Christmas 2009

Ken and I celebrated Christmas at mom and dad's in Belleville. Ken's parents came over and the six of us had an enjoyable Christmas celebration filled with some special Freeman/Talley Christmas traditions.

Dinner was at 2pm and it was a feast! Check out the menu.

Cream of Tomato Soup

Caesar Salad

Cranberry Jello Salad

Hot Rolls

Roast Beef

Broccoli Casserole

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Carrots

Cookies, Cake, Lemon Bars, Peanut Butter Bon Bons

After dinner my mom and dad surprised Ken with a special graduation cookie cake in honor of Ken completing his MBA from Webster University in October. Chocolate chip cookies are Ken's favorite treat! We also discussed the New Year's Resolutions we made last year and all agreed that Ken had been the most successful at keeping his. Ken's resolution was to complete his MBA. I also kept my resolution which was a bit simpler to keep. My resolution was to begin parking my van at The Parking Spot instead of EZ Park at the airport in St. Louis. The Parking Spot has more vans and better drivers, so safety and efficiency were also a factor in helping me keep my resolution!

After dinner we participated in a Christmas tradition that began when I was a child. It is the story of Santa Mouse, a tiny mouse that is befriended by Santa and helps Santa deliver gifts to good girls and boys. The books were written by author Michael Brown and I enjoyed reading them with my parents as a child. If you leave a piece of cheese next to the cookies you leave for Santa you may be surprised to find small gifts from Santa Mouse in the Christmas tree! The gifts are always covered in gold wrapping so they will shine like a star. Our gifts from Santa Mouse were a bit too big to fit in the branches of the Christmas tree. Our dads got socks. Ken's mom got a tiny tea cup. My mom got a beautiful necklace. I got a pair of Mary Jane style slippers and Ken got a Weber Grill ornament. Thank you Santa Mouse!

Another tradition is the Christmas Pickle. “A very old Christmas Eve tradition in Germany was to hide a pickle [ornament] deep in the branches of the family Christmas Tree. The parents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning they knew the most observant child would receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year.” This Christmas pickle story, with a few minor variations, can be found all over the Web and in print inside the ornament package. It says that Germans hang a pickle-shaped glass ornament on the Christmas tree hidden away so it's difficult to find. The first child to find it on Christmas morning gets a special treat or an extra present. The funny thing is no one in Germany has heard of the Christmas Pickle! I did some research on the Web and I may have found an answer. A descendant of a soldier who fought in the American Civil War, John Lower (Hans Lauer), born in Bavaria in 1842, wrote to tell about a family story that had to do with a Christmas pickle. According to family lore, “John Lower was captured and sent to prison in Andersonville, Georgia. ...In poor health and starving, he begged a guard for just one pickle before he died. The guard took pity on him and found a pickle for John Lower. According to family legend, John said that the pickle—by the grace of God—gave him the mental and physical strength to live on. Once he was reunited with his family he began a tradition of hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree. The first person who found the pickle on Christmas morning would be blessed with a year of good fortune.” Another German connection could be the glass ornaments. In 1847 craftsmen in the German town of Lauscha began producing glass ornaments n the shape of fruits and nuts. These ornaments were made in a unique hand-blown process combined with molds. Soon these unique Christmas ornaments were being exported to other parts of Europe, as well as England and the U.S. My parents tree is decorated in these beautiful German ornaments. They have collected colorful glass ornaments of all shapes and sizes over the years. I don't care how the Christmas Pickle came to be. I enjoy looking for the pickle every year and this year I was the lucky girl to find it on the tree!

Another tradition is the cat Christmas bag. Two years ago I gave a present to my mom and I put it in a Christmas bag decorated with a Santa cat and three tiny kittens. We decided to begin a new tradition of giving a gift in the cat bag each year. Last year mom gave Howard a gift in the cat bag. This year Howard gave the cat bag back to my mom by giving her a gift in the bag. I wonder who will get the cat bag next Christmas? This is actually a tradition that dates back to my mom's family. Instead of a bag that was passed each year they used wrapping paper. The wrapping paper got smaller and smaller each year until there wasn't any left!

After all of the Christmas gifts are opened we begin the Christmas Birthday celebration. People always ask me if I feel cheated having my birthday on Christmas day and I always tell them that my family makes sure that my birthday is not missed. I always have a cake and my presents are always wrapped in birthday wrapping paper. This year, my 38th year, was just as special! Traditionally friends come over at 6pm on Christmas evening and help me celebrate. This year was the beginning of a new tradition. Ken and I had a Christmas Birthday party at our house on the day after Christmas. This way more of my friends could join in on the fun!