I vividly remember getting ready to go to my grandma’s house on Christmas Eve! Our family consisted of mom, daddy, my older brother Mike, younger sister Vicki and me! We would all get dressed in our “Sunday best”; the girls in dresses, my dad and brother in a sport coat and dress slacks; often a tie. Mom was clever because she’d pack more casual attire for after dinner so we could be more relaxed. But she tried to impress upon us how important it was to dress for the occasion.
Mom tried to ‘hasten the pace’ and keep us on some type of schedule, but usually one of us would pose a problem. Oftentimes it was Mike. He was not a ‘social butterfly’ by any stretch and would balk at the idea of getting dressed up, or being told to put his sports collectibles away for the night. He hated it when the aunts and uncles would make comments such as ‘how you’ve grown since last time we saw you.’ Often it was only a few months since we’d been together, but Mike seemed to be a ‘constant grower’, which was an exception in our family. Dad was only 5’9” and Mike ended up at 6’3”! But somehow, we’d all be ready to go, presents neatly stacked in the trunk, mittens located and coats on, ready for the ride.
Of course, we sang carols along the way, all the favorites! The windows would be pretty steamed up by the time we got there. In attendance were my grandparents, 5 sets of aunts and uncles, 8 cousins, a few good friends of my grandparents that we’d call “aunt” and “uncle” out of respect.

The house was always warm and welcoming, a real Christmas tree with lots of ornaments (many of which I wish I had today), a fire in the fireplace, decorations everywhere. My grandparents lived in the upper of a duplex that my aunt and uncle owned and the celebrations were held in the lower part and basement. (I was much older when I learned that my grandparents had borrowed my aunt and uncle the money for the house with the proviso being that they could live there as long as they wanted. And both grandma and grandpa lived to be in the late 80’s.)
We’d start out going up to grandma’s place and turning the stairway, we’d always rush quickly past her sewing room. She had a dress form near the window and we’d always imagine she was a person standing by the window – at the time, pretty darn spooky! We’d enter the room, getting hugs from everyone. We were a very affection family. (Years later, my new sister-in-law would comment “you people hug every time you leave the room to go to the bathroom!”) I loved to sit in the big chair by grandma’s crystal lamp. It had a really pretty pattern, looked like prisms. I found out that when my parents were newlyweds, they had given it to my grandparents for Christmas. And as luck would have it, my grandma gave it to me for our home when we were newlyweds. We have it in our bedroom and it still makes me smile to look at it. It is a treasure.
When everyone was there, we’d have a toast to “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year” and the kids would have ginger ale in a fancy wine glass so we’d all feel special. It bubbled like champagne and tickled your nose. Then came the moment we’d all waited for – opening of the presents! One year was really special.

My grandparents gave each of their 6 children an envelope (this was way before the times of giving gift cards, so no one had a clue what was inside.) I clearly recall all of the adults hugging, kissing and even crying when they opened them up.

The kids were confused and nothing was said for quite a while. I found out several months later that my grandparents had decided to give a little of the ‘estate’ early so they could actually watch the faces of their children, rather than being gone and unable to do that. They gifted each couple $1,000, which was huge in those days and still is a lot today. We got a new TV, one that did not need to be pounded to keep the picture still, and each of us got a new winter coat, even mom, who often was the last to get new things.

I think of that often, the concept of being able to see the reaction ‘in person’, it was a wonderful gesture and for my grandparents who came here from Austria in the early 1900s with virtually the clothes on their backs and a duffel bag, this was quite an accomplishment.
After the gift-giving we’d head down to Uncle Al’s basement/rec room for dinner.

Nicely decorated with a tree, lots of lights and the Christmas cards all hung on a ‘line. There’d be more toasting (a few of my uncles probably really got ‘toasted’) and they’d play the stereo and we’d dance for hours. About midnight it was time to go home, exhausted, happy and filled with more memories.
Today I sit here smiling, waiting for my family to arrive. Two beautiful daughters and their wonderful husbands, five gorgeous, beloved grandchildren, all ready to be hugged and welcomed. We try to keep some traditions but I am looked at in disbelief when I suggest Christmas carols, especially by our youngest granddaughter who suggests that we ‘sing tomorrow grandma.’

But the gift-exchange, story telling and reminiscing go on for hours. I look at each one and thank God for them and for having these sweet memories, from the past, and the present.
Wishing all who read our blogs a wonderful holiday season and marvelous memories.

