Holiday Memories and Traditions
There are so many holiday memories from my childhood days. One is
cutting out pictures of gifts from the JC Penney catalog that I hoped
to see under the tree on Christmas morning. I would write Santa a
letter telling him what a good girl (LOL) I had been all year and
included the pictures of gifts I hoped to get. While I still believed in
Santa, my mother would take me to the Post Office so I could mail
Santa’s letter! I’d help mom bake Christmas cookies and we’d have to
hide them so my 3 Cookie Monster brothers wouldn’t eat them all at
once! One of the traditions was decorating the tree with my 4 siblings
while my dad played Christmas songs on the organ. My parents would
run their fingers along the song sheet so I could follow the words and
we’d all sing together! Another fond memory is putting on our
Christmas jammies and hopping in the station wagon with my
parents and siblings to go for a fun drive around the neighborhood to
view the beautiful Christmas lights. Then we’d come home and have
hot choc. and cookies before bedtime. These are just a few of my
many more wonderful Christmas memories. I continued many of
these traditions with my own family and now that they are grown, I
hope to be able to do this in the near future with their little ones! –Pat
Wasserman
I loved the annual Tree Trimming Party at my Uncle Frank’s
house. Life-size lit-up Santa stood in the driveway in Dellwood
beckoning us in. ( I announced every year that we should get one just
like that, but my parents assured me that our life-size lit-up nativity
scene was the better choice. I disagreed wholeheartedly as the set
was incomplete until the evening of December 24th anyway, when
baby Jesus could finally be placed in manger. It just didn’t give me
quite the same feeling as the waving, smiling, partying Santa.) My
Uncle Frank greeted us with a mouthful of cigar, welcomed us into
the living room where the luminous undecorated tree stood in the
living room and Bing Crosby and the Andrew sisters played on the
swanky console stereo. (I thought we should purchase Bing Crosby’s
Christmas album since we mainly listened to Johnny Mathis, and I
was assured once again by my mother that Johnny Mathis was the
better choice for a number of reasons, but I think it might have
something to do with Bing being Catholic and not being very nice to
his wife). The annual tamales were boiling in a pot in the kitchen and
this was the only time of year I ever ate them, which was an odd
choice for an Irish Catholic bunch. (I think my uncle explained to me
once that many people eat tamales to bring good luck for the New
Year. I never knew if this was true, since Uncle Frank could fabricate
some whopping stories.) The rest of the evening took on a life of its
own which involved some mandatory tree decorating (I liked the
tinsel on their tree the best-another thing we didn’t have at my
house. My mom banned it from our home since “it was just too messy
and really wasn’t pretty at all.”) I mostly loved being cracked-up on
Pepsi (as much as I wanted!), racing around the house with my
cousins, putting on an impromptu musical show in the basement,
watching cartoons in the dark closet with my cousin’s movie
projector, singing Christmas Carols at the top of my lungs, and being
allowed to stay up with the grown-ups, waaaaay past my bedtime. –
Terri O’Donoghue
I grew up in Texas, so I never even wished for a white Christmas. One
year, however, we woke up Christmas morning to probably only about
an inch or two of snow, but we were thrilled!! My sister and I were so
anxious to get outside and play, that we quickly checked out what
Santa brought us, and ran back upstairs to put on as many clothes as
we could find to keep us warm. We didn’t really have any winter gear,
so we put sweatpants and jeans on over our pajamas, and put on
layers of shirts and socks. We made snow angels and attempted to
make a snowman, and then came back in and had hot chocolate by
the fire. It was magical! –Dorie Noll
One of my favorite Christmas memories is we used to go to the
Baum’s home every year during the Christmas season to
celebrate. Terry Baum was a student at CID and my mom had taught
him when she was a teacher here. She then tutored Terry in our
home for probably 10-15 years…and he became like family to us. My
other favorite memory was going downtown to look at the Christmas
windows at the old Famous Barr and driving around to look at the
lights. I still love to do that with my grandkids—especially Tillis
Park. We drive through Tillis Park and sing Chanukah songs! –Robin
Feder
When I was little, my immediate family…all 9 of us… would have a
special Christmas eve dinner and always had punch in our “pretty”
punch bowl. Our parents gave us a family gift that night. One year
we got a typewriter, one year a tape recorder, one year a piano, and
one year we got PONG…yes I am dating myself here. We would then
pile into the station wagon and drive around the fancy subdivisions
looking at Christmas lights. (Santa mom stayed back and set up the
gifts from Santa.) On Christmas morning we would have to wait until
everyone was awake to come open presents…then it was all over in 10
minutes! My dad made a special breakfast while the rest of us got
ready for mass. After mass we would just hang out until it was time to
go to one of my aunts and uncles house where we could visit with all
our cousins. That was always fun because my uncles were very happy
drinkers and usually were very entertaining. It was always such a
special time of year…. It never occurred to me that the cardboard
fireplace we put up was tacky. We loved it so much…extra tape was
added every year to get it to stand up! Ahh, the good ole days! Xo –
Chris Clark
Christmas is always my favorite time of year! My favorite memories
are of every Christmas morning as a child, my 5 siblings and I would
all sleep in one room like a slumber party. We would wake up at 4:30
am, if we slept at all, and go in to my parents room with candles and
wake them up with a Christmas carol. We would line up on the stairs,
youngest to oldest, and my dad would go down stairs to see if Santa
came. Finally, after starting the morning coffee, he would say we
could come down the stairs. The appearance of the tree with all of the
toys and presents underneath was truly a magical sight! –Mary Rice
When I was a little girl, my dad and I would have a special father-
daughter date before Christmas. I would get a new fancy dress and he
would take me downtown to see the Nutcracker. I was a dancer from
age three all the way through college, so I loved seeing the beautiful
ballerinas on stage and dreamed that would be me one day!! As far as
traditions go, Christmas Eve is full of them! We go to candlelight
service at church and get Chinese food on the way home for dinner.
