Christmas is a time for being with family and sharing traditions from years past.

Sunday, December 23, 2001

Christmas is a time for being with family and sharing traditions from years past.

For visitors to the Mower County Senior Center, Christmas was a time for being with those they love.

Marian Yezeck, an Austin resident for 48 years, made her own dolls for Christmas out of socks.

Yezeck also grew up not knowing what a Christmas tree was.

"We didn’t have one," she said. "We used to make ornaments out of paper and cut out dolls."

Christmas Eve dinner was a memorable time for Yezeck, when her family sat down to oyster stew and homemade bread.

Christmas Day, it was lutefisk and lefse, which Yezeck said was "a real treat; it was the only time we had it."

"I remember Christmas dinner when we all sat around the table," she said. "We’d eat dinner with friends and exchange gifts."

Yezeck said her mother would also play the organ and the family of 14 would gather together to sing.

For Melba Myre, Christmas memories are centered around her trips to the Six Mile Grove Church, where she was involved in the Christmas program as a young girl.

Nowadays, she goes to the Presbyterian Church for midnight services.

Myre also just went to a family reunion for the holidays, where her entire family rented a hall and spent the day together.

It’s something she said she’d like to continue in the future.

Christmas for Bob Rosel and Sander Johnson was memorable not only for the fun activities they participated in, but also for the gifts they received.

"I remember going to church on Christmas Eve and getting a sack of candy and an apple," Rosel said. "On Christmas Day, we’d eat a big dinner."

As for traditions he started with his children, Rosel said he followed many of the same patterns as when he was younger.

He does remember the electric Lionel train he received one year.

One of Sander Johnson’s favorite gifts was a pony rocking horse.

Johnson said he used to ride it all the time as a child.

Johnson also remembers playing with his siblings, particularly during snowy days.

"We’d take the sled to the top of a slat roof and slide down into the snow," Johnson said.

When asked what they do to celebrate the holiday now, both Yezeck and Myhre said they come to the Senior Center for Christmas dinner; Rosel spends time with his son and his family and Johnson takes part at the Salvation Army Christmas dinner.

Sharon Wobschall, of Austin, comes from a family of 11 children.

In an email, she wrote, "We were raised on a farm and every Christmas Eve, we’d gather together after dinner and pray the rosary and wait for Santa to knock on the window and make his appearance."

She continued, "That’s when we knew it was time; time for gift sharing, Christmas carols, all the cookies we could eat, hot chocolate and staying up as late as we wanted."

As Wobschall got older, her traditions evolved to fit her growing family.

"We started to take turns having the ‘Frein Family Christmas Party,’" she said. "It started in our homes and as our families grew, we had to expand to renting a hall and all gathered together."

A few years ago, Wobschall said the gathering got so large, they resorted to renting hotel rooms for the weekend so that the 70-plus relatives could all be together.

There is a buffet with homemade food, a raffle for family members going through tough times, and Wobschall’s father gets out his guitar and they all sing Christmas carols.

"This is the highlight of the year," she said. "Our parents have taught us that Christmas is a very special time of year to share with our family."

She concluded, "On that day, we all know how fortunate we are to be able to get together and be thankful we have such a wonderful family."

Traditions around the world

Christmas festivities are celebrated differently around the world; here are some specifics from Germany, Norway and Sweden for those looking to have a ‘traditional’ Christmas this year.

Germany

In the German-speaking countries, and Holland and Belgium as well, December 6 is the most distinctive children’s festival of the year. The shops are full of many-shaped biscuits, gilt gingerbreads–sometimes representing the saint–sugar images, toys and other little gifts. On December 5, small children place their shoes on a window sill or in front of the door. If they have a fireplace they will hang their stockings there. In the morning they will find small gifts, an orange and an apple and a small toy.

Norway

On December 24, all work comes to a halt late in the afternoon. Everyone puts on their finest clothes to greet the season and the largest sheaf of grain is hung out for the birds to make their Christmas merry, too. Christmas Eve dinner begins with rice porridge which contains one lucky almond. A bowl is also set out for the barn elf so that he will continue to watch over the animals and not turn mischievous. A Christmas pig provides most of the meat dishes.

Decorations in most Norwegian homes are sparse during most of December. The following is the norm in most homes:

1. The Advent stake: A light-decoration composed of seven lights looking like candles, arranged in a fashion similar to Jewish Hanukah-lights.

2. The Advent Star: An electric fixture as well. It is shaped like the star, and is meant to hang in the most prominent window. It represents the Star of Bethlehem.

3. The Advent Candles: These are four candles in a candleholder. On the First Sunday of Advent (There are four, the last one will be as late as 24th dec.) the first candle is lit, and allowed to burn a quarterway down.

4. The outdoor tree: If the family has a garden or a yard with fir(s) or spruce(s) in it, they will often place lights on them. A lit tree covered with snow can be a sight to behold. The lights used for Christmas trees and the other decorations in Norway are rather larger than those in the US – they are large enough to look a bit like candles.

Sweden

The biggest and longest holiday of the year is the magical Christmas of Sweden. The excitement begins the first Sunday of Advent with the lighting of the first Advent candle. Each Sunday prior to Christmas, another candle is lit with growing anticipation.

Feasting and celebrating begin on December 13 with Lucia Day, which legend says is the longest night of the year and a time when man and beast need extra nourishment.

The Christmas spirit and enjoyment linger until January 14–Knut’s Day–the day appointed to discard the Christmas tree and devour all the edible decorations.

This is quite an occasion, especially for the young who occasionally dress as "Old Knut" and play practical jokes and chant as they fling the old tree into the snow, with a promise to reunite with their beloved pine in one year.

Information obtained from www.christmas-world.freeservers.com/norway.html and http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/xmasmai1.htm, http://www.californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/traditions-sweden.htm

 

Call Melissa Bregani at 434-2233 or e-mail her at melissa.bregani@austindailyherald.com.