We usually got a pair of pajamas for Christmas. They weren't necessarily Christmas pajamas, and we didn't always open them on Christmas Eve (although I think that was the intent), but I looked forward to new pajamas at Christmas.
My mom made Drinking Custard (see the post titled what was your favorite food?) every Christmas. I loved it and was always excited to see the double boiler on the stove. It seemed like it would take forever to cook. I liked it warm, and I liked it cold. I especially liked it with a leftover turkey sandwich (wheat bread, white and dark meat, mayonnaise, cranberry jelly, salt & pepper). YUMMY!
For a long time (but not always) after all the present-opening-festivities were over, my dad would have us gather all of our presents and go to a living room chair. He'd arrange the gifts all around us and then take a picture.
Let's see what I remember about this year...I was in 6-1/2 years old in 1st grade (1976). Jenny is the doll I'm holding; she had straight brown hair and freckles arcoss her nose ~ just like me. I got a real, "glass-plastic" punch set ~ it had a little punch bowl and tiny little punch glasses and a cute little ladel. Tights. a t-shirt that said, "I'm a star." A cookie/baking set (the cookie press never worked right). A color-by-number coloring book and another coloring book. Tights, socks and new underwear must have been a "tradition" in our family, because I got those every year, too. I remember those slippers, but can't recall if they were a Christmas gift.
This is not a Christmas Tradition memory, but wanted to write about it. I remember that I loved this chair. It was a completely solid piece of furniture. You didn't sink into the cushion, but it wasn't so hard that it hurt to sit on, either. The fabric was marooni'sh in color and it was kind of prickly. Not so that you got poked, but kind of scratchy. It was one of my favorite places to sit in our houses.
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My sister and I would purchase gifts for each other each year, with the help of mom if we didn't have enough money. We would hide the gifts in our rooms until we could get them wrapped and placed under the tree. One year, we decided to show each other what we had purchased - against the orders of our mom. I remember wanting a red plastic wallet and Karen had gotten me one. When she showed me I was so excited - until mom caught us. I have never forgotten how that red wallet lost all of its lustre and how sick I felt inside. I have never to this day owned, or even desired, a red wallet again.
Christmas Eve -
Our family had the tradition that all presents were wrapped and placed under the tree if they were from family members. On Christmas Eve we could open only one and it was one that was chosen by mom and dad - usually something like pj's or a stuffed toy that we could sleep with. Before bed, we would place a special plate with cookies by the tree and add a glass of milk for Santa. We usually added a short note to tell him the cookies were for him.
The next morning we could get up as early as we wanted and see what Santa left but could not touch anything - just look. All the presents that Santa brought would be under the tree. One special present was unwrapped. We could look but not touch until we were allowed to get mom and dad up.
At 5 AM we could get into our stockings and see what Santa had placed in there. There usually was something to play with to keep us entertained for an hour and we could play as long as we were quiet.
At 6 AM we could get mom and dad up. Then we could play with the unwrapped present, and one by one open all the other presents.
After "tree" we had pancakes, got dressed and played with the gifts. Before we could put them away or take them from the tree area to our rooms, we had to write our thank you notes. When all thank you notes were written and ready for mom to mail, we could take our new treasures to our rooms and put them away.
As I had children, we carried on the same traditions - with some additions. On Christmas Eve we read the Christmas story from the Bible, then read Santa Mouse. Our note and plate of goodies included a carrot or two for Rudolph and a piece of cheese for Santa Mouse. The next morning, I took photos of the children in front of the tree in their Christmas pj's.
After opening the presents at home, we had breakfast and the kids grabbed their favorite toy to show grandparents while we had "tree" with them. Before bed that night, the kids wrote a list of all the gifts and who they came from so they could start their thank you notes. They had to have them all finished and in the mail by the 1st of January.
Our decorating tradition has always been that the tree goes up the weekend after Thanksgiving and stays up until the 7th of January. According to a story in the Friend magazine, the 6th of January is the 12th day of Christmas. On the evening of the 5th the children all over the world would put their shoes outside with grasses and hay in them to feed the camels of the wise men as they traveled to see the Christ child. The wise men would be so thankful that they would leave a small gift for the children in their shoes. We adopted this tradition when the kids were small. The night of the 5th of January they would gather grass from the lawn and place it in a shoe and put the shoe in the hall by their bedroom door. The "wise men" would leave a small thank you gift for them to find the next morning. I miss having small children in the home..... this is a very tender part of my memories of the Christmas holiday.
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