Advent Calendar - December 7, 2007

Christmas Grab Bag

Author’s choice! Please post from a topic that helps you remember Christmases past!

Here is a brief summary of contributions from fellow bloggers and links to their individual posts:

Reaching into the grab bag, we take hold of Wonderings About Christmas Celebrations ... posted at Jessica's Genejournal. Jessica writes about researching memories of Christmas in the Midwest in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In A Christmas Memory by Terry at Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi, a great story of what might seem like disjointed topics unfolds. With its focus on "snow birds" as harbingers of the Christmas season, this is a great story in the vein of Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory.

Bill has a great set of Christmas "rules" presented in If I Ran Christmas.... at West in New England. I don't think there is one rule that I could disagree with!

A wire hanger and tissue paper? That's what I said when I first saw Assignment: Bring Wire Hanger and Tissue Paper posted at Steve's Genealogy Blog. Steve gives us a wonderful story of a school project that blossomed into a business!

Janet shows off a great collection of special items as she presents Nativity Scenes. At Janet the researcher, she tells us that these scenes are an important part of her Christmas decorations.

Lisa presents Christmas greetings circa 1870 posted at Small-leaved Shamrock. With an article from December 1870 that recalls Christmases past, she wonders what the Shenandoah Evening Herald's readers would think of our present-day celebrations.

In Apple's Tree: The Rocket Ship posted at Apple's Tree, a tale of a Syracuse holiday tradition takes flight. Apple has some great photos and links of the Rocket Ship at the E.W. Edwards Department Store.

What would Christmas be without snow, right? Randy presents Christmas Weather posted at Genea-Musings. He marvels at his attraction to the cold, flaky, white stuff from his perspective in warm and sunny San Diego. Who wants to pack some up and send it Randy's way?

Bob Franks presents The Little Tattered Music Book posted at Itawamba History Review: The Itawamba Historical Society. Read how a simple, but cherished, music book from his youth brings back memories of preparations for a Christmas pageant.

In Christmas 2001: A Special Christmas posted at Smoky Mountain Family Historian, Lori brings us a wide variety activities on that day. They include a cat spa, "Dirty Santa," and her great-great-grandmother's black dress.

Jasia at Creative Gene gives us the gift of Lucyna's Memories of Christmas. This is a post that is close to my heart and it contains great memories and insights into the Christmas celebrations of Polish immigrants in early 20th century Detroit.

Colleen presents us with Grab Bag posted at The Oracle of OMcHodoy. In a continuation of yesterday's Santa theme, she recalls when she first found out the "truth" and the real meaning of Santa Claus.

At 100 Years in America, Lisa brings A "Merry Christmas" has no language barrier. Not only does she teach us what Sretan Bozic and Boldog Karacsonj mean, but even offers us an audio file on pronunciation!

It is so nice to have footnoteMaven back! She presents to us Something Old Something New? - Xmas posted at footnoteMaven. Here you will learn how modern the use of "Xmas" really is.

Becky gives the gift of Grandpa's Candy over at kinexxions. There are some great photos, recipes and memories of how her grandfather would get his confectionary skills in gear around the holidays. Sweet!

More Christmas Candy at CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'. Diane shares hard candy memories and a plight well known to me: the combo Christmas-birthday present.

Finally, my post entitled Christmas in New York at Destination: Austin Family contains memories of elaborate holiday displays and that special feeling around the holidays in the Big Apple.

Wrapping it up, it seems like we are "sixteen going on seventeen" as our number of participating genea-bloggers keeps growing! Remember there are two more Grab Bag opportunities this month (the 15th and 22nd) and I hope to see all of you right back here, hopefully before then.

Check back tomorrow for more submissions on the next topic: Christmas Cookies