Made by my Mom, many years ago. Beautiful color, still, as it is carefully packed year round. Completely hand made, the front image is all needlepoint.
Showing posts with label Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. Show all posts
18 December 2012
14 December 2012
ACCM: Fruitcake - Friend or Foe?
Fruitcake.
Fruit Cake.
Fruit + Cake.
No.
Mom used to make fruitcake for her side of the family every year. She would gather all the elements; the containers of horrible looking syrupy fruit, walnuts, the foil pans to cook and then mail them all in (across the entire country, I may add). She would spend a day - an entire day! - making these cakes. Every year, the answer was the same, "well, they all really enjoy it," "they're expecting my fruitcake." The amount of work she put in was, for me, watching from the sidelines, staggering.
I remember one year, we had an extra, and after a couple days, Dad used it as a door stop to unload the groceries into the car. No one would eat it, and being the practical man he is, he just found another use for it. Pretty sure he was smart enough to remove it from the doorway before Mom got home from work.
I have no photos of these cakes. I cannot imagine any of us ever thinking at the time they were photo worthy. I'm not sure that Mom ever even ate them. She just made them, ritualistically, and sent them off. What the relatives in Alabama did with them, I'll never know. Sure, I could ask, but I'm just not going to open that Pandora's box. Just. Not. Going. To.
Not being a fan of any cake that includes a fruit, I always questioned the validity of cake combined with fruit. It's suspicious, in nature, and deserves hesitation at the least, before consumption. This even goes so far as to include the classics, such as strawberry short cake and Angel Food cake, which in my house, was always topped with whipped cream and fruit. The only exception is a nice chocolate confection with a few pieces of fruit as a garnish, but certainly not as the main attraction.
Admittedly, when I smell a fruit cake, it takes me back. Back to my Mom's blue kitchen, with her own sense of cluttered organization. It reminds me of the gingerbread cookies and other treats that usually came soon after. Floods me with memories.
There really is nothing like fruitcake.
Fruit Cake.
Fruit + Cake.
No.
Mom used to make fruitcake for her side of the family every year. She would gather all the elements; the containers of horrible looking syrupy fruit, walnuts, the foil pans to cook and then mail them all in (across the entire country, I may add). She would spend a day - an entire day! - making these cakes. Every year, the answer was the same, "well, they all really enjoy it," "they're expecting my fruitcake." The amount of work she put in was, for me, watching from the sidelines, staggering.
I remember one year, we had an extra, and after a couple days, Dad used it as a door stop to unload the groceries into the car. No one would eat it, and being the practical man he is, he just found another use for it. Pretty sure he was smart enough to remove it from the doorway before Mom got home from work.
I have no photos of these cakes. I cannot imagine any of us ever thinking at the time they were photo worthy. I'm not sure that Mom ever even ate them. She just made them, ritualistically, and sent them off. What the relatives in Alabama did with them, I'll never know. Sure, I could ask, but I'm just not going to open that Pandora's box. Just. Not. Going. To.
Not being a fan of any cake that includes a fruit, I always questioned the validity of cake combined with fruit. It's suspicious, in nature, and deserves hesitation at the least, before consumption. This even goes so far as to include the classics, such as strawberry short cake and Angel Food cake, which in my house, was always topped with whipped cream and fruit. The only exception is a nice chocolate confection with a few pieces of fruit as a garnish, but certainly not as the main attraction.
Admittedly, when I smell a fruit cake, it takes me back. Back to my Mom's blue kitchen, with her own sense of cluttered organization. It reminds me of the gingerbread cookies and other treats that usually came soon after. Floods me with memories.
There really is nothing like fruitcake.
 |
| Mom, ca. 1967 Personal archives of the author. |
10 December 2012
ACCM: December 10, Christmas Gifts
Throughout the month of December, I will happily be participating in the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories blogging prompts, from Geneabloggers.
December 10, 2012: Christmas Gifts
After my grandparents retired, and before Grandpa got too sick, they spent their winter's in Palm Springs, California. When I was quite young, I just knew that they were gone, and that my Dad had to go to their house down the road every once in a while to check in on things. I missed Grandma's cookies.
