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December 14, 2006 - Some traditions live on12A • The Suffolk Times • December 14, 2006 Some traditions live on We've been lucky in our family to keep up many of the old family tradi- tions, particularly the ones around Christmastime. It's these traditions that make our holidays so mear ing- ful. Of course, there are those of you who celebrate other special days with their own special traditions. I'm sure you will agree that in today's fast - moving world there is not time enough for many of our old tradi- tions. Even some of the old tradi- FOCUS tional holiday songs we were ON brought up with NATURE have some sort of "modern" by pawl renditions. But Stoutenburgh then I guess I'm just old -fash- ioned. We still go out and cut our own Christmas tree and here again we can see change. Today we use a chain saw to make the job easier. Remember how the old hand saws used to get stuck in the green sapwood of the tree, making you use words not at all in the spirit of Christmas. Then when you got the tree home, it was always too tall to fit in the chosen spot of the living room. First you cut just a little off the bottom, and then more until you finally cut a foot or more off it. Again, the handsaw did its best to prevent you from doing your job. Nevertheless, when it was all set up in its chosen spot, it looked pretty good and the hassle of cutting soon faded away and was forgotten. My Dad was a great one for the holidays. He would cut evergreens and holly to put around the house, on top of the fireplace, behind the pictures on the wall, etc. The ever- greens and the bright red berries of the holly surely helped to "deck our halls" with their fragrance and looks. Matter of fact we still put evergreens around the house and make up sprays of evergreens and holly to put on the family cemetery plot. "Tradition. Tra- dition" — remember the thence of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof'? This year our son, who has sort of a tree farm in back of his place, gave each fancily their choice of a Christmas tree. We all met to pick out our tree. What fun it was to see each family looking and questioning, "Is Suffolk Times pholo byaarbara Sloulenburgh 'Traditions, Traditions: Everyone has their own traditions especially at this time of year — whether It's cutting their own tree, cooking special foods or putting their favorite ornaments on the tree. See If you can find the old whistle that has had Its place on our tree for two generations. this one too tall ?" "Is this one not tall enough ?" "This is the one, where's the chain saw ?" Or the more positive would say, "This is just perfect. I know exactly where it will go." And how about those special tree ornaments? I'm a stickler when it conies to certain things. For example, with special ornaments on the tree I like to have the name of who we got it from, or if we bought it, then the date and where we got it. A little sailboat hangs on our tree, and on its bottom is written the name of the boat, "Tern," and "1978," the year we bought our first sailboat. Then there is a delightful little replica of a bird feeder sent to us by our niece in the state of Washington. The bottom We Cater • We Deliver • We Celebrate 477 -8803 130 Front Street, Greenport I Open 7 days reads,"Joanie 1992." The tree has a special whistle hid- den in it. When the grandkids were little they would always go to the tree and search out the whistle and, of course, blow it as hard as they could. Its shrill whistle would slow every- thing down and then we knew one of the kids had found it. Another tradition that was my Dad's specialty was polishing the andirons and all the brass candlestick holders. The truth of the matter is that annual cleanup that he did was prob- ably the only time they got any at- tention, and without my Dad around, that's one of the traditions that has started to slip away. I like chestnuts and have always had a line of them cooking on the fireplace hearth at Christmastime. Chestnuts have always been part of our tradition. It is sort of fun turning the nuts to see that they get done on all sides. Knowing I always had chest- nuts around at Christmas, my son brought me sonic recently. And here again is where things have changed. When I went to get a few of the nuts to cook on top of the wood stove, I found they had already been cooked and shelled and were packed in a shrink- wrapped package. My son's heart was in the right place, but I'm still going to have to try to get sonic real old- fashioned chestnuts that I can cook and open. Speaking of nuts, I'm now in the process of cracking a half -peck or so of our black walnuts by the wood stove in the kitchen. They've been under the stove to dry so the meat can he picked out more easily. Occasion- ally I'll hit a nut too hard and bits and pieces go flying all over the kitchen, leaving a mess of half nutshell and half meat, all mushy. Of course, along the way I had to