The Magic of Christmas

Staci: As an adult with no kids and a household population of two humans, once my house smells of baked fresh ham on Christmas morning I could not have a single gift to open it don’t matter. The gift of ham, homemade bread and little mustard is enough of a present to my belly!

Martie: When we were kids, our Christmas day was a LONG one… we would wake up really early, so early there was always a chill in the air still. Whenever we went to the tree, there was always unwrapped presents that weren’t there the night before and we would get even more excited!

Staci: Laughing children tug at Mister Santa ahaaaa... heard that song the other day and was like omg! It was my favourite Christmas song when I was a child, the best!

Martie: Staci to this day I find that song a bit scary. No idea why!

Staci: Martie, so your parents open the presents? What you mean “unwrapped”?

Martie: Those “unwrapped” presents were the ones from Santa.

Ronz: Wait, so Santa would bring unwrapped gifts? Lol, Santa sounding like he was too last minute and couldn’t find the time to wrap the gifts eh!

Martie: Well in our house he didn’t wrap them but most importantly they were the biggest ones and were not there the night before so it was the first thing to catch our eyes. Anyway, we would open all the presents and have lunch together with EVERYTHING on the table. My mother to this day puts cherry brandy in her sorrel. So after having three full glasses, we would be sleepy again. I didn’t know why til I got older.

Staci: Smart Santa. Steal the show.

Martie: Exactly! So back to my longggggg annual Christmas day traditions. After lunch we would get dressed and went by our grandparents in Wood-brook with the trunk loaded with presents for cousins and aunts and uncles. We would have lunch there and then we would head to Arima by my mom’s family for the rest of the day with even more presents for that side of the family. We did that every year til we were of age to go to parties. Then we were just anxious to get home to go out with friends and well that tradition died out as all the children grew up. But I really miss that family bonding ALL day.

Ronz: What a nice tradition and memory to have. When I was small the house we lived in, in Canada, didn’t have a fireplace (so no chimney). I remember being very concerned and wanted to know how Santa was going to get in to bring presents for us. Without missing a beat my mom said he comes through the keyhole. Of course I was completely skeptical and she calmly explained that Santa is magic and can fit. I still laugh thinking about it. The keyhole, like seriously? We had similar Christmas morning traditions with big gifts showing up in the morning. We (I have two younger brothers) would get up early, excited, and rush to see what was there. My parents never put presents out the night before so Christmas morning was always a big feast for the eyes. We couldn’t open anything before my parents got up but we could open stockings. That was always fun. To this day I still do a stocking for my big nineteen-year old son.

Martie: We never did the stocking thing.

Ronz: I suspect it was just a way to keep us quiet so my parents could sleep longer!

Martie: Even up to today, we don’t open presents til everyone is together. My brother takes forever to surface though and he always he holds up the proceedings.

As my nephew is here too he gets a Santa hat to give everyone their presents which he is quite happy to do... for now I guess!

Ronz: My dad’s parents would send me a sweater for Christmas every year. This went on until I was a teenager and then they started sending cash. Some of those sweaters were awful though.

Kimba: The smell of baked ham, yum. My parents had a record player and they would leave on a record with Bing, Sinatra, Nat, Sammy Davis, all day was “chestnuts roastingggg on an open fireeee… Jack Frost nipping at your noseeee”. My Caribbean Christmas was decidedly very white but I love the music of that time and I still only really feel like Christmas when I play carols/ songs by the greats.

Mel: As it’s my first Christmas without my Mummy, I’ll give this y’all this story. I was like five, my brother wasn’t born yet. Christmas morning I woke up and ran to the tree - no presents! Run into my Mum’s room and my parents are asleep and I start waking them up that Santa didn’t come. I did notice large garbage bags around the room. Mummy took me back to bed and then shut my door, which she never did. Then I hear her going back and forth with what sounded like bags. Then she came back to my room and said that he just left and took me outside to the biggest Christmas I have ever had. Seemed like hundreds of presents! I knew it was her and I remember feeling like the luckiest girl in the world to have such an awesome Mummy.

Katherine: So for all who don’t know, Staci is my big sister and I always remember when we used to wake up Christmas morning before anyone else, open our gifts then wrap them back up and put them back under the tree so that no one would notice, clearly we couldn’t wait...

Ronz: Hahaha mischievous sisters.

Katherine: I think that was Staci leading me astray again. We used to also watch a Christmas story EVERY year...I still do this in fact, to me it’s not Christmas without that movie!

Ronz: OMG Yes! The leg lamp, that movie is Christmas self!

Katherine: it’s how they pronounced “Fragile”, like FRA GEE LAY, always cracked us up.

Ronz: There isn’t a better Christmas movie out there.

Katherine: I agree with you totally.

Staci: Katherine is such a liar! If my memory serves me correct, we just used to peak a little (or lot) and stick back the paper, not a full unwrap!

Katherine: Bwahahah, see what I mean by leading me astray cause I remember totally unwrapping dem gifts. Always setting me up eh, from since we small!

Kimba: Thanks for reminding me Kat and Stace with that sibling banter, lol. My brother and sister would not go to the tree to unwrap their gifts until I came with them as they wanted their older sister “ to see” what they get, so they would literally drag me out of bed. There was no refusing them. Oh! And the little boy across the street from us would put on every item of clothes he got and try and balance with toys in his hand to come and show us on Christmas morning. Poor thing could barely walk but he was always so happy and giddy with excitement. He was a main part of our annual tradition, seeing his innocence and glee every Christmas morning, this season is really magic time for the children eh!