Each year, though, without fail, they would send us an entire box of grapefruits.
I hated grapefruit.
To me, it was always, the "dreaded grapefruit."
Mom would make me eat at least one of them, and I would pile so much sugar on that thing, you were hard pressed to tell what it was. I don't know that any of us were ever really huge fans of the fruit, but there it was anyway, sitting in our kitchen.
Looking back, of course, it would be grand to have someone send me an entire box of fresh fruit from the heat of California! Now living in Colorado, we truly appreciate good produce during a long, cold winter.
After my grandparents retired, and before Grandpa got too sick, they spent their winter's in Palm Springs, California. When I was quite young, I just knew that they were gone, and that my Dad had to go to their house down the road every once in a while to check in on things. I missed Grandma's cookies.
Each year, though, without fail, they would send us an entire box of grapefruits.
_white_bg.jpg) |
| Image courtesy: Wikipedia. |
I hated grapefruit.
To me, it was always, the "dreaded grapefruit."
Mom would make me eat at least one of them, and I would pile so much sugar on that thing, you were hard pressed to tell what it was. I don't know that any of us were ever really huge fans of the fruit, but there it was anyway, sitting in our kitchen.
Looking back, of course, it would be grand to have someone send me an entire box of fresh fruit from the heat of California! Now living in Colorado, we truly appreciate good produce during a long, cold winter.
 |
| My grandmother, Elsie, closest to the Christmas tree. Christmas season, 1962-1963. Personal archives of author. |
01 December 2012
ACCM: December 1, The Christmas Tree
Throughout the month of December, I will happily be participating in the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories blogging prompts, from Geneabloggers.
December 1, 2012: The Christmas Tree
.jpg) |
| Winter in Enumclaw, Washington. Photo Copyright M.T. Photo, used with permission. |
Oh, the tree. One of my favorite things. I grew up in rural Washington state, southeast of Seattle. Dairy cows, logging and a pickle factory dominated my childhood environment commercial world. We lived on about two acres of land, less than a mile from my Grandparents home and the farm they retired from. With Mt. Rainier constantly in our sights, my outdoor world was incredibly important to me. Bringing the outside in for a week or so at Christmas was a true joy.
Our tree was always this: short, stout and still alive. We purchased tree's that still had the root ball attached, tree's that you had to water every day so it would remain healthy enough through a week in the house. We typically brought it in just a day or two before Christmas Eve, and decorating was always a family ordeal. It meant more than just the tree, it was the nativity scene, the decorations around the rest of the house. Meeting the objective of making the house feel like Christmas.
The tree was short. We had a large tub it sat in, usually on top of the coffee table, and a home made tree skirt was draped around to cover it, and make it "pretty." The angel on top was the same each year, fragile and delicate; my parents still have her. Tinsel, lights, ornamental balls... we all had our special favorites. I had a white wooden stocking, with a picture of a bear hanging out the top. Sometime during my childhood, I really don't know when, it was a craft project of sorts, and I glued my initials to it. It hangs on my tree today.
 |
| My childhood ornament, a little worn, but still with me. Photo copyright Ancestral Journeys, 2012. |
After Christmas day, as in, the day after, the tree was taken apart. Dismantled, and everything packed back up. It was important that it was done efficiently, because the tree was still alive. Dad would have prepped the spot, sometimes we helped him pick, sometimes not. The tree was taken outside and put in the ground, where it would grow. It would be our Christmas tree for years. The entire front border of the property was lined with trees, from year's of special holidays.
 |
| Image taken in the 1920's or 30s. Notice, not a single tree in front of the house. Personal archives of author. |
.jpg) |
| Photo taken about 1976-1977, when my parents were the perspective buyers. My grandparents took the picture and sent it to my parents. Personal archives of author. |
.jpg) |
| The entire property, year unknown. Notice the start of the tree collection along the road at the very front of the property. Copyright M.T. Photo, used with permission. |
.jpg) |
| The front yard as I remember it. It's stamped May 1985, so the smaller tree center right would have been a recent addition, possibly from December, 1984. Copyright M.T. Photo, used with permission. |
30 November 2012
Powerful Memories in December
December may prove to be a very interesting month for me.