As we get closer to Christmas, memories of “Christmases Past” come to mind. Most of them are heart-warming, some bitter-sweet, others chuckle-worthy.
Our family consisted of a mother, father, older brother, me in the middle and a younger sister. Pretty typical for a family of the 50s and 60s and my childhood was happy and uneventful. We began to prepare for Christmas right after the last remnant was plucked from the Thanksgiving turkey (we’d leave it out over night, nibble on it until morning and no one ever got ill.) The tree was always a fresh-cut one, purchased in the village we grew up in and usually dragged in the weekend after Thanksgiving.

We had a lot of ornaments, many from my mom’s family from Germany. I still have a few of them, but many were delicate and lost through the years.
We always had bubble-lights on the tree too, and lots of tinsel. My impatient brother would just grab a handful and ‘toss it anywhere.’ Mom and I would be very fussy, placing one strand at a time, giving the tree the look of icicles. We’d have to go back over my brother’s handiwork when he was through! Once the tree was done, we’d go to the windows and put up the ‘stencils’, that were made with “Glass-Wax.” You would sponge these onto the glass and they’d leave all sorts of decorations. There were bells and trees, snowmen, ornaments and Santa Claus. They always looked so cheery.
We would also decorate with ceramic bells – they were all over the place, on shelves, in curios and such. Mom said bells were so lovely; her favorite Christmas carol was “Silver Bells” and we still play the one by Johnny Mathis every year.

The best thing about decorating for the holiday season was that the whole family was involved. Nobody complained or said they did not want to pitch in. And there was always Christmas music in the background. It played on the big console Magnavox that was mom’s present one Christmas. It came with a bonus of 50 record albums and she picked a lot of them with a holiday theme.
Once we were done decorating, we’d put our gift lists together. They were usually pretty simple. My dad owned a small auto body shop and although we never had a clue, we lived pretty much from paycheck to paycheck. My mom stayed home to keep the house spotless, make wonderful meals and be there for us when we got home from school. My kids say I ‘grew up in a bubble’ because I never knew that we had very limited means.
On Christmas Eve we would pile in the car and head to grandma’s and grandpa’s house. They lived only 20 miles away but it seemed to take forever. We would sing Christmas carols along the way which made the time go faster. One Christmas Eve we were barely out of the driveway when my brother asked “what is that horrible smell?” Indeed, there seemed to be some odor, but we could not put our fingers on it. When we got to my grandma’s house, my aunt asked what that smell was so we knew it was not our imagination. Then we all looked at my kid sister, Vicki, for that’s where it seemed to be coming from. Well, years ago when you got patent leather shoes, you’d put Vaseline on them to keep them shiny and supple. She was about 5 years old and had wanted to help so she polished her own shoes. Where she erred was in using Vicks’ Vapo-rub instead of Vaseline! We all laughed about it and said she’d never get ‘cold feet.’
Another funny memory was from a Christmas Eve when my sister was about 7 years old. She came running up to my mother and said she was worried about Uncle Freddie, she said she thought he was dying! Mom said she should not be upset, that he was not sick! My sister replied “oh, yeah, well then how come Aunt Marion says he has a bug up his butt?” HAA! We told that one for years to come.

My Aunt Marion was a real hoot. If there were pictures in the dictionary, hers would be next to the word “feisty.” She was just full of it. If I had a nickel for every time her husband said “That’s not very lady-like, Marion!” I could have retired years ago.
My Uncle Al was also a real character. He and his wife, Mary, actually owned the house, a duplex, where my grandfolks lived. They had the lower unit and Christmas was held in their neat basement. It was always festively decorated and my Aunt Mary was a fantastic cook. She was never afraid to try unique recipes and things were always nicely presented. A class act! One time my Uncle Al gave me a toothpick with ‘chicken’ on it and said I should give it a try. It was good, and I asked for another. A little bit later I heard him tell my dad it was actually rattlesnake meat, but it TASTED like chicken. A not-so-fond memory, but always fun to share with friends!
It was always so wonderful to be at grandma’s house – the smells, the music, lots of hugs, so many smiling faces. Grandma would always make you feel that you were special; definitely her favorite. She’d always sneak me a loaf of her cinnamon bread or yummy snickerdoodle cookies when we were leaving. She’d tele me to put the bag under my coat so the others would not notice it. Years later, when comparing notes, I found that she’d do that to every one of us. We all laughed about it. Yes, Christmas when I was growing up was magical! It was an exciting time, wondering what you might be getting from Santa Claus, long after you should have believed. Now that we are the grandparents, we try our best to do the same for our grandchildren, letting them hang on to the ‘fun parts’ as long as they can and helping them making their own sweet memories.