try some. Now there's a taste that can't be beat. Barbara tells me black walnuts are best for baking cookies and cakes, as you don't need a lot to get the flavor from them. I could tell of more traditions but I want to stop here and tell you a Christmas story that I was involved in many, many years ago. It was before I became a teacher and I was experi- menting with the idea of making a career in business. I became a mem- ber of Rotary, that international or- ganization of fellowship and the doer of good deeds. One of the good things that stands out in my mind in those early days is what the Rotary did at Christmastime. Rather than have a Christmas party and exchange gifts amongst them- selves, they had decided to get the names of needy families in town from the local social worker, along with the ages of each of the members of the family. No one knew who the families were. All the Rotarians would pur- chase clothes and gifts from a list and bring them to one place where they were assembled into separate boxes for each fancily. Then on Christmas Eve the mem- bers of the Rotary were given the boxes, with the family's address, to deliver them. My boxes In today's were be fast- moving delivered to a needy fans- world there is ily that had not enough time fallen on hard times. There for many of our was the hus- old traditions. band and wife and three or maybe four kids, I can't remember. I had a devil of a time finding them, but with some help and questioning around, I was told to take a dirt road into the woods at such and such a place and I'd find the family there. So off I went with my boxes of clothes and gifts I took the dirt road that led into the woods and there I came upon this little house. l couldn't believe anyone was actually living there. I stopped, gathered up my Christ- mas boxes and knocked on the door. A man who seemed to be carry- ing the world on his back greeted me. Further inside I could see the kids, who looked like they could sure use some of the things I'd brought.Then, to break my heart completely, in a cor- ner of this barren house was a spindly cedar tree with some paper ornaments that probably the kids had made. I could hardly speak, but I do think I got out "Merry Christmas "The man looked stunned. There was no con- versation, but from the doorway, the man's head bent down, there came a soft and broken "Thank you" as I left. I turned the car around and found my way back to the busy highway. I'll never forget that scene of over 50 years ago. There's never a Christmas goes by that I don't think of that dirt road leading to that never-to-be-for- gotten family on Christmas Eve. The Suffolk Times • December 14, 2006 It ome Suffolk Times photo byBarbara Stoutenburc aditions, Traditions: Everyone has their own traditions especially at thi ie of year — whether it's cutting their own tree, cooking special food putting their favorite ornaments on the tree. See if you can find the of iitle that has had its place on our tree for two generations. itve o We've been lucky in our family to keep up many of the old family tradi- tions, particularly the ones around Christmastime. It's these traditions that make our holidays so meaning- ful. Of course, there are those of you who celebrate other special days with their own special traditions. I'm sure you will agree that in today's fast - moving world there is not time enough for many of our old tradi- tions. Even some of the old tradi- FocU$ tional holiday songs we were O N brought up with NATURE have some sort of modern by Paul renditions. But Stoutenburgh then I guess I'm _ just old -fash- ioned. We still go out and cut our own Christmas tree and here again we can see change. Today we use a'chain saw to make the job easier. Remember how the old hand saws used to get stuck in the green sapwood of the tree, making you use words not at all in the spirit of Christmas. Then when you got the tree home, it was always too tall to fit in the chosen spot of the living room. First you cut just a little off the bottom, and then more until you finally cut a foot or more off it. Again, the handsaw did its best to prevent you from doing your job. Nevertheless, when it was all set up in its chosen spot, it looked pretty good and the hassle of cutting soon faded away and was forgotten. My Dad was a great one for the holidays. He would cut evergreens and holly to put around the house, on top of the fireplace, behind the pictures on the wall, etc. The ever- greens and the bright red berries of the holly surely helped to "deck our halls" with their fragrance and looks. Matter of fact we still put evergreens around the house and make up spray of evergreens and holly to put on the family cemetery plot. "Tradition. Tra- dition" — remember the theme of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof "? ims year our son, wno nas sort of a tree farm in back of his place, gave each family their choice of a Christmas tree. We all met to pick oul our tree. What fun