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scottishlassInspired by a post I made on the m.i.t.m. forum:
A not so traditionally German Christmas time...
When I was little Yuletide would start on the first day on Advent where my great-grandmother and I would put together either a wreath or just an arrangement of fir bows and holly and then decorate it with nuts, oranges and apples spiced with cloves and lit the first big fat candle and big red tartan ribbons.
We got our real Christmas tree the last week before Christmas, store it on the verandah and would put it up on December 21st (Winter Solstice). The whole family would come together and we would decorate it on the 21st with straw ornaments and other glass and porcelain figures as well as Scottish tartan baubles and ribbons. We sung Christmas carols and were just merry. My great-grandparents had a little nativity scene which we would set up underneath the tree once it was decorated and then we would toast the tree with eggnog (and cocoa for us kids).
The tree would remain at our house well passed Hogmanay till January 6th, the day of the three Magi when we put all the adornments and decorations away again, keep part of the tree trunk as next year's Yule log and throw the rest away.
The whole of December was always a time to make merry, the whole family would come together most evenings and we would eat baked apples with cinnamon and raisins, short bread and drink cocoa and tea. Each evening someone either read a Christmas story, or made up one, and make more tree decorations (straw stars and papier-mâché baubles).
His Hubbiness (tm) and I are keeping to this tradition now and we've had a real tree ever since our first Christmas together though we don't keep a Yulelog anymore as we have neither fireplace nor hearth to burn it. But everything else is like in the days of my childhood. I asked Olly to tell me his family's Christmas traditions to incorporate his with mine but other than setting up a pre-decorated plastic tree, there were none. But now, Olly is a real Christmas fiend. He LOVES Christmas and if he could he would go crazy with decoration and presents so I have to restrain him otherwise we would live in a ChristmasWinterWonderLand. (no, honey, we DON't need a 7 foot inflattable snowman in our livingroom)
:)
A not so traditionally German Christmas time...
When I was little Yuletide would start on the first day on Advent where my great-grandmother and I would put together either a wreath or just an arrangement of fir bows and holly and then decorate it with nuts, oranges and apples spiced with cloves and lit the first big fat candle and big red tartan ribbons.
We got our real Christmas tree the last week before Christmas, store it on the verandah and would put it up on December 21st (Winter Solstice). The whole family would come together and we would decorate it on the 21st with straw ornaments and other glass and porcelain figures as well as Scottish tartan baubles and ribbons. We sung Christmas carols and were just merry. My great-grandparents had a little nativity scene which we would set up underneath the tree once it was decorated and then we would toast the tree with eggnog (and cocoa for us kids).
The tree would remain at our house well passed Hogmanay till January 6th, the day of the three Magi when we put all the adornments and decorations away again, keep part of the tree trunk as next year's Yule log and throw the rest away.
The whole of December was always a time to make merry, the whole family would come together most evenings and we would eat baked apples with cinnamon and raisins, short bread and drink cocoa and tea. Each evening someone either read a Christmas story, or made up one, and make more tree decorations (straw stars and papier-mâché baubles).
His Hubbiness (tm) and I are keeping to this tradition now and we've had a real tree ever since our first Christmas together though we don't keep a Yulelog anymore as we have neither fireplace nor hearth to burn it. But everything else is like in the days of my childhood. I asked Olly to tell me his family's Christmas traditions to incorporate his with mine but other than setting up a pre-decorated plastic tree, there were none. But now, Olly is a real Christmas fiend. He LOVES Christmas and if he could he would go crazy with decoration and presents so I have to restrain him otherwise we would live in a ChristmasWinterWonderLand. (no, honey, we DON't need a 7 foot inflattable snowman in our livingroom)
:)
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Date: 2004-12-02 02:26 pm (UTC)