Tropical Zone Gardening: It's the season to be jolly... so there's no... without..., 1 by AlohaHoya

AlohaHoya wrote:
Our family traditional Christmas was pretty 'Leave it to Beaver'ish - typical and I really remember little from them growing up. My father was Navy so we were never in one place very long to develope a tradition . With family in(and a first husband from)Mexico there are Mexican traditions in our family, as well as New Mexican and Spanish.and East Coast and West Coast and now Hawaii. I adore aspects of them all: walking from bonfire to bonfire singing carols on a snowcovered street in Santa Fe, NM in the freezing weather - the fragrance of incense juniper burning - but warm from the friendship shared; eating fresh sweet tamales (honey and raisins) with hot chocolate as we opened presents on Christmas Morning in Mexico City. When I think of Christmas it's warmth and feeling full of food and friendship. I think of faces lit by candles and fireplaces, the excitement in the children and the anticipation of wondering if you really picked the right gift for everyone. I remember sitting in the oldest catholic church in the US, on hard benches listening to a young pianist from Poland play Chopin with a passion that brought nearly all of us to weep. The only lights were candles. I guess I remember sounds and light and emotions and smells (fragrances, whatever) of a marmelade of experiences. I envied those who had the long days of family traditions, tablecloths that had been used every Christmas for generations etc....I thought it was SO cool. Our family treasures somehow got lost or broken or sent to Paris, France when they should have gone to Paris, California... It was Christmas Eve 18 years ago that I fell in love with my (now) husband - now he is a gift to beat all!

Alexandra...you write SO well and you sound so happy and joyful. It's a pleasure reading you!!! Looking forward to reading about other traditions and favorite Christmases.

Carol Noel (yes...and my sister's name IS Joyeux Noel)!