The area for the tree is almost clear and we’ll probably decorate Saturday. We’ve had the tree a couple of weeks in the stand keeping it watered until we could get things rearranged. In watching a TV ad this morning, I was reminded of something from growing up. I don’t know who all had this and remembers. We had a special nut bowl made of wood with a center round piece where the nutcracker and six picks fit into. The grocery store carried bags of almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, and walnuts in shells and the bowl stayed in use from Thanksgiving through Christmas. (New Year’s was not really a thing for us.) Even though we did often have pecans during the year (lots of orchards around us), this particular blend was only available during the holidays.

I may have posted before that Christmas Eve was always at my maternal grandparents with the gift exchange of having drawn someone’s name at Thanksgiving. It was more a “grazing event” than meal with extra sweets. Papaw gave each grandchild a stocking filled with fireworks and that was the climax of the evening. (Lots of room in the backyard for the roman candles.) Then it was back there for Christmas noon meal. It seems to me Christmas morning was cinnamon rolls after opening presents, although I may be mis-remembering that one.

When I began to work parttime at a department store I would arrive for Christmas Eve later due to closing time and the drive over, but the store was not open in the days where basically nothing was as there were no 7-11 type places then.

Since the kids don’t come down now until after Christmas, our tradition is quiet morning and usually day if the friends who do the dinner have everyone in at 6:00. If it’s a noon meal, that gets us home around 4:00 for a quiet evening. The New Year’s Eve party we do will be small this year as two of the couples have moved away.