Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 3, 2012 Ornaments

I usually write about my family memories but this year I thought I would share my special Hawaiian  ornaments. I love the islands and I wanted to celebrate the Aloha spirit during Christmas. Each year, so my collection of ornaments grows.  We now have enough so we can have a true luau around our little bamboo tree.  I love to take my little Ohana with me to work and share the Aloha.  It always bring smiles to everyone and brightens the day.  Mele Kalikimaka!

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 2, 2012 Holiday Food

My dad liked to cook "goodies" at the holidays.  His specialties were fudge, divenity, peanut butter fudge and sugar cookies.  He also took up pie making after our mom passed. Part of the reason his treats were so memorable was that he carefully followed my grandmother Pricilla Dunn's treasured recipies.  He worked as a mechanic 6 days a week for most of his life but he would still manage to stand at the stove patiently waiting for the candy to set.  After all the cooking was finished, he would lovingly wrap blocks of the candy with wax paper and seal them in a tin box. The cookies were carefully laid inside a big round tin that was lined with a tea towel and covered with the cloth before he sealed the tin.

Eating the treats were an adventure! In the evening, he would get out the tins, crack the lid open and pass it under your nose with a grin on your face asking if you wanted to test a piece.  The cookies were his favorite because he would re-live storing the cookies like his mother did and only taking a few out at a time to keep them soft. It always worked.

We still have the wonderful recipe's but no one seems to be able to make them like he did.  He was truly one of a kind.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 1, 2012

I love putting up the Christmas tree each year, but some years are more memorable than others. My favorite memories are of trimming the trees with my children and grandchildren.  It seems like we are opening boxes of treasure as we pull out the ornaments. Everyone has their favorites that they remember from year to year.

Luckily even the ornaments my parents had survived through years. We usually end up with ornaments and lights tangled together before we are finished because I always try to string the lights first and everyone else wants to put them on last!  

Finally, the best moment is always lifting one child up to put the Angel and Star on the tree to finish!  The most precious times were when we all would finish and my oldest granddaughter would get in the big rocker and read our favorite Christmas stories.