Christmas with the Queens

Christmas with the Queens

Warm cookies, twinkling lights, caroling, decorations, community events, holiday dinners…  My childhood memories of Christmas involve so many extraordinary, magic-like things. 

I am grateful to be part of a family with deep-rooted traditions, and still to this day, are traditions I try to replicate for my immediate family. This season was never about the gifts but about being physically present and spending time with loved ones. 

My Christmas “season” started as a child, and even now as an adult, with getting our real tree right around Thanksgiving. My great-grandparents had planted, grown, and harvested Christmas trees. We would go to their home, run through the field of their planted Christmas trees, and try to find the “perfect” tree to decorate. 

Once we tagged the perfect tree, we’d grab the saw, cut it, and drag it back into the snow. My grandma always had some treats, like hot cocoa or candy, waiting for us when we returned to their barn area. It was always exciting and the best way to kick off the holiday season.

The first official weekend in December always marked Christmas in Croghan (now called Maple and Mistletoe). The community came together to celebrate the holiday season. We would walk down the main strip, where local stores and businesses would provide snacks, treats, and fun activities for the families. We could go down to the fire department, where Santa and Mrs. Claus were stationed, to get our chance to wish for our Christmas gift. You’d find sleigh-drawn wagons in the streets, taking families around the community and able to hear the Christmas caroling. It was a magical and beautiful place to be. 

My parents would have their house beautifully decorated, simple but elegant. They would string white lights on each window sill and put lights around our porch to light up our home. Stockings would hang down the stairway, and our beautiful advent calendar was hanging on our main kitchen door.

Our extended family on my mom’s side would pick a day to do all of our baking. We would bake and decorate everything from cookies to “buckeyes” (peanut butter balls), Chex mix, and brittles. It was a great way to spend time with family and ensure we had some good treats! I was excited this year because my oldest daughter was so helpful and thought baking our sugar cookies was the best thing ever. She did a great job helping me, and I will be sure to have her by my side with the next batch of cookies we make!

When the time for Christmas came around, it was always exciting and magical. My parents would ensure the reindeer food was sprinkled outside the night before and Santa’s cookies with milk. The following day, we’d wake up to see if the reindeer had come and to be sure Santa ate his cookies! We would find a small gift for us siblings to open together from Santa.
Once we opened our stockings and presents, we would travel between our grandparents’ homes to enjoy food and time together.

I don’t remember my presents or even what I ever asked for. It was never about what was under the tree for my family and me. My parents and extended family raised us to remember the season, to spread joy and help others around us, and to use this time as a “reset” of reconnecting; it was a wonderful time.

So today, all the tiny traditions, from baking cookies to spreading reindeer food in the yard, those memories are things I cherish deeply. The small traditions are what allowed me to connect and spend time with those I cared about. I will always hold on to those memories and want to create those magical moments with my family and friends now.

I wish that during the rest of your 2022 year, during your Christmas and holiday season, you find those special moments and make traditions to pass down from generation to generation as well. It is a really memorable and meaningful time; make every second count!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and I wish you a very Happy New Year!