By Joanne Byrne
Retired and Rejuvenated
Joanne Byrne.
I just finished baking Christmas cookies, something I had vowed not to do, but the memories of my childhood grabbed hold of me and drew me to the kitchen where I started to pull out the old recipes and ingredients to make a fresh batch.
I remembered how my sister and I made Christmas cookies with my mother and stored them in containers, each different kind placed in its own layer and then put in a closet for when the guests would arrive on Christmas day. This year I only made one kind.
I love Christmas. I love the lights, the sound of the holiday music, the hustle and bustle at the shopping centers, seeing freshly cut trees being brought home on the tops of cars, and even the hopes of a little of the “white stuff” to give everything a holiday glow. To this day, I can’t go through the holiday season without buying a balsam and cedar Yankee candle. I don’t want to calculate the number of hours my husband and I have clocked in practicing to sing with the choir for the Christmas concert at our church.
As a youngster, trimming the Christmas tree was always a highlight of the season. In those days, everyone got a fresh tree, either from the Boy Scouts selling them as a fundraiser or by going out to a tree farm and cutting down the “perfect” tree. It was always my sister, brother and I who trimmed the tree after my father put on the lights. There was no such thing as a pre-lit tree. I remember that if one bulb was out, the whole string would not light up. It was a chore to try to find and replace that one faulty light.
I was meticulous about placing the ornaments (first child syndrome, I believe). My sister was more of a free spirit and would place them wherever she liked. I would carefully hang the tinsel on the branches. My brother would take handfuls and throw the tinsel at the tree. This often led to friendly fights while we sipped the eggnog that was a part of the ritual.
Getting together with friends was a bit more festive this time of year. Special foods started with the Thanksgiving turkey, continued with the Christmas ham or Chanukah potato pancakes, and ended with a traditional New Year’s pork roast dinner. I grew up thinking that if you didn’t have pork on New Year’s day, the rest of the year would not turn out well.
As an adult, I have a much greater appreciation for the special traditions found in our Judeo-Christian beliefs. The beautiful celebration of Chanukah usually comes in close proximity to the Christmas celebration. This celebration of the miracle of a small flask of oil burning for eight days when it was only supposed to last for one is more evidence of the spirit of God. The Festival of Lights celebrates a miracle in a similar fashion that Christians celebrate the miracle of Christ’s birth.
There is an indefinable spiritual charge that binds generations together that cannot be found elsewhere. It can only be had when parents and grandparents do things like sitting together with their children, celebrating and discussing these miracles according to each of their religious traditions and beliefs. Getting in touch with the wonder of the past, the wonder of the present and the wonder of life is the true holiday spirit.
Let’s keep our individual and personal lights aglow so that we can shed light on some of the darkness in our current world. I wish you all happy holidays!
Joanne Byrne served as Senior Services Coordinator for the Town of Orange. She is now actively and happily retired. Email her at joannebyrne41@gmail.com to share your thoughts on retirement.