We each get a new set of Christmas pajamas (still!) and an ornament.
Then my siblings and I exchange our gifts to each other. Then we all
watch Christmas Vacation, which is the only movie in the world that
makes my family seem relatively normal. –Kelly Wood
One of my favorite Christmases was the year my mom gave birth to
my baby brother on Christmas Eve night. I was ten. My
grandmother, Mugga, lived with us and put my sisters to bed at the
usual time. My brother Harlan and I (we two are the eldest) were
allowed to stay up and make sugar cookies while we waited for the
exciting news. Harlan fell asleep face down in the cookies while we
were decorating them, so I was the only child awake when my dad
called to let us know Zane had arrived. Dad is a doctor and stayed at
the hospital to be with my mom (and to work), so he put me in charge
of filling the stockings and setting out all of the toys (some of which I
had to put together) for my brothers and sisters. I was so proud and
excited that morning – I had been in on a big secret and had a new
baby brother (who got to come home in a big stocking)! –Erin Mabrey
My favorite holiday tradition goes back way before I was born. My
grandma’s family is from the “country” (Drake, MO, population 7).
However, the house she grew up in is a beautiful and OLD farm
house. My uncle now owns it. Ever since I can remember, we go out
there the weekend before Christmas and have “Christmas in the
Country” as my family fondly calls it. We get dressed up, eat and
drink all day, have a formal sit down dinner…the whole nine yards. It
feels very Norman Rockwell. When I was very little my great grandma
was still alive and made an excellent dinner. Now my kids get to
celebrate with their great grandma. I would not change anything
about it and continue to look forward to it for many, many more
generations. –Abby Zoia
One Christmas memory stands out in my mind as very unusual. One
year, my aunt and uncle (who were farmers) decided to decorate a
tractor and hitch a big trailer onto it with hay bales. Then all of my
aunts, uncles and cousins (and myself) hopped on the hay bales, and
we drove around town singing Christmas carols. Mind you, none of us
are very stellar singers, but what we lacked in talent, we made up for
with sheer enthusiasm. What a strange sight that must have been to
most people peeking out their windows. Aaah, that crazy Garrison
family! –Melany Nitzsche
Holidays are always special times to me. So, I didn’t want to limit
myself to just Christmas. My favorite Halloween memory is having
chili on Halloween. My mom didn’t realize she did this EVERY year
until one year she made spaghetti and I cried because it was supposed
to be chili (well, I also cried because I was sick on Halloween!). I
carry on this tradition. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. My
favorite Thanksgiving memory is taking a walk after the big
Thanksgiving meal. I (sometimes) carry on this tradition. My favorite
Christmas memory is decorating the tree while drinking homemade
hot cocoa and listening to Gene Autry’s Christmas album. The Gene
Autry album bit the dust during the age of 8-tracks but we still make
hot cocoa and listen to Christmas music while decorating the
tree. My favorite Easter memory…eating peeps!! My favorite Fourth
of July memory was celebrating my dad’s July 5th birthday with his
special BBQ. Yum! My favorite unofficial holiday (a SNOW DAY!) is
making French toast in our pajamas! We definitely carry on this
tradition! –Patti Hoffman
My favorite tradition is going to Ted Drewes to get a Christmas Tree
in the bitter cold weather. Letting my kids run in and out of the trees
the way my sisters and I used to. After we pick a tree, eating ice cream
in the car listening to Christmas music. Then enjoying the smells of a
real tree at our house. –Natalie Lutkewitte
My favorite holiday tradition was and still is celebrating Christmas
Eve at my Grandma’s house. We have tons of appetizers and snacks
that I eat until I feel sick. We open presents from youngest to oldest
and then Santa knocks on the door and leaves a trash bag of presents
just outside the door at my grandma’s. My cousins and I are now too
old for Santa to come, but we laugh every year about the presents in a
trash bag! After my Grandma’s we would go home and open gifts
from our parents, always pajamas and socks. To this day, I still get a
pair of pajamas and socks. –Emily Humphrey
One of favorite holiday memories, which can now be called a
tradition, is going to buy our Christmas tree. As a kid it was always
fun because my siblings and I would play hide and seek in all the trees
while my parents sought out the perfect balsam...(or whatever).
