JYC Dec 9th

December 9th Year after Year
Traditions are something that everyone has and in some ways guards them and are afraid to let them go. I know people who always do the same thing strictly because that is the way it has always been. To do something strictly because it has always been done that way is not right, but to do something because it is enjoyed by all and brings great joy to all then by all means keep it. After thinking about this all day, I decided that for my first year, I would take a trip down memory lane and write about some of my family’s traditions from when we were little. My Dad’s birthday was Dec. 5th. We would always go out on the weekend closest to his birthday to look for the best tree. I loved getting all bundled up and hunting for the perfect tree. Dad would then cut the tree down and we would get it bundled up and take it home. Real trees make such a mess, but I loved the smell of the fresh pine tree. It was a pain to crawl underneath the tree to water it however. A couple of other traditions that we have had included Santa coming on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. I have already written about that so won’t go into detail now. Once we came home and before we opened our presents we would light a fire in the fireplace. All wrapping paper was thrown into the fireplace. (I do miss the fireplace) After handing out all of the presents we would take turns opening our presents starting with the youngest. This way we were able to see what each person received from Santa. After opening gifts we would have supper. For many years I remember having a frozen pizza or two, then Dad was given some BBQ meat and he fell in love with it. It soon became the Christmas Eve meal. You would cook one beef and one pork roast and then combine them in a crock-pot with barbeque sauce. This was the one night that we kids could stay up as late as we wanted. I remember staying up really late when we were first allowed to do this and then eventually going to bed at a normal time. Most have been growing up. Christmas Day was spent with Grandpa and Grandma Steinhagen and family out at their farm. When I was very young we would go to Grandpa and Grandma Holst house for the evening. Eventually that stopped as the Helble family grew older and some members starting to die off. Usually around the 27th we would then get together with Grandpa and Grandma Holst, Uncle Gary, Aunt Joyce, Connie and Kevin to have the Holst family gathering. We always rotated this from the farm to our house every other year. One thing I don’t remember is when we took the tree down and put Christmas away. Next year I will find out about some of Kurt’s traditions.