Holidays Stories from around the Tri-Lakes Region: Part Three
Although we are past Dec. 25, memories of the holidays are still prevalent in our minds and the New Year celebration looms.
Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice or whatever seasonal celebration a family celebrates which rolls around between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, memories anchored to these celebrations can be delightfully haunting and renewing to the soul.
The following is the final part in a series of responses from members of the community in leadership roles who have shared their favorite memories from the holidays.
Dalilah Sappenfield — Administrative director at Monument Ice Rinks
I come from a large Cuban family of 10 siblings. For us, Christmas is always about family coming together even through our busy lives. We take the time to stop and enjoy the company of our large family as we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas which is the blessing of Jesus.
This year is even more special for our family as we celebrate our family’s “Angel.” My brother who has cerebral palsy is turning 50 this year, two days after Christmas. He is a true blessing in our lives. No matter what we are going through, our brother reminds us of how precious life is. He is always happy and just an amazing reminder to be gracious. We are so blessed to have a large family that can come together to celebrate, worship and be gracious for all we have.
Brian Bahr — Bishop of the Woodmoor Ward of the local LDS Church
One of our family’s favorite Christmas traditions has become our “Night in Bethlehem.” Each Christmas Eve, or any night leading up to Christmas, we prepare a meal with foods that might be similar to what they were in the time of Jesus, including unleavened bread (tortillas), olives, cottage cheese, fish, nuts, dried fruits and jerky.
To set the proper tone, we sit on pillows on the floor and eat by candlelight. Our Night in Bethlehem reminds us of the Savior’s birth, life and perfect example. This has become a favorite tradition for our children and something they often want to invite others to join us for.
Dr. Michael Maddox — Executive director at Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts
Shortly after we were married 53 years ago, debi and I were celebrating Christmas with a longtime friend. A few nights before Christmas, we stepped outside to gaze at the amazing starlit sky. Off in the distance, we all witnessed a strange phenomenon of arcs of lights emanating and pulsing from the earth into the heavens.
We decided to investigate that intriguing sight so we jumped in our car and I began to drive toward those lights. We drove south through Decatur, Ill. and as we did so, the arcs of lights became larger, brighter and more colorful. While negotiating traffic, we kept our attention on those brilliant beams of light. We drove for miles and across Lake Decatur toward a neighborhood called South Shores.
The lights were now pulsating into the night sky and even more pronounced than ever before. We turned on Franklin Street, the main thoroughfare leading to the large, middle-class enclave of family homes, continuing our drive southward. With our rapt attention and focus on those lights, we navigated several turns and headed down the street toward what appeared to be the source of our local Aurora Borealis.
Excitedly, we drove up to the house from where the lights pulsated into the crystal clear night sky. Upon that house roof were huge bright colored lights stretching across the entire length of the property spelling out in capital letters the word “PEACE.” The three of us were absolutely stunned and we just sat there for several minutes soaking in that profound, heavenly message.
Shortly after that momentous occasion, debi and I made a firm decision to always follow the Prince of Peace. Our lives have always been dedicated to promoting peace and love in a tumultuous world.
Sara Petrie — Franchise owner/business director Ellie Mental Health
My favorite holiday memory as a kid was the tradition of going to Grandma and Grandad Noonan’s house on Christmas Eve in Rochester, N.Y. My mom is one of six kids from a lively Irish Catholic family. In my generation, there is a gaggle of 16 cousins. That was a huge crowd to host, and my grandparents were top-notch hosts. I recognized early on that what we had was special and not all kids had a large family or close family that they spent holidays with.
Looking back as an adult, I don’t know how they pulled off that level of a party with such detail, including a big box of gifts for every grandchild under the tree. My grandparents had an incredible ability to make each person feel special and welcome. There was a multi-course dinner and ribbon can that shouldn’t be touched.
Grandad’s specialty of eggnog for adults was in a huge punch bowl and fancy glasses. Everyone dressed up with Christmas dresses and bows and dress shoes. The sounds of glasses clinking, talking, laughter as well as much love and fun was always heard. A life-size, porcelain baby Jesus in a manger decorated a side table. There were cousins running around, gathering in the basement to play, and several kids piled on top of Uncle Tom who was the young, funny uncle. I often snuck into the “adult table” while they were casually sipping after-dinner coffee to listen in. I always wanted to be close to Grandma.
Scot Sund — Local owner of SRS Roofing Company
My Christmas as a kid? Every year on Christmas Eve, I would walk to the outdoor rink in the morning and that would be my place until about 3 p.m. After about 10 hockey games, it was time to go home and clean up.
The house always smelled so bad because my dad always made Ludafisk, the smell of which will take the paint off the walls. My two brothers, sister and I helped make dinner; turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and corn, a good Minnesotan dinner.
After dinner, we all cleaned up and passed out all the gifts. It was a free-for-all opening them, maybe taking 10 minutes to open them all. Then the rest of the night was playing with everything. In the morning, we got up early to see what Santa brought, playing with our newest toys and then back to the rink. That was every Christmas for me.