An Old Fashioned West Virginia Christmas
My mom grew up in the mountains of West Virginia during the Depression. During that time, because money was scarce for the entire country, Christmas gifts were few for most folks, so delicious holiday food took the center stage of celebrations.
My mother remembers every Christmas Eve day her family would string popcorn and cranberry garlands by the warmth of the kitchen's wood stove. They would spend the entire day decorating their small, but fragrant, Christmas tree, and helping my grandmother bake her delicious breads, pies, and cheesecake! She remembers anxiously awaiting for the special Christmas Eve dinner, and was always comforted by hot buttery oyster soup, wedges of Swiss cheese, warm biscuits with orange marmalade, a fresh pineapple, and my grandmother's homemade pecan pie! After dinner, they would play dominoes while my Grandpa would recite poetry and read the Christmas story from the Bible.
The holiday menu was always the same, and marvelously delicious, which was very soothing to a little girl growing up in bleak economic times. Strong family roots and delicious, time-honored, traditional foods truly made my mother feel secure and loved, as did a little visit from Santa each and every holiday season!
Eat pie, savor timeless, delicious memories!
Keeping it Simple
Christmas time is one of the most special of times, but keeping it simple is always the challenge! If at all possible, try and get your gift buying and wrapping done early in December, so you can concentrate on taking in the beauty of the season. Reading Christmas stories while cozying up to the fireplace, baking with the family, watching Christmas movies together, inviting friends over for Christmas cheer, caroling, and giving to the less fortunate!