Christmas memories are a rich heritage

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/12/2020 (1657 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Of all the special days in our lives, Christmas evokes the most memories. Images that flash through our minds when the festive season approaches are often fixed on material things—ornaments of glistening crystal thin as paper, garlands of cranberries draped gracefully around the tree and decorated cookies—that trigger images of a family gathering around a table laden with food or spending an evening with a good friend. A softly lit church steeple soaring into the midnight sky or a row of houses with frosty roofs glittering in the morning sun may bring back memories of special events in the community.

It is interesting to note that things we remember are often fragile—the garland of cranberries breaks and the crystal shatters. They are gone forever, but the images remain fixed in our memory. And a mere word or aroma can instantly bring whole scenes to mind, complete with the very words spoken or feelings experienced at the time—and these are the things that ultimately make memories special.

This year with the usual festive activities and outings cancelled, we may need to reach back to recall special Christmases of the past. Share them with your family so they also become part of their memory stream.

Tabletop tree

I recall Christmases of my childhood that still bring laughter or tears or simply nostalgic feelings of warm family times. Candy trays will instantly bring to mind food connected with the season such as the cornflake-coated marshmallows Mom made only at Christmas. I remember the white plastic tabletop tree that came out every year in mid-December which we decorated with coloured gumdrops amidst great hilarity. Every year there were fewer sharp tips to hold the candy as they broke off one by one until the year the tree had none!

I remember the magical feeling of Christmas Eve when year after year under the blue lights of the tree (always blue), my sister and I presented a program of songs and plays (with each of us taking multiple parts) and Mom or Dad reading the well-known Christmas story from Luke 2.

I recollect the merry chaos in the living room every Christmas morning just after we had opened the presents. There were ribbons, squashed paper wads and orange peels underfoot and someone was always dashing to the phone comparing notes with a friend while the rest tinkered with gadgets and started board games. Suddenly the radio would cut in and Mom would say, “Hush everyone, the Queen.” Immediately a dead silence fell over the house as Queen Elizabeth in her clipped British accent gave Christmas greetings to the Commonwealth. Our celebration was not complete without hearing her well wishes.

Mixed emotions

I remember the time I came home for the holidays from the north where I was teaching, flying hundreds of miles over desolate territory. I recall with what mixed emotions I sat down at the Christmas dinner table—I loved my family more than I ever had, and I wept at the thought of leaving home again.

Then there was the year I didn’t come home for the holidays, but was determined to enjoy the customs of a German Christmas. While the Christmas Eve meal of spaghetti seemed entirely “unfestive” to me and opening gifts alone beside the tree was completely wrong, I joined a group of carolers and started a new and lasting friendship over a cup of hot chocolate which more than made up for what was lacking.

It’s important for parents to make memories for their children by carrying on traditions that connect them to the past—thus forging a chain that goes far back in time. At the same time we need to add new and meaningful experiences kids and grandkids will find pleasure in recalling years down the road. This Christmas will spawn memories of its own—unique ones that will be woven into the fabric of our memory store.