Personally, there is a significant amount of change in our lives right now, and it's only going to get more chaotic before we reach 2013. It's a challenge and a promise of better things to come. There are a few people in my life that I am concerned about, and December may just answer the ongoing, stressful questions that arise in their situations.
It is, also, a time for family. We have our own traditions as a family, some of which have already played out this year. On the 28th of November we celebrate a birthday in our family with our annual "first day on the slopes" (unless, of course, there is an awesome powder day before hand, then we just pretend), and we go snowboarding. This year, we took our daughter for her first runs on a board, and she had a blast. At three and a half years, it was amazing to watch her jump into it with 100% confidence and laugh and giggle all the way down the hill.
I'm pretty big on traditions. I absolutely loved it when I was in high school, and my father was still making us wait for him to get his hot chocolate and for Mom to get her coffee before we could start opening gifts. I loved it that, even as "big kids", we had to pick someone to sit at the base of the tree and pass out a present to each person, then we could all unwrap together. I loved it that no matter how old I got, on Christmas morning, I was still just their little girl. The littlest, actually.
I loved that we went to my Aunt's house every year for Christmas dinner, that we celebrated Christmas Eve Mass and then drove around town, looking at all the lights. That we ended that special night with our own hot chocolate in Mom's special Santa mugs, that only came out on Christmas Eve. I love that no matter what our situation, our family made it special.
So, I absolutely adore the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, presented by Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers. What an amazing idea! Blogging prompts are provided for every day of the month, leading up to the 25th. If you haven't seen this yet, please do take a look. Share your holiday memories, one day at a time!
Here's two of my favorite memories. I've posted the group photo before, I believe, but it dates to 1980 and includes myself, my two sisters, and one of our cousins. I'm the one with the doll.
And, me and my big brother. Not sure on the exact date of this one, but it had to be around 1990 somewhere. He is playing Santa Claus at the annual pancake breakfast, which was a fundraiser for the high school band program that all four of us heavily participated in. Behind me is one of my sister's. My parents were also very involved in the program, as members of the "Band Boosters" for several years, and we were all recruited to participate in events like this. Which explains my apron - I was probably stuck washing dishes.
Personally, there is a significant amount of change in our lives right now, and it's only going to get more chaotic before we reach 2013. It's a challenge and a promise of better things to come. There are a few people in my life that I am concerned about, and December may just answer the ongoing, stressful questions that arise in their situations.
 |
| My daughter and husband, working their way down the slope. I'm the shadow. Copyright Jen Baldwin, 2012. |
I'm pretty big on traditions. I absolutely loved it when I was in high school, and my father was still making us wait for him to get his hot chocolate and for Mom to get her coffee before we could start opening gifts. I loved it that, even as "big kids", we had to pick someone to sit at the base of the tree and pass out a present to each person, then we could all unwrap together. I loved it that no matter how old I got, on Christmas morning, I was still just their little girl. The littlest, actually.
I loved that we went to my Aunt's house every year for Christmas dinner, that we celebrated Christmas Eve Mass and then drove around town, looking at all the lights. That we ended that special night with our own hot chocolate in Mom's special Santa mugs, that only came out on Christmas Eve. I love that no matter what our situation, our family made it special.
So, I absolutely adore the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, presented by Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers. What an amazing idea! Blogging prompts are provided for every day of the month, leading up to the 25th. If you haven't seen this yet, please do take a look. Share your holiday memories, one day at a time!
Here's two of my favorite memories. I've posted the group photo before, I believe, but it dates to 1980 and includes myself, my two sisters, and one of our cousins. I'm the one with the doll.
And, me and my big brother. Not sure on the exact date of this one, but it had to be around 1990 somewhere. He is playing Santa Claus at the annual pancake breakfast, which was a fundraiser for the high school band program that all four of us heavily participated in. Behind me is one of my sister's. My parents were also very involved in the program, as members of the "Band Boosters" for several years, and we were all recruited to participate in events like this. Which explains my apron - I was probably stuck washing dishes.
I am very much looking forward to 25 days of memory lane. I hope you will join us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)