coming out of my shell

coming out of my shell

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Christmas Eve Memories

Christmas Eve was the high point in my youth. My large family exchanged presents from siblings on the night before Christmas. We would have a casual but special meal and all the cookies would come out of hiding. We walked in the dark to our parish church for midnight mass. There would be flowers, incense, and angels singing Latin from the choir. Christmas Eve was a celebration of the senses. 

My paternal grandmother came to our house early in the evening with her profound love, mystical kindness, homemade divinity candy, and peanut butter fudge (for crying out loud!). It was exciting to have her in our house. I can still hear her sweet, Tennessee drawl. I continue to feel her steadfast love. I'm not sure a better person ever walked this earth.

Grandpa wouldn't always come with her. Sadly, as he got older he became a cranky old misery guts. Oh well. Somebody's gotta play Scrooge.


She had just walked in.  I didn't even let her take off her coat before I took her picture.

33 comments:

  1. That was a lovely post, Colette. I have very similar memories. I did not have a grandmother, but I had the most wonderful aunt. These people always stay with us and the memories become even sweeter with the years that pass.

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  2. How good it is to have that special grandmother who knows the meaning of everything, and especially grandmotherly love.

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  3. We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve too since my Dad always had to Work on Christmas Morning and all of Christmas Day. He was in charge of the Mess Hall at the Base and the feeding of the Young G.I's that couldn't get Leave was something he took very seriously to make the Holidays {without their Families} as Special and Memorable as he could. Home-Made Divinity is something my Mother-In-Law made for us every Year too!

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    1. I wonder if anyone still makes divinity candy?

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    2. I don't know anyone that does now that my MIL has passed, she was 88 and in her Era I suppose many people did. I bought some but it's just not the same and I didn't like it.

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  4. Thank you for sharing that. It brings back memories of all the lovely people that crossed the doorstep in the holidays. Come and gone but leaving a sweet essence in their place.

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  5. I love how you loved your grandmother. The true gift of the season.

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  6. We always went to Mass on Christmas eve, Midnight Mass. I remember I was about 10 years old when the magic occurred. It was Mass, I'd been so many times, how could it be any different? We entered the church with cloudy skies and a bit over an hour later we walked out to a gentle blanket of snow. Far eastern Oregon magic, perfectly timed, on the night before Christmas.

    Merry Christmas to everyone.

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  7. My dad was like your grandpa. You are lucky to have known your grandma and to have those wonderful memories. Now I have to go look up divinity candy.

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  8. Divinity was my mother's favorite Christmas treat. We still make it for family on Christmas Eve.

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  9. You have the perfect role model there. What lovely memories.

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    1. She should have really given Grandma lessons to the masses.

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  10. A special memory of a special time. Golden.

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  11. Cranky old misery guts - could that be me, now or perhaps tomorrow? It's always difficult to imagine how one is perceived by others. Don't forget, by the way, Scrooge is redeemed

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    1. This is true (Scrooge redeemed), but that's because he changed.

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  12. Thank you for your Christmas memories. One of my older neighbor friends had that sweet Tennessee drawl, profound love, and mystical kindness. Your memories of your grandmother have reminded me of my friend who would be over 100 years old now if she were still alive.

    My mother had a well-used copy of The Joy of Cooking. In that book was the recipe that I used for making divinity. Now I'm wondering if I made it at my mother's suggestion. I don't remember hearing about it outside our family. Along with other treats, I remember that she made delicious fudge at Christmastime. I remember taking fudge from the tray in the refrigerator and then moving the other pieces around, thinking no one would know I had taken it. It was irresistible (-:

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    1. Great memory (moving the fudge around). I love that.

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  13. Divinity candy - recipe please! And such a loving tribute to your granny. All our loved ones are remembered at Christmas time.

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    1. Divinity

      2 ½ cups sugar
      ½ cup water
      ½ cup white syrup
      1 cup walnuts
      2 egg whites
      1 teaspoon vanilla
      Mix sugar, water and syrup. Cook until mixture spins a thread 3 inches long. Have egg whites beaten stiff. When mixture spins thread, pour slowly over stiffly beaten egg whites. ½ of mixture to stove and cook till it pops when you put a little in cold water. Then slowly pour over rest of mixture, beating all the time. Add nuts and vanilla, beat with spoon then till stiff enough. Put on greased board by spoonfuls

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    2. This is the recipe from my Grandma. When she says white syrup, I believe she means Karo. As for cooking it until the mixture spins a thread 3 inches long...I'm not sure that that's all about. You might do better to google a recipe with more modern terms. :)

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  14. I have always loved Christmas, but even more now that I'm a parent.

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  15. That was beautiful. Thank you for sharing these memories Merry Christmas!

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    1. Thanks, Jennifer. I know you had a treasured Southern Grandma, too.

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