Sweet Christmas Memories and Favorite Traditions

1 SWEET CHRISTMAS MEMORIES AND FAVORITE TRADITIONS In a year that has been anything but traditional, and families unable to be together due to the pandemic, the Church Life Committee has compiled these stories, photos, and recipes to help make the holidays feel more festive. December 2020 By Nancy Barry Holiday Workshop The Pageant This was a large project early in Advent on a Friday This used to be featured on the newspaper’s society evening for several years. We would meet in the main page. It was performed on a Sunday afternoon during dining room for dinner and after have a choice of Advent. Margaret Cox (Jonathan’s mother) used to several projects to do for the holidays. Examples were: conduct the rehearsals. Advent wreaths, trees made from chicken wire and It was very impressive. Often you wouldn’t recognize thistles, marshmallow snowmen (for the young some of the teens between the costuming and children), soap decorations, and special caricatures of additions of wigs, beards, or mustaches. people by member Sig Potembski. A young baby from the congregation was often used to portray the Christ Child. (Never did one cry!). It was a Nancy’s Memories of a Pageant great honor for a member of the youth group to be selected as Mary. (The Sanctuary was always full with When my son Douglas was three, he was chosen to be the members of the church and the general public.) one of the angels for the first time. As they were all processing down the center aisle, he looked up, saw The Pageant was a famed presentation of the church all his family in the balcony, and excitedly waved to every year. Once, someone had acquired several us. Oops- he tripped on his gown and fell flat on his impressive costumes and props from a company going face! No horns, but fun memories! out of business. The youngest children all had white robes, halos and wings, and that year they also had long, long horns. Two of the angels got into a duel up on the Chancel with their horns used as swords. That was the end of the horns for the angels! 2 By Karen Lewis The Windows, A Memory Children view Christmas through a magical lens, and those memories and traditions usually last long into adulthood! For me, they have... and the joy they continue to bring is a real gift! I grew up in northern Indiana where there was a large department store in the center of the downtown area. Each year my parents would pack up my siblings and me and drive us to the store for the annual event that took place in early December... the unveiling of the windows! I think there were five. One was always some version of the Nativity, each year somehow different from the last and always beautiful. Of course, there was always a Santa display, sometimes featuring elves in a workshop and sometimes Santa on a sleigh. There were choirs and caroling themes, family gatherings in front of fireplaces, snowmen and snowy scenes, and not one window included a sign or a product for sale inside the store! In later years, the windows came to life with motorized moving figures, music, and elaborate lighting. The windows were intended to bring joy to the passers by; if customers decided to shop inside, all the better. But I didn’t know that then. I was just embracing the magic of the Christmas season at a time that has long since passed. When I moved to Western New York as an adult, I learned about the Buffalo stores which had provided similar magic with their holiday displays. As malls and big box stores replaced them, the windows were boarded up or reclaimed for other purposes. But for those of us old enough to remember, the memories are a gift! “Can Do” Cookie Dough Submitted by Kathy Booke Fitzmorris 2 Eggs 2/3 cup shortening 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened 1-1/2 cups sugar 3-1/2 cups Flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 tsp vanilla *when using self-rising flour, omit the baking powder and salt Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat the eggs slightly in a large mixer bowl. Add remaining ingredients; blend on low speed about 30 s4ec. Mix on medium speed until ingredients are well blended and gather together, about 3 min. Form dough into a ball with hands. (If dough does not hold together, add 1 or 2 tsp of cream or milk.) Cut into two equal parts. Roll dough to 1/8” thick on a floured surface. Cut dough with 2 to 3” cutters. Place on ungreased baking 1963 Christmas Workshop sheet; sprinkle with sugar or ice. Bake 8-10 minutes Left: Kathy Booke Fitzmorris, Peggy Booke or until light brown. Others unknown 3 Michael and I grew up in North Park Presbyterian students and service members returning home for Church, which was located on Parkside Avenue, in Christmas break and it was a major benchmark to North Buffalo. It closed about fifteen years ago but participate in the service and celebrate the annual in our long-ago youth it was thriving: Sunday tradition. School, two worship services, full choir, Adult Ed class, Sunday evening youth groups, Youth Club, Fast forward a decade or so and Michael and I Women’s and Men’s Associations, scout troops, were new parents. For that Christmas Eve, we sat even bowling teams (2!). You get the idea. We were at the back of the sanctuary with our extended confirmed there, we were married there, our kids family in case we had to make a quick exit. Colin were baptized there. slept through the service right up until the time the sanctuary was cast in total darkness for “O There were many beautiful and meaningful Holy Night”. We quickly retreated to the narthex. worship moments at North Park, but my personal After the solo, the notes of “Silent Night” began to favorite was the annual candlelight Christmas Eve fill the air and the candles started to spread their service. I am sure I was not alone in my feelings light. Amazingly, he began to quiet and I realized because it was one of the most heavily attended that he was mesmerized by the growing services of the year. It was a classic Lessons & brightness. We followed the light to the back of the Carols service with choir anthems interspersed sanctuary and finished singing with the rest of with scripture readings and Christmas hymns. congregation. It somehow brought the Newborn The highlight came toward the end when all the Christ Child closer that year. lights in the sanctuary were extinguished and a lone soloist sang “O Holy Night”, holding a single Quick post-script. Six years later, that scene was candle (I later came to appreciate what a feat that repeated with our second son, Ian. Only he was was for both organist and soloist). This was not alone. Three other babies were being rocked to followed by the congregation joining in to sing the refrain of “Sleep in heavenly peace.” What a “Silent Night”. As we sang, the sanctuary was beautiful tradition. gradually brought out of the darkness by acolytes carrying candlelight to every window candle and Ellen Henry handheld taper. By the last verse, every candle was burning brightly, signifying the newborn Light of the World. The acolytes were always college Holy child of Bethlehem, you are the hope of the world, the song of the angels, the treasure of our hearts, and the glory of God among us. Call us to worship you in the places where your love is born anew: wherever kindness prevails, justice flourishes, and peace reigns. Send us out to serve you, sharing good news of great joy, and praising God through you in the unity of the Holy Spirit. 4 Every Christmas Eve Central Presbyterian Church would rose from his chair and was beside the canvas, chalk in have a Children's Service at 7 pm and a later service at hand, drawing the scene we were hearing from the 11 pm. When we were children it was my family's pulpit. When we began singing 'We Three Kings' the tradition to attend the 7 pm service and then head home wisemen appeared on the canvass in chalk guided by Mr. to spend the evening with our extended family. Of all the Hadley's talented hands. My eyes were torn between services over the years one service, when I was 12 years singing the written word in the hymnal and the imagery old, stands out as my favorite and most memorable. appearing at the altar. As usual the sanctuary was dimly lit, primarily by And so it progressed, with song and verse, a visual candles with an assist from the overhead chandeliers. nativity scene created in real time before our very eyes. When we entered the sanctuary that evening, we saw a Time stood still as my siblings and I and the large blank canvass situated in the front of the church at congregation were kept in rapt attention at the unfolding the base of the altar steps. A modest light from a dim scene and at the same time the hour service whisked by spotlight was trained on the easel and blank canvas. To and before we knew it it was over. At the end we walked the right of the canvass, sitting on a chair, was an older to the front of the church to see Mr.

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