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« on: November 28, 2010, 10:08:38 AM »
Always nice to hear of traditions from other countries.
When I was growing up, Christmas was very exciting. We were somewhat poor so we didn't get many gifts and I don't recall my Mom making a bunch of treats. But it was still an exciting time nonetheless. There was more snow than there is now and I remember riding my first bike (with training wheels) in the snow! When I was a teen I was the one who set up the tree, baked the goodies, decorated. My Mom, coming from a family that came from Poland and Belarus, didn't really celebrate Christmas and my Dad was very poor and they had no money for Christmas, so I guess that's why it wasn't a big deal to them. Of course, we went to church and there was always a Christmas play the Sunday before Christmas and sometimes I was involved. I always looked forward to a bag of goodies that was given out to each child. In school we put on plays and skits, each class doing something different, and performed in front of parents in the auditorium.
Now I do lots of baking, and when my kids were young they helped. My daughter, who is now 15, does some of the baking now. We will get a tree soon; they are cheap here in Oregon as this is the Christmas tree capital of the world! You can drive around in the Willamette valley and in rural areas see Christmas tree farms all over. We used to live only a few miles from one of these farms and it was interesting when they were harvesting the trees as a helicopter was used to move bundles of trees.
Of course we have a special meal and deserts. There are things I have to make each year otherwise there would be some grumpy people! It's a fun and magical time and we must remember the real reason for the season.