Hello from the living room of my sister-in-law,
When I was small, this day was a day of anticipation, a day of incredible cookies, candies, Norwegian delights, and church with candles and carols. It would not be until later I would learn to decorate the house into a fairytale of my own, and make both the inside and outside of the house seem like something from Currier and Ives. However, a sense or belief that there was some goodness in everyone was also an important element in the holiday. As I reach this age, and I reminisce about Christmas as a boomer, my family was not wealthy, and I remember my mother putting money into a Christmas account all year long or putting things on lay-away so Christmas would be a time of gifting, of going above and beyond what was normal. I remember the silver tree and a color wheel, which I detested, but my mother could not manage a live tree because of allergies.
Downtown Sioux City and the corner of Fourth and Pierce Streets was Christmas central for shopping. The Christmas movies of the 50s are exactly what we experienced. Going to Coney Island for a chili dog, seeing the amazing police office, Efren Bata Sr. direct traffic, and looking at the windows in Younker Martin or Younker Davidson were always magical. Men’s clothing stores like Rehan’s, J.C. Penny’s were always part of our plan. I was a child then, and I am sure that shopping and the Christmas season are so completely different. Certainly, malls and then Targets, Walmarts, and box stores created a significant transformation, and then the move to online, which is led by Amazon, but there are so many options on our screen, and the explosion of gift cards is yet something else.
As I chat with my sister-in-law -and her husband, their memories were of going downtown and anything you needed was there. It was exciting and Peterson Von Maur was there, and tea room was available. Lights, people, church, the Sears catalog, a Schwinn bicycle were all things we looked at and hoped for. The hopes of getting the special present or of Santa coming was part of our Christmas sincerity. The preparation and the visiting the decorated cityscape were all part of our hopes. What I realize as I write, I have become the Great Uncle, the Great-great or the Great-great-great (and that is true). The hope that the little ones are pleased with what the holidays bring and excited by the possibilities is so much more important. Christmas and its trappings and trimmings have not passed me by, but I am not the focus as I was 65 or 60 years ago. And yet we hope the spirit of Christmas I felt all those years is what I hope for so many others today.
I wonder if the loss of those traditions of walking in and out of stores, the decorated windows, the television specials, the listening of Christmas carols sung by Andy Williams, Dean Martin, Brenda Lee, Nat King Cole, Burl Ives, or Bing Crosby makes Christmas different? I can listen to the Mariah Carey, Wham, or some of the newer “classics,” but it does not create the same pathos I felt as a child. The South Dakota news anchor, Tom Brokaw, wrote the book about those WWII veterans, referring to them as the “greatest generation,” and I believe I grew up in the greatest time to create Christmas memories. We still believed in the possibilities of a better world, of achieving the dreams that were before us. We held fast to the underlying goodness and generosity of people. Christmas, and while it has been an economic boon for generations, did not start in September or compete with Halloween. The idea that it began with the Friday after Thanksgiving was just an accepted fact.
I think of ethnic traditions and how I have grown more appreciative of that history as I have aged. Those treats and skills I took for granted, the profound ability of my mother’s baking and candy making before the holidays, the Norwegian cakes and cookies. Now from attending Dana College to traveling throughout most of Europe, I have added Danish, Polish, German, Ukrainian, Russian, Czech, Spanish, and Hungarian. What amazes me is how there is basic item that each culture has co-opted, somehow making it their own. Food, Santa (St. Nicolas), carols, and events like sleigh rides remind me that all people have traditions that are essential to creating a world that seems a little kinder, a little more gracious, a bit more willing to care for the other.
As I spent the day preparing our Christmas Eve meal, I listened to my version of now newer Christmas classics for me. From Mannheim Steamroller to Celtic Woman and now Pentatonix, they have become my go-to whether I am in the car, sitting in my apartment, or walking around with my AirPods. Seeing all three groups in Christmas concerts makes them all the more relevant for me. As I finish my Christmas Eve, the day of cooking was quite successful, and people enjoyed. My niece and her husband and one of the nephews were able to join and that made it even more special. Earlier I listened to the daughter of one of my very significant former students reading _Twas the Night Before Christmas_. She is such a mini-me of her mother, but more importantly, that video was the highlight of the day because it epitomized how the Christmas spirit continues to make memories. I wish all who take a moment to read a blessed, blessed Christmas.
Blessed Holidays to each of you (and in whatever tradition you celebrate) and thank you for reading.
Michael
thewritingprofessor55 