it was to see each family look' n and uestioning, "Is t is one too to s is one not tall enough ?" "This is the one, where's the chain saw ?" Or the more positive would say, "This is just perfect. I knov exactly where it will go." And how about those special tree ornaments? J'm a stickler when it comes to certain things. For example, with special ornaments on the tree I like to have the name of who we got it from, or if we bought it, then the date and where we got it. A little sailboat hangs on our tree, and on its bottom is written the name of the boat, "Tern," and "1978," the year we bought our first sailboat. Then there is a delightful little replica of a bird feeder-sent to us by our niece in the state of Washington. The bottom The tree has a special whistle hid- den in it. When the grandkids were little they would always go to the tree and search out the whistle and, of course, blow it as hard as they could. Its shrill whistle would slow every- thing down and then we knew one qJ the kids had found it. Another tradition that was my Dad's specialty was polishing the andirons and all the brass candlestick holders. The truth of the matter is tha annual cleanup that he did was prob- ably the only time they got any at- tention, and without my Dad around, that's one of the traditions that has started to slip away. I like chestnuts and have always had a line of them cooking on the fireplace hearth at Christmastime. Chestnuts have always been part of our tradition. It is sort of fun turning the nuts to see that they get done on all sides. Knowing I always had-chest- nuts around at Christmas, my son brought me some recently. And here again is where things have changed. When I went to get a few of the nuts to cook on top of the wood stove, I found they had already been cooked and shelled and were packed in a shrink- wrapped package. My son's heart was in the right place, but I'm still going to have to try to get some real old- fashioned chestnuts that I can cook and open. Speaking or nuts, i-m now in the process of cracking a half -peck or so of our black walnuts by the wood stove in the kitchen. They've been under the stove to dry so the meat car be picked out more easily. Occasion­- sib ally I'll hit a nut too hard and bits and pieces go flying all over the kitchen, leaving a mess of half nutshell and half meat, all mushy. Of course, along the way I had to try some. Now there' a taste that can't be beat. Barbara tell me black walnuts are best for baking cookies and cakes, as you don't need a lot to get the flavor from them. I could tell of more traditions but I want to stop here and tell you a Christmas story that I was involved in many, many years ago. It was before I became a teacher and I was experi- menting with the idea of making a. career in business. I became a mem- ber of Rotary, that international or- ;anization of fellowship and the doer A good deeds. One of the good things .hat stands out in my mind in those -arly days is what the Rotary did at Rather than have a Christmas part} and exchange gifts amongst them- selves, they had decided to get the names of needy families in town from the local social worker, along with the ages of each of the members of the family. No one knew who the families were. All the Rotarians would pur- chase clothes and gifts from a list and bring them to one place where they were assembled into separate boxes for each family. Then on Christmas Eve the mem- bers of the Rotary were given the boxes, with the family's address, to deliver them. UAVb in toaay's be -r ed to fast - moving ;r needy fam- world there is y that had not enough time illen on hard mes. There for many of our as the hus- old traditions. and and wife id three or maybe four kids, I can't :member. I had a devil of a time nding them, but with some help and iestioning around, I was told to take dirt road into the woods at such and ich a place and I'd find the family So off I went with my boxes of clothes and gifts. I took the dirt road that led into the woods and there I came upon this little house. I couldn't believe anyone was actually living there. I stopped, gathered up my Christ mas boxes and knocked on the door. A man who seemed to be carry- ing the world on his back greeted me. Further inside I could see the kids, who looked like they could sure use some of the things I'd brought. Then, to break my heart completely, in a cor- ner of this barren house was a spindly cedar tree with some paper ornaments that probably the kids had made. I could hardly speak, but I do think I got out "Merry Christmas." The man looked stunned. There was no con- versation, but from the doorway, the man's head bent down, there came a soft and broken "Thank you" as I left. I turned the car around and found my way back to the busy highway. I'll never forget that scene of over 50 years ago. There's never a Christmas goes by that I don't think of that dirt road leading to that never-to-be-for - gotten family on Christmas Eve.