Miz Minka has written a lovely post about a Christmas tradition she grew up with in Germany—Saint Nicholas Day. Where I grew up, traditions were built around December 24th and 25th with no thought to what went on in other cultures on other days. When I was little I really did believe Santa Claus flew around the world all in one night because I thought everyone celebrated the same way I did. Now, of course, I know not everyone does celebrate Christmas the same way or even celebrates at all, so I have a better understanding of how Santa is able to deliver so many presents in one night.I grew up about an hour from Chicago, and every year about this time the grade school teachers would shove us all on buses with our sack lunches and permission slips from home and take us to The Museum of Science and Industry. It is an amazing place year round, but at Christmas, it is magic. The museum exhibits a hall of decorated trees representing countries from around the world. It began in the 40s as a way to honor the allies, and there were only twelve trees that year. Now, there are over 50, and residents of Chicago decorate them in some significant fashion to represent the culture and tradition of each country.
I have lots of fond memories of Christmas as a child, but one that I really treasure is the memory of standing in the rotunda of the Museum of Science and Industry surrounded by giant decorated trees. We were small-town children bundled up in our coats and scarves and name tags, and our voices echoed through the hall to make us feel small. But for that one day, we were exposed to children from places like Russia and Japan and Brazil, if only by the unique ornaments on the trees that represented their countries. For that one day, we were part of Christmas Around the World.
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I wasn't allowed to have friends who weren't Catholic, and later not allowed to date non-Catholics.
I believe this is how you produce a lesbian......:)
Beautiful tree that, Robyn. You're right when we were small the idea of other people celebrating in different ways didn't come up.
Lynn's right. When I was a kid, we assumed everybody else got to do the same things at Christmas: argue about who played what in the Nativity Play and find an orange and a walnut in a sock at the foot of our bed on Christmas morning.
I wish it were still like that.
I still do stockings for all three boys even though the eldest is nearly 21. Pah! Who cares. I'll still be doing them when they're forty.
I can imagine the impression that must have made on you!