Of My Flesh and Blood: Traditions during the holidays

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic Info:
This is the time of year when many families celebrate various traditions that they have. Several days from now, I'll serve pork chops and sauerkraut, the traditional New Year's Day dinner on both my paternal and maternal lines. Do you know the origin of any of your ancestors? Or, taken another way, what's a genealogy tradition in you family that you've had to dispute (or proven)?

This is another difficult one for me as I cannot remember any traditions. We used to put up the Christmas tree a week or so after Thanksgiving. However, when I was about 9, Mom made a decision we were not going to put one up one year. Upon hearing this my sisters all showed up on our doorstep with a tree and ornaments and put one up for us.

After that, we put it up after the dishes were done on Thanksgiving while we were in a somewhat of a holiday frame of mind.

My oldest sister, Theresa, and I tried to set aside time to make decorating a big thing with my nieces. Theresa would put on the music, make hot chocolate, and her three girls and us would listen, and sing along to the music (yes sometimes dancing was involved), and decorate the tree.

I'm not sure if my nieces ever continued this tradition, but they had done it until their teens. However, since they now don't speak about my side of the family unless its to talk about us like we're the devil spawn, let alone probably do any of the traditional stuff, so I doubt it.

Growing up we did go see Eggbert, the talking egg at Devitt's. I took my 3 nieces and my older 2 nephews and my youngest nephew, Eric to see him. Now I have a Christmas Tree ornament because I can't go in person because I live in Australia and not NY.

My nephew, Eric, when I took him to Devitt's in 1996. Credit: J. Fitzgerald

My Eggbert ornament. Credit: J. Fitzgerald

It was only late last year, I found we are distantly related to the Devitt's who own the place with Eggbert in it. Completely shocked me when I figured it out.

Me? Now that we're married, up until a few years ago, I started to put up the tree around Thanksgiving again. However, the past few years, I just can't get motivated to do it. This year's is even worse since the death of my brother and our dog, Buddy. Buddy would always 'help' me with his looks if I were doing things correct in his opinion. With my brother, well, he never saw our home, but just the thought of the past Christmas' puts a real heartbreak in it all.

This is Jackie who would make sure we put presents where he wanted them in 2009. Credit J Fitzgerald

I did take Buddy to see Santa Paws every few years because he loved going in to see him. I had to tough time getting him to leave.

Buddy with Santa Paws in 2014. Does he look like he's 11 years old?

I do make Polish Bow Ties or Krusciki/Crusciki every year to remember my grandmother, Jean. She always asked me what I wanted for Christmas and it was always them. I try and make them every year.

My Polish Bow Ties/Krusciki/Crusciki. Credit: J Fitzgerald

Also, I have ornaments which always go on the tree - a baby shoe to remember Jamie, an angel to remember the baby I lost after Jamie, a heart with the year we got married, one for each pet we had, and some Polish ornaments with the family names of each of the more recent family names on them. I want to try glass etching (which I mentioned in a prior post) and that would help with making them more custom for each family.

We lost Jamie in 2003. This is memorial ornament which we put on the tree each year. Credit: J. Fitzgerald

This is the baby we lost after Jamie in February 2004. This is its memorial ornament which we put on the tree each year. Credit: J. Fitzgerald

This Year
I have brought the tree in but its sitting in the bag where we usually put it. Last week I did semi decorate the back. A few days ago I put the wreath on the door. I really don't feel like doing anymore than that.