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Holiday Traditions

 
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ms_tapestry



Quit Date:
October 21, 2009

Posts: 2574
Location: Seminole, TX

PostPosted: December 11, 2004 8:29 AM    Post subject: Holiday Traditions Reply with quote

My children are 25 and 19 now. My daughter has her own home and family and my son, 19, still lives at home, but between school, work and his friends, Mom doesn't get to see much of him. The holiday traditions we had when they were little have passed by the wayside, by necessity, and new ones have taken their place. One of the traditions from when my mother-in-law was alive was the making of tamales. The word would go out through the family grapevine and the entire family, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren would gather to spread the masa and roll the tamales. They would cook overnight and the family would gather again the next day to eat and roll the next batch. This process would repeat itself from the beginning of December through New Year's Day. The recipe and the tradition of the tamale making passed when my mother-in-law passed away several years ago. About two years ago my husband decided to revive the tradition. He took what he knew, called all family members to retrieve their memories, and began to re-create his mother's recipe. The first couple of batches were pretty rough, but towards the end of the first season, something that vaguely resembled Mom's began to emerge. As you can imagine, each new batch created much discussion among the family members as we all tasted, critiqued and gave suggestions on what was missing or how to improve it. And an amazing thing began to happen as well. As we all shared stories of the tamale making and memories of holidays in days gone past, a new tradition began to emerge. By the end of tamale season last year, my husband had managed to re-create his mom's tamale recipe, and the tamale making had once again become a part of our family holiday tradition. The phone calls from family members started coming in last week. When are we making tamales? Well it has arrived. Today is the first day of tamale season in our family. The meat is cooked, shredded and seasoned, just like Mom's used to be, the masa is prepared, the corn husks have soaked overnight and today the family will gather to spread the masa and roll the tamales. My grandson is two and a half and I'm sure will be into the masa up to his elbows. I can't wait!

The holiday season can be a time of great sadness for many. Family members pass, our children get older, marriages end, friends are lost, and treasured holiday traditions can no longer be kept. But it is also a time of great joy and new beginnings. New traditions are made, family is celebrated, and new friends are made.

I have shared a treasured “new” family tradition with you. I would love for you to share one of yours with me. I celebrate almost six months free of my addiction. I give thanks for my many blessings. I give thanks for my new woofmang family. May peace and joy be yours during this holiday season.
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Tonya

You must do the very thing you think you cannot do.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
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Carla



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Posts: 347
Location: Kansas City, MO

PostPosted: December 11, 2004 8:49 AM    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tonya, not fair! I came in to work early (around 6:00) and I'm sitting here eating saltines for breakfast. After reading about the tamales, my mouth is watering.

Holidays for me were not very pleasant growing up, but there was one tradition I remember fondly. My grandmother did most of her cooking on the night before Thanksgiving or Christmas eve. I would sit in the kitchen with her and chop stuff or stir pots as she directed. She always made the sweet potato pies last. They had bourbon in them. So it was a little bit of bourbon for the pies and a whole lot of bourbon for us. One year we got so crocked we couldn't eat Christmas dinner the next day. We told everyone we had the flu. Definitely not a Norman Rockwell moment. She's gone now. So every Christmas eve, I go to a bar and have a shot of bourbon and think about her.
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Quit Date: January 4, 2004
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Melody



Quit Date:
August 19, 2004

Posts: 1103
Location: Ontario

PostPosted: December 11, 2004 9:32 AM    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tonya I believe I gained 20 pounds just reading your tradition and at this point could likely roll all tamales just by laying on them.LOL

The tradition in our family has always been to tell the tales of the xmas decorations on the tree because some are a few 100 years old like my "Horn of Plenty" (which is hideous looking by the way but I adore it) The horn of Plenty hung on my GREAT GREAT GREAT Grandfather's tree in England when he was a boy and was always passed to the eldest boy who told the story to all at xmas. I do have 2 brother's so it isn't really mine to keep but since I'm the one that works the family tree and spent the time cataloging all the information on the decorations they have not pried it off me yet. My day will come I'm sure as it has nearly made it out the door a few times with one of my siblings. I do have my Dads blessing by the way he knows my brother's have no interest in it and we are long past the day when only a boy of the family inherits. Laughing
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kannprint



Quit Date:
April 10, 2004

Posts: 4988
Location: St. Louis, MO

PostPosted: December 11, 2004 1:07 PM    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dear Tonya,

I love your tamale-making tradition and adore your husband for resurrecting it. I'm starving just reading about those luscious things.

We began a tradition with our grandchildren about 16 years ago when the eldest was only 2 years old. There are now four of them and we continue this each year.

We select a day when they're all available (this part is becoming much more difficult each year as they have their own social plans). They all come to our house and decorate our Christmas tree. In the process, they look over each ornament and select one to keep. Naturally, there are a few that aren't "up for grabs," and they respect that.

After the tree is decorated and the ornaments put into bags, their parents come for dinner. Naturally they really make a big deal of how nice the tree looks and what great ornaments each of the girls has chosen.

As time has passed, we've ended up with fewer ornaments but that's fine. The girls will each have a collection to begin their adult lives with and, hopefully, they'll remember Grandma and Grandpa when they hang them on their own trees.
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ms_tapestry



Quit Date:
October 21, 2009

Posts: 2574
Location: Seminole, TX

PostPosted: December 12, 2004 6:31 AM    Post subject: Reply with quote

Carla, not all of us have Normal Rockwell moments in our childhoods, but we make the most of what we have. I love the shot of bourbon on Christmas Eve, I hope you don't mind if I borrow that one! Laughing

Melody, all the ornaments on our tree were made by myself and my children. So, while none are over 25 years of age, each does have it's own story. I like the idea of preserving that.

Jo, I love the idea of giving the ornaments away. I've often wondered how to divide them amongst my children. I like the idea of letting them pick one to take home every year.
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Tonya

You must do the very thing you think you cannot do.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
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Melody



Quit Date:
August 19, 2004

Posts: 1103
Location: Ontario

PostPosted: December 12, 2004 11:27 AM    Post subject: Tonya Reply with quote

I mentioned the oldest one but my grandsons newest additions of the bobble head ornaments will be even more fun. This will be his first year where he will get to point out his own decorations and tell a bit about them if he chooses. I'm not a bourbon drinker but we have Bailey's and coffee everytime we set up the tree. Laughing
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Cowgirl UP!



Quit Date:
July 26, 2004

Posts: 5029
Location: Ala

PostPosted: December 14, 2004 1:01 AM    Post subject: Reply with quote

X'mas time growing up was a time when family from out of state would come stay and my poor mother would be a nervous wreck( which is where I get it from). It was a time of laughter for the adults who got louder with every glass they drank Confused .

The tradition really started when I got married and became part of another family tradition. There were alot more people and alot of different events planned. The food was always delisious and plentiful. My hubby's mother who is 87 still does alot of the holiday cooking. This year we will all go to Tuscaloosa, Al for the day...sharing a great meal and letting all the cousins enjoy the tree.

I have always had our own family dinner and opening of the gifts but this year my daughter has offered to have it at her home....yep, there is a Santa Claus...I just hope he can get all the gifts from my tree to hers Confused Confused The grandkids want to come here because I decorate with stuff they can handle without getting fussed at...Willa wanted to have X'mas at my house...funny and she is only 3 the tradition, though has already been started.......
Kay
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