Christmas and Easter Memories (Jeanne)

Eileen always had us set up the manger scene at Christmas time with all the figures except baby Jesus. He was usually on her dresser in the bedroom, awaiting Christmas morning. When we were kids, she would allow us to put in a piece of straw each time we did a chore, or something kind, or generally had a positive attitude. I remember loving to "get" to put straw in the creche and kept busy with different jobs around the house to earn the privilege.

On Christmas morning, we would make a procession throughout the house. I got to be in front since I was the youngest. (In later years, it was one of the grandchildren in front.) We sang "Silent Night" and held candles as we walked to get the baby Jesus and bring him to the manger.

During Lent, she would cut a branch from the lilac bushes and "plant" it in dirt in a vase that Louise still has - green and antique-looking. She would hang purple colored empty eggs from the branches. They had the symbols of the crucifixion story on them. On Easter Sunday, she would change to the brightly-colored eggs with symbols of Jesus' resurrection. It seemed to me that the branch bloomed out (in leaves) overnight!

I've tried replicating the Easter egg tree, but I keep killing my lilac branch with inattention between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday! I will try to do a better job next year. My mom rocked this!

Comments

Raspberries (Jeanne)

I just picked and ate some raspberries. It reminded me of something my son Alex recently said. I had asked him, what is a memory you have of Grandma Eileen? The first thing that came to mind for him was raspberries. he remembered her offering him some vanilla ice cream with raspberries on top. I thought that was a sweet answer (literally and figuratively!). I grew up with both raspberries and lilacs in plentiful amounts. I remember my mom using her big soup pot with handles to collect the berries. I didn't like how they got squashed in there, though. I preferred to just pick and eat. I also don't like my raspberries chilled . . . fresh off the plant is my preference. But my mother liked to collect them and put them in the fridge. And put them on vanilla ice cream. It makes me happy to remember this. The photo is from our plants at Strawberry Lake. There weren't many red ones left because I'd already picked and eaten so many! Also, the deer f...

Slippers (Ann)

A game we played with Eileen was to take her slippers and run around the dining/living room and kitchen. Once? we put the slipper in the freezer. Fun for us, but for her?

Hair Washing (Jeanne)

I don't remember what brought this to mind recently, but when I was a little kid I hated having my hair washed. I think I was four, five, six years old . . . and my mom would have me lay on the washing machine on my back, hanging my head out over the washtub. She would scrub my scalp with a vengeance. It hurt! In hindsight, I think she was actually getting out some of her frustrations by doing this. I just knew that I didn't like having my hair washed. Being the "oopsy" baby and knowing that my mom was busy with teaching full time, running the household, etc. I think she was less than thrilled by raising a little kid when her others were heading into their teens. I wish I'd thought to ask her about this and see how she remembered this. I don't think she was intentionally being hurtful to me. The past is in the past. I'll put a picture of "little" me here. (I couldn't find a pic of me as a preschooler, so I just grabbed my baby pic.) Most of m...

Eileen and Larry Somers

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