CHRISTMAS: TRADITIONS

As a child, part of a good-sized Swedish family, the Big Event was Christmas Eve. Don't know how many of us we were--- my mother was one of five children, all married, all had children, my cousins, some were older enough than me to have their own children, my second cousins..... And we all got together at my grandparents, Mommo and Moppa. (Mother's Mother and Mother's Father in Swedish) 

The amount of food was incredible. Long tables, placed together, filled with traditional Swedish foods, made especially for Christmas. I can still remember what they were called, how they smelled and tasted..... vast quantities. Rice pudding, meatballs (Swedish style),smoked and baked and pickled fishes, different kinds of sausages, vegetable puddings, sweet & sour red cabbage, dilly beans, head cheeses..... breads..... and then the tables full of desserts afterwards. Cookies and pies and cakes and fruit and nuts.....

Course we children wanted to get all that out of the way BECAUSE after the supper, Santa Claus came to the house, and hysterical excitement ensued, as he gave each child one present!!!! 

Not long after that we went home. And awaited Santa's coming during the night, and more presents in the morning! With a traditional Christmas breakfast of "busca kaka" which is hard boiled eggs mashed with butter and spread on flat rye bread. Tons of coffee AND fruit. Delicious!

Traditional Christmas Day Dinner for Swedes.... and Christmas Day is more "laid back" than the Eve, is Ham. And Fixings. 

Childhood memories. If they weren't in my head, I'd think they were somebody else's. Seems like such a LONG time ago. Different era. My grandparents were the last of the Victorians; they had been born in the 1880s, came to this country around 1910. Both long gone now.

As the original Swedish family got overly large and the grandparents got too elderly, we all met in our smaller family groups. With my own husbands and kids, tried working out their family traditions and mine, tried to visit their people and mine. It was relatively easy with my second husband, as his family was also of Swedish descent, so we had the same sort of food & experience expectations. Including going to church. We always went to the midnight service, even at St Peter's when the kids were small, as the oldest loved the music and the youngest stretched out and fell asleep in the pew. 

The last few years have been tough. My dad passed away in 2001. My life completely fell apart. Being at the Haven, every year was different, different women. Usually I had 1-3 to bring to my mother's in Worcester with me (bless her heart, she always welcomes whoever it was). Sometimes I saw my kids and sometimes not. When I moved back to Salem and mom moved there with me, we carried on the Swedish traditions, on a small scale. We'd have the rice pudding, meatballs, smoked salmon, pickled herring, sweet & sour red cabbage, dilly beans, bread.... and then cookies. 

The last Christmas of her life--- didn't know it was to be at the time--- she was in a nursing home for rehab from CHF and I cooked the entire menu as just described, wrapped it up, and my brother, myself & Jack brought it to her room and ate it with her. She was so happy!

Her being gone the next Christmas--- I had no idea what to do. No heart to make the Swedish food, and anyway I'm not Swedish. So I think we had Pizza & Buffalo Wings. It was OK, for that year. Again, each year since has been different. A couple times we were at Carl's, once at Debbie's, and last year at Tom's. My brother spends Christmas Eve with us, stays overnight, and I make Christmas dinner. I don't care to do turkey again so soon after Thanksgiving, I usually do Roast Beef, last year I did the Ham. (Don't usually do pork of any kind--- not kosher--- but Kenny had unexpectedly requested it, and Tom & Joanne were with us, as was Fran. No complaints) 

This year I'm going to modify the Swedish traditions for my brother, myself & my husband-- unexpectedly my brother requested this--- so will make Swedish Meatballs with the light gravy (the meatballs are made with rye bread crumbs, some cinnamon, nutmeg, crushed cardammon) and the gravy is a bit creamy and one of the ingredients is strong black coffee), on Noodles, sweet & sour Red Cabbage, dilly beans, bread, and cookies. 

Maybe we will have the granddaughter over when we bake the cookies--- then I have two children to help with that!!!

We've been to different churches for Christmas Eve. Last year we went to Wesley, in Salem---- it was like a family reunion for me! My son and daughter-in-law came--- we were surprised but pleased to see each other there. And later, we went to my stepson's. 

We've decided to do the same again--- light supper, as described, early, then church at Wesley, then to the stepson's again. Stepdaughter and her daughter will be there too! I'll make cinnamon buns for breakfast on Christmas Day, and Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding for dinner. It will be just the three of us--- my son & daughter-in-law will be seeing their fathers for Christmas, and my oldest  will go to Worcester to be with his father and that family, and maybe the stepchildren will stop by late in the afternoon for coffee & dessert.

And then, thankfully, it will be OVER, for another year.

Briefly- almost everything we cherish about Christmas is PAGAN in origin, just as our roots are. The date was set by the Church centuries ago at the time of Solstice to take away from that pagan energy. Didn't work obviously. Jesus WAS born, probably in the spring- hence the shepards out in the fields with their flocks. AND if He had not died and been risen from death- for us- it wouldn't matter about his birth.