Nowadays we all get together to buy our trees and go out to dinner
afterwards. No matter how hectic our lives and schedules are now
that we've all grown up, this is something my entire family does
together every year. Every year something about "Tree Night", as
we've dubbed it, is always memorable- whether it be the freezing,
snowy weather on the night we went one year, the time my sister's
purse was stolen while we were tree shopping, or this year when none
of the tree lots were even open when we went, it's always a fun night
with my family. This year was the first year I've had to buy my own
tree for my own house, so I'm happily continuing the tradition with
my family. –Danielle Pipitone
My family’s holiday tradition is a “Christmas Essay”! When my
Grandmother retired, she started taking writing classes and decided
we all would write a story once a year. She has picked the topic for
our Christmas Essays for over 20 years. The results have been as
short as Haiku’s and as long as 15 pages. –Meghan Cohen
My brother and I always went to my grandparents’ house in Southern
Illinois on Christmas Eve. My family from Mississippi would also
come. I always enjoyed seeing my cousins and catching up with
them. After we had a big dinner and my Grandpa’s Christmas cookies
for dessert, we would open presents from youngest to oldest. Every
year my brother would open all his presents while no one was
looking, so when it was his turn he would get into trouble. We always
drove back home that night so that we could spend Christmas day at
home and wake up to Santa’s gifts. –Jennifer Manley
My favorite holiday tradition growing up was going to midnight mass
with my family. No matter how tired we were every year after
Christmas Eve at my Grandma’s house, we would always make it to
mass that night. Even though we wouldn’t go to bed until around
2am, my brother, sister, and I would still end up waking up by 7am,
ready to see what Santa brought us! –Laura Hoeflinger
My favorite holiday traditions is driving around and looking at
Christmas lights. I remember laying in the back of my parents’ station
wagon snuggled in a warm blanket listening to Christmas music and
staring at lights for what felt like hours. Although we lived in Ste.
Genevieve, we would always drive up to South St. Louis once a year
and look at the neighborhoods all lit up. We’d also visit different
drive-thru displays every year. It was magical. Now I take my kids and
drive through South St. Louis and visit Tilles Park on CID night. I love
it! –Amanda Dunaway
As a child a favorite tradition was always baking Christmas cookies
with my mom and sister. We didn’t have a big mixer so we used a
hand held mixer. One year we burned up two mixers and ended up
mixing most of the cookies by hand. Today we continue our tradition
with my sister, her daughter, Erin and now Reagan! We finally broke
down and purchased a large mixer to handle the hundreds of cookies
we bake. –Barb Lanfer
Our tradition was that all gifts were under the tree before Christmas
Eve – except the ‘big’ gift from Santa and the stocking. Santa’s gift
was always there Christmas morning, for some reason made extra
special by not being wrapped. One year I surprised my mom and dad
with two holly plants left by “Santa” for them. We ripped through the
wrapped presents Christmas morning, of course. Then there were the
stockings. They were full of lots of fun little toys, jewelry, candy
(including the accordion hard candy that stuck to the felt of the
stocking – yuk!) and one child-specific gift. As the younger (bratty)
sister, I was usually jealous of my older sister’s stocking gift. My
favorite memory, which I’ve shared more than once, was when Mom
made red-hot applesauce (melting spicy cinnamon candies into
applesauce) in her only large saucepan. She then washed it and used
it to make the mashed potatoes. But apparently the food coloring had
remained in the pot, so we had pink mashed potatoes. Dad kept
commenting about them, but we three girls kept denying that they
were anything other than perfectly white mashed potatoes. –Julia
West
One of my favorite Christmas memories is my family going to get our
very first puppy on Christmas Eve. My mom scared the living
daylights out of me by calling up the shop where I was working to say
that there was a family emergency and she was coming to pick me up
immediately. Once my family picked me up and assured me that there
was no real emergency, we drove far outside the city to pick up the
puppy my mom had chosen weeks before. The fact that my sister and
I were teenagers at the time in no way diminished the excitement of
watching a new puppy clumsily explore the presents on Christmas
morning. As far as the Christmas job that I so abruptly left, I never
returned. –Jackie Unser
I have two special Christmas memories from my childhood. Early each
December, I looked forward to going with my Daddy to choose the
