LivinginOz did a lovely job of describing our family reunion, so I shall not repeat the events. Instead, I remember some family gatherings when I was a child. One thing they did very well, was to stick together. We celebrate Christmas, Easter, the Fourth of July...together.
My mother, her two sisters and their spouses and my cousins would all gather at some one's house. Sometimes it was at my youngest aunt's house. Sometimes at her mother-in-law's house. At other times it was at my other aunt's house. We had our pictures taken with a little Brownie camera. The black and white photographs are family treasures. At the most recent family gathering, our group photo was taken with a digital camera and sent to family members around the world via e-mail.
The women would sit in the kitchen and talk as they prepared the holiday dinner. The men would be in the living room, garage or the basement. Lord knows what they were doing. It usually had something to do with machinery. One Christmas was spent at an honorary aunt's house. My uncle was talented in mechanical things. He put together a Christmas tree stand that revolved without getting the lights tangled. Our trees were always a real tree. I can smell the pine in my memory. When uncle plugged in the tree, it revolved faster than He had anticipated. The ornaments stood out parallel to the floor. Then they flew off the tree and smashed all over the living room. This uncle was an engineer. He understood the problem and fixed it. The tree then revolved slowly, showing off its ornaments...the new ornaments.
Christmas at other people's houses was interesting to see how other people celebrated. One house, all the gifts were on display under the tree. The boxes were opened with the top on the bottom. It looked neat...like a store display. Our house was a mess of toys and wrappings. At our house, We always used tinsel. Other people did not. We had a long needled tree. Others had a short needled tree because it smelled stronger. Those memories are so dear to me, that I will not use an artificial tree. I don't have any tree. Instead, I decorate with garlands, candles and incense. Special table clothes and napkins come out only at the holidays. I've given my ornaments away to my daughters. They still put up a tree.
The men at the latest family reunion spent a lot of time in the living room watching DVD movies and using the computer. They stayed out of the basement and garage.
The fourth of July was at my aunt's house. We were outside in the back yard all day. We played with our cousins...mostly running around and exploring the area. We ate watermelon and spit the seeds out on the ground. My uncle set up a grill and we ate hot dogs and drank more soda than I had all year. All the men had illegal fireworks. They were little boys again...shooting off fireworks. There is no difference today, except that I am a senior member of the tribe, watching the youngest members doing exactly what I did when I was their size.
When I was little, I enjoyed the holiday feast. I remember one thanksgiving that I ate so much turkey I made myself sick. The holidays are a memory of abundance....plenty of food, plenty of company, plenty of familial love. I overheard one grandson at our last reunion, state that I always put on a good meal. Some things never change....except I serve good wine whereas my parents served beer.
God bless my parents for making holidays special. I hope I am doing the same for the next generation.