In Control For The Holidays

When I was a kid growing up in West Long Branch, the holidays were a magical time, as they should be for all children.  We’d scurry around the tree on Christmas morning around 6AM and begin ripping into our presents. Later on, whenever my parents hosted the holidays, our relatives would all come over for a big Christmas feast that my mom would prepare. We had everything under the sun served, but of course, I always went straight for the lasagna. 

Between my parents and both sets of grandparents, we were never wanting of a place to go or wonder whether there was enough food – not only for Christmas, but Thanksgiving as well. My family had a system where one side would host Thanksgiving, the other side would host Christmas, and then the families would switch holidays the following year. It was a great system, and it worked for years. 

When I got married, things got a bit complicated. My wife and I were a family now, and she wanted to start hosting some holidays, too. So we tried to switch off attending holiday dinners between my family and my wife’s. It worked out OK until we started having kids. My parents were first-time grandparents, and they wanted to catch as much time with our kids as they could, even if it meant hauling them between two families in one day. By the time we got home, we were exhausted. 

So we devised a plan that would satisfy everybody. For Thanksgiving, whichever family had that holiday with us, the other family would come over for a few hours and have dessert with us after dinner. On Christmas, my wife would make the “seven fishes” on Christmas Eve for whichever family had the off-year. The main festivities would be celebrated on the actual holiday with whichever family had Christmas with us. 

Now it still seemed like a lot of running around, but you have to understand. American women of Italian descent can cook, and cook they must. So for them, it seemed like it was really no trouble at all to do the cooking for the holidays.  To these women, cooking is a labor of love. They flourish in the kitchen, and I don’t mean that in any sexist kind of way. 

A few times in the past, we had to change things on the fly. In 1992, for example, my parents’ home had burned to the ground. Rather than split the holidays up that year, we had both of them with my parents, since they had no home to host a holiday that year. My wife’s family was completely understanding as to why we had to do things differently that particular year (it’s just so great when everybody gets along). 

A few years ago, my parents moved to a smaller home, so hosting a holiday for them just wouldn’t be practical. My wife stepped up and offered to host the holidays every time it was my family’s turn to be with us. That’s worked out very well now, especially since it doesn’t burden my mom with a majority of the cooking. 

Even the gift-opening on Christmas morning is easier to deal with now. My kids have grown into adults and just like us older people, appreciate a good night’s sleep. Instead of a 6AM wake-up call, we usually start opening the presents around 8:30 or so. 

Finally, after years of trial and error, we’re in control of our family’s destiny when it comes to the holidays. We know where we’re going and who we’re spending it with. Just a few less things to worry about when the holidays roll around. 

Merry Christmas to all, and Happy New Year! 

(The entire Jersey Shore Retro Blogography can be found at http://longbranch.patch.com/blogs/kevin-cieris-blog .You can also follow Kevin Cieri's blog on his Facebook page, "Jersey Shore Retro" as well as on Twitter @jsretro).