From the Desk
From the California rolls to the chateaubriand — a meat dish cooked with a thick cut from the tenderloin filet — Christmas is full of traditions.
OK, so maybe those things do not fit into your typical ideas of the December holiday, but to me, these things fill me with joy as they bring to mind memories of the dishes my family eats every Christmas Eve and Christmas. Suggest a change in the menu and just wait for my brother, Andrew, to go crazy.
“We have to have California rolls,” Andrew would say with conviction.
“It’s tradition.”
Christmas in the Brown household also would not be complete without one specific argument that takes place as we set up and decorate the tree. The argument: every year, Andrew and I fight over whose turn it is to hang the special, Japanese fish ornament. That’s right. A fish, complete with a gold finish and scales that allow the fish to shimmy when you touch it.
Perhaps you have already pushed my family into the “crazy” category. Or maybe you just think, “Good for them for being unique.”
Call my family crazy, weird or odd. Call us special, unique or funny. But no matter what you think or say, your opinions will not cause us to put a stop to our traditions. Those traditions are what make Christmastime so special for us.
In addition to the odd cravings for sushi and a French meat dish those memories induce, my mind is flooded with joy as I think through the traditions we observe.
But that joy that brings a smile to my face is not just because of the superficial things that accompany Christmastime in the Brown/Jenkins families. That joy comes because all of those things mean time I get to spend with my family.
Each member of my family is busy. Several of us are in college, going through each day one hour, one class, one assignment at a time. Two are teachers, juggling middle school students, lesson plans and grading numerous assignments. Others work tough jobs that involve manual labor and stretch way beyond a normal 9-5 job.
But during Christmas, as we enjoy our Japanese and French cuisine, our responsibilities and endless to-do lists fade to the background, and just enjoying time with each other becomes our focus.
As Christmastime quickly approaches and my mom and aunt gather all the necessary ingredients for our favorite dishes, and as we pull out the decorations, hoping to grab the sought-after golden fish ornament first, I am particularly grateful for the family God has given me. I am thankful that we can press the pause button on our busy lives to spend time with each other at Christmas.