Advent Calendar : Holiday Foods

Did your family or ancestors serve traditional dishes for the holidays? Was there one dish that was unusual?


For the most part, our family had the traditional dishes at Christmas.  One dish I remember was the jello that my grandmother made.  I remember that it was lime jello with some type of nuts and whipped cream.  I will have to see if mom still knows what that recipe was.  


One thing that Grandma Wright's Christmas was known for was the red punch.  Always served in big punch bowl with Santa mugs.


Grandma LeMaster always cooked big meals - mashed potatoes, noodles, probably ham, deviled eggs as well, I can't really remember.


Dad just remembers having big meals for the holidays.  


Mom remembers going to Grandma Wright's as soon as her dad came home from working at the Post Office.  She can't remember what they ate, but it was probably ham.  Then they went to Anderson to Grandpa Lambertson's and Helen's house where she had party food.


Mom said her mom always had Christmas punch.  At first, it was red punch but when they realized that it made all the grandchildren have 'red' mouths for pictures she switched to a green punch, which mom still serves every year as a tradition.  My niece Lauren asks for it at every holiday.

Christmas Punch

Makes 36 servings 

2 cups sugar                                    6 cups water

3 packages lemon-lime koolaide         2 liters lemon-lime soda

3 cups pineapple-grapefruit juice*       1 quart lime sherbet

1/3 cup lemon juice

About 2 hours before serving, stir half of the lime sherbet in punch bowl to soften.  Mix sugar, koolaide, juices and water together in large pitcher.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  (This could be done ahead of time and chilled).  Blend into the sherbet that is in the punch bowl.  Scoop remaining sherbet on top.  Carefully pour in 7-Up or any lemon-lime carbonated beverage.

*If pineapple-grapefruit juice is not available, mix 1 1/2 cups of pineapple juice and 1 1/2 cups of grapefruit juice.

** Freeze 7-Up ice cubes with drained marschino cherries in the middle for color.

Advent Calendar : The Christmas Tree

Did you have a real tree of was it artificial?  How big was the tree?  Who decorated the tree?  What types of Christmas trees did your ancestors have?


As a kid, most years our family used an artificial tree, though I do remember one year using a live tree.  The live tree left a mess with lots of needles.


As an adult, we've always had an artificial tree.  I started out using one that was handed down to me, but when it became too worn I picked up a good deal on one at an "after-Christmas" sale that we've used for the last few years.


Our trees were probably 6 feet tall or so.  As a kid, the tree seemed really tall. 


Growing up, we would put up and decorate the tree around my mom's birthday, on the 10th or so.  Everyone would help decorate.  I can remember having both a rotating star (60s relic - wish still had) and an angel for a tree topper.  


As an adult, we seem so busy that we put up the tree when we can.  This year it is not up yet, which seems later than normal.  Usually right after Thanksgiving it will go up.

I asked my mom about her Christmas tree memories as well:

I can remember having a real tree as a child.   The artifical trees became popular and so we started having one.   I think my dad did the lights and with my mom decorated it.   We put our tree up on Dec. 10th, my birthday, therefore it was only up about 2 weeks.   Mom took it down right after Christmas.   Our trees were green but I think one year we had an aluminum tree with the color wheel.   My mom liked to decorate and later her trees were all done in gold decorations.