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Lately, I’ve been something of an unquestioning omnivore - but with a leaning towards the carnivorous side of the force. While I wouldn’t go so far as to eat a fetal chicken or any kind of diseased corn crop just yet, I might just drink them.

I’ve been a fan of Jones Soda’s D’Peach Mode drink for a while now, usually drinking it with A&P sushi in the parking lot of the Barnes and Noble during lunch breaks. Even from perusing the various labels on their sodas, one can tell that they have a very unique approach to their business. They invite their loyal drinkers to submit their own interesting photos for use on their drink labels, via their website. The images on the drink might have absolutely nothing to do with what’s contained in the bottle, but it’s always an interesting sight, and there’ll always been new labels to search for (placed without much of a pattern on all of their interesting flavors), if you’re so inclined.

But labels aside, Jones takes the whole ‘unique drink’ concept a bit further. Like most foodstuffs, you can’t indefinitely collect sodas - but you can collect the bottles, and if you don’t have the space for a whole bottle, you can accumulate the labels and / or caps along with the experience of drinking them.

Every year, Jones puts out some very special, limited edition sets of holiday themed flavors. But they’re not at all what you might expect.

2005’s Thanksgiving set of five included Broccoli Casserole, Smoked Salmon Pate, Pecan Pie, Corn and Turkey & Gravy. If you can imagine comfortably downing a bottle of smoked salmon soda, you’re of a far higher constitution than I.

The 2005 ‘Holiday’ set included another bottle of Turkey & Gravy, the more palatable Cranberry Sauce, Wild Herb Stuffing, Pumpkin Pie, and Brussels Sprout with Prosciutto. Yes, a carbonated beverage with ‘ham’ as one of the main flavors (though it contains no actual meat - your hippie girlfriend has no excuses, now). Despite being of questionable flavor, and even more questionable hues, these packs are always a sell-out - likely because they’ll never, ever pick up a regular following and the drinking public is aware of the impending rarity. I think that after you’ve tried Broccoli Soda once, you’re pretty much set for life. If you wake up in the middle of the night with Gravy Soda cravings, you need someone far greater than the Jones Soda Co. to help you. Other holiday sets have included Pea, Antacid, Green Bean, Mashed Potato, Fruitcake, Dinner Roll, and Sweet Potato. Some appealing, most not. These packs retail for about $15 - $20 each, and have been available at Target in the past. This year, the Jones Soda Online Store is selling the holiday packs.

Jones doesn’t limit their soda experimentations to only holidays, though. It wasn’t too long ago that they released a 5-pack of soda for the Seattle Seahawks. Intended to be a simulacrum for ‘what it’s like to be in the NFL’, the set included Natural Field Turf, Sports Cream, Perspiration, Dirt, and Sweet Victory. They give no indication of what these might actually encompass, flavorwise, but they present a wholly grueling, difficult experience for anyone who chooses to imbibe them. Which couldn’t be a more unique, unexpected experience from a soda. The labels also feature key Seahawks players, for you sports memorabilia collectors out there.

This will be the first year that I partake of Jones’ holiday flavors, which have arrived in two 4-packs, in both Christmas and Chanukah themes. The real draw was trying ‘Christmas Ham’ soda (and subsequently trying to keep it down), but the Christmas Pack also includes Egg Nog, Sugarplum and Christmas Tree. The worst unpleasantness from the Chanukah pack is in the form of Potato Latke, but is quickly tempered by Applesauce, Chocolate Coins, and Jelly Doughnut. If these flavors are too adventurous, I’ve also found 4-packs of solid flavors, like Gingerbread, Candy Cane, and Cocoa. Not only that, but there’s also a ‘Dessert Pack’, including four kinds of pie - Blueberry, Lemon Meringue, Apple and Cherry.

So, you connoisseurs of unique food and drink, here’s some of the most unique out there. You know, in this country and not from the shady recesses of a back alley behind a hospital. Save the labels, or make a video - collecting food is fleeting, and these are worth remembering!

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