perfect Christmas tree. For hours we traipsed place to place in search
of that perfect tree. And if that almost perfect tree was even a little bit
skimpy in one or two spots, Daddy would buy extra boughs, drill holes
in the trunk and make that tree perfect. We were so proud! When I
was five, Santa brought me a beautiful doll with blonde hair. When I
was six, Santa brought me a beautiful doll with brown hair, and sitting
next to her under the tree was the first doll wearing a gorgeous new
dress that my Mom had made. Every Christmas after that, both dolls
would be under the tree with new dresses that Mom lovingly created. I
still have the dolls and their gowns, and my granddaughters all adore
the dolls, and hearing the story about their Great-Grandma. –Dianne
Gushleff
Every year on Christmas Eve, when my family and I would return
from Christmas Eve mass, there would be a brand new pair of
pajamas (usually holiday patterned) on our beds for me and my
siblings to sleep in that night. It was always so exciting to come home
and have that surprise waiting for us, since it was the first present of
Christmas. None of us could ever figure out how my mom was so
sneaky and laid them out on our beds before church – but she did a
great job. The tradition still lives on to this day…since yes, I still live
at home. –Megan Geisz
My family followed a German Christmas tradition where Santa
brought the Christmas tree on Christmas night. As a “believer” there
was nothing more magical than waking up and seeing lights flickering
in the hallway, revealing that the tree and presents were there. When
we were old enough, we were then able to stay up late and decorate
the tree for my younger siblings. That was almost equally as exciting,
and it always ended in a trip to Taco Bell for some reason. Donnie
and I continue the tree tradition, but we substitute adult beverages
for the Taco Bell. –Greta Bohnenkamp
My brother and I were really close to two of my cousins growing up.
Sadly, they moved to Kansas City when I was ten, and they couldn’t
come to St. Louis the following Christmas. After a great Christmas
Eve and Christmas morning, my parents asked my brother and me to
rate our Christmas on a scale of 1-10. We both agreed it was a “9” and
that the only thing missing was our cousins. My parents responded
with, “Well, then let’s go see them!” and brought out our already-
packed suitcases. We hurried to the train station and rode the train to
Kansas City! When we arrived, we took a cab to my cousin’s house
and pretended to be Christmas carolers on their front porch.
Everyone was so surprised and happy to see us! I’ll never forget it.
Good job, Mom and Dad. –Meg Hornof
My favorite holiday memory is decorating our Christmas tree each
year when I was a child. We’d drink hot chocolate (the REAL kind
that you make with milk, chocolate and sugar in a sauce pan) and stir
it with candy canes while we hung lights and ornaments on the tree.
We listened to the Carpenters Christmas album and the Willie Nelson
Christmas album. I still love every song on both of those cds. Then
we’d turn off all the lights in the house, lay on the floor, listen to the
music and watch the lights on the tree twinkle. It was so peaceful and
great. –Ellie White
Every year on (or day after depending on how we felt) Thanksgiving
my family would put up the Christmas Tree and watch Christmas
Vacation! I love that movie. –Sara Sisk
My best Christmas memory was coming down the stairs and spying a
pink play kitchen complete with broom, dustpan and ironing board.
It's no wonder I was a stay-at-home mom for so many years! –Amy
Varble
My favorite memory comes from my childhood. My family always
celebrated one night of Chanukah with another family whose kids
were the same age as me and my brother. We played traditional
games like spin the draydel, but also played silly games. I still
remember the year the dads laid on the floor and the kids stacked
paper cups on their stomachs. Every time the dads laughed, the cups
fell and we all thought that was hilarious! I miss that kind of simple
fun!! –Lynda Berkowitz
My favorite holiday memory is sledding with my mom over Christmas
break (when or if it snowed). My mom loved to go sledding and would
always find an excuse to be outside when all the kids were on the hill
outside the house where I grew up. She was still getting out there
before her heart attack in 1982 (at the age of 60) and really missed it
after that. We used to have so much fun! I guess that’s why I love the
snow so much. –Susie Whaley
My favorite holiday memories are from when I was a child. My family
would go to a Christmas Tree Farm and cut down our own tree. Once
we got home with our new tree, it was always an adventure; we would
have hot chocolate and decorate the tree while Christmas music was
playing in the background. –Andrea Osman
My favorite holiday memory is my dad walking through the house
signing Joy to the World at 5am Christmas morning. –Donita Gibbs