by Nicky W. Small

Created on: November 22, 2009   Last Updated: November 23, 2009

Christmas was magical for me as a child. Under the decorated tree, neatly wrapped presents were waiting for me and my siblings. Candles were light in the warm living room, and outside if we were lucky, snow covered the empty streets.

Christmas preparations in our house started beginning of December. My Mum made sure that the whole house was clean, neat and tidy and she put up some holiday decorations. She spent days in the kitchen baking numerous different kinds of cakes and biscuits, and she made wonderful Christmas dishes. On Christmas Eve we sat around the fireplace where the flakes were dancing happily warming up the room and our souls. We have always spent Christmas days at home thinking that we are relaxing playing board games when we were older, but my Mum stayed in the kitchen making dinner for us and for our grandparents who visited us. Wonderful Christmas smell filled the house for days. Nothing had changed for many years. But as I got older I had to get involved more and more in the preparations. As teenagers we baked the biscuits with my sister for many years. We had baked the same biscuits year after year, with small changes, but the main Christmas cake remained the same for over twenty years. My Mum only made that particular cake once a year at Christmas that is why it was so special.

We still celebrated Christmas in the same way even when we all studied in different towns; we went back to my Mum`s place for the holiday season. That was the only time of the year when we all stopped in our busy life and spent a few days together.

We all had partners with my siblings and when the relationships got more serious we had more visitors on Christmas day. My Mum didn't mind to have our loved ones around for a cake and drink but we spent Christmas Eve together. I think it was my brother who first chose to spend Christmas Eve with his partner in their apartment. My Mum was deeply sad but she invited them for lunch on the next day. During the years while we all changed boyfriends and girlfriends easily, Christmas was different every year depending on who was coming for dinner or lunch or who stayed for the whole holiday. Finally we all have found our partners who remained for many years so they got more involved in our celebrations as well.

I have to admit that I was the one who completely broke all family traditions. I moved to a different country but the first few years I always made my way back to my hometown. Also I wanted to spend the holiday season in peace with partner in our home so three years ago I invited my Mum to ours. It was the very first time when we all spent Christmas separately from my siblings. My Mum baked her delicious Christmas cake for us; we bought a tree and decorations, light the candles and we were all thinking about the rest of the family who were far away as well. It was time to cook the Christmas dinner for my Mum after she did it for all of us for many years. Maybe that was the first Christmas that she didn't spend in the kitchen. The following year my sister joined my Mum and they shared our living room for a week. Maybe it is time to create our Christmas traditions.

I hope that I can give the magic of Christmas to the next generation by keeping some of the old traditions and creating some new ones.

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