and surprises later in the day.
I never realized until a few years ago that the little bags of foil wrapped coins were Hanukkah gelt. How did that get to be a tradition in my family where my Mom was a Methodist, daughter of a Methodist minister, and my Dad was a non practicing Catholic? I don't know.
My Mother always had gobs of people over after church on Christmas eve, the next morning it was off to church again and then to my Grandparents for the day. So lots of people were involved. Lots of cooking and dishes. I always wished for the magical Christmas...home with just immediate family to open gifts and play games...it never happened.
ReplyDeleteSince my parents were Buddhists and living in Hawaii on a sugar plantation camp, we didn't have the traditional Christmas celebration that our kids had. My parents did buy a live evergreen tree (I loved the smell.) and we had a couple of presents that my aunt and uncle gave to my brother and me. But that was enough. My brother and I were happy and didn't even know how poor we were.
ReplyDeleteOur own kids had the whole 9 yards of presents, tree, cookies, friends coming over, etc. in Illinois BUT I don't know how lucky they really were.
Oh darn! I just checked and see that I repeated myself from your previous post.
ReplyDeleteThat was a sweet story
ReplyDeleteMy maternal grandparents would give us coins that valued lot back then and home made sweet