The Brightest Star
Keeping Christmas. It’s a personal thing, what does that mean to you?
As I think back on childhood Christmases ,it was about family traditions like dressing up and going to church, decorating the house, actually, everything. We loved baking Old Country goodies with Grandma Marad from Austria, traveling to see relatives who lived waaaay out in the country and enjoying their Penna. Dutch ways, and nights at home watching Walt Disney specials with Dad’s arm around me on the sofa. Or maybe Laurence Welk, Christmas edition, with Grandma Reigel, cuddled up on the big rocking chair. Alvin and the Chipmunks records come to mind, suburban parties with little friends (in the rec room, natch) where Dad had buffed the waxed floors to a shine.
No one ever brought up the fact that half my family was Christian and half were Jewish. It was a complete non-issue that I only figured out by looking back on the cuisine we shared as a family. What deliciousness!
I remember certain Christmas gifts that gave my growing years a kind of structure….a Little Genius doll by Madame Alexander when I was seven, a Peter and the Wolf recording, in order to learn the orchestra at ten, “the last bike that Santa would ever deliver to me”, given to me at ten, my first Beatles LP at eleven or twelve ( Beatles “65, I still know all the songs in chronological order ).Then the first cherished gifts from high school sweethearts, like a necklace, ticket to a rock show or love letter. Slightly later an illicit bottle of Mateus, the wine of many beginning wine aficionados, intended to make shenanigans even more heightened!
Most of the players who make up my holiday memories are gone today. The spirit of love and acceptance remains, as do the recipes handed down and made time and again, shared with others. Gathering in a spirit of good cheer and gratitude as we experienced growing up remains in my repetoire . So does helping others . Consider some community outreach and helping the less fortunate…there’s always time to volunteer, anytime of year.
To me, bringing in this sort of mindful practice of attention and kindness everyday…that’s keeping Christmas. And the wonderful thing is that you can do it everyday of the year.
