Christmas Day

Christmas Day has always been about children. I should add that it has always been secular. We have never been about religion in anyway shape or form and that is how we raised our children. We had a children's bible in the house for the stories and that was about it. For us Christmas was a different sort of celebration. A family tradition of getting together. Still is except for this pandemic year.

When our children were small we would get up in the morning and open presents. After breakfast it would be a day of playing with toys until it was time to go to dinner at Aunt Rose's house where the Koenig's and Catanzaro's would gather for Christmas dinner. It always seemed to snow too.

Later we would go to Tom and Diane's for dinner on Christmas Day. When our kids became adults and got married then the Christmas Day celebrations got a little more complicated with in-law responsibilities. Both of our kids usually stayed overnight at our house after our Christmas Eve dinner and family gathering and then would have breakfast with us while opening presents. Then they were off to their other families. Sean and Ashely would usually be gone for the day but sometimes Katie and Todd would show up at Tom and Diane's for a little while before heading home. Especially after Henry was born. It was always a good time.

I would also have a phone call with my family in Philly sometime during the day and especially when my mother was alive. Over the years we had decided to limit our trips to see the family in Philly to the spring, summer or fall and not during the winter holidays. That worked out better for us because we could spend more time and not have the hassles of driving in winter weather. There were also often many times when we would not get to see everybody because they would be off visiting their in-laws. Eventually it made sense to visit my family during non-holiday times and then everyone would be around to get together.

Christmas day growing up in Germantown was always chaotic. When we were very little Mom and Dad would send us up to bed to wait for Santa Claus after hanging up our stockings on the mantle. We would also set up cookies and milk for Santa. I didn't seem to matter that we didn't have a chimney or fireplace. Then Dad would get the Christmas tree and set it up including the trains that ran around the base of the tree. We would come down in the morning to see the tree for the first time surrounded with gifts. The stockings hanging from the mantle would be full. We would play, play and play until it was time to go to church. As I got older the ritual changed and I helped trim the tree after returning from midnight mass where I sang in the choir. 

Later we would go to Mom-Mom's for Christmas dinner and we would get more gifts from her and her sisters Aunt Mary and Aunt Francis.