The DBE Today

Dear Readers,

For many of us who spent our childhood Christmases in another country, this is a wonderful time to reflect on the many traditions that we grew up with.   I can’t help but think about how many of those Christmas traditions I have carried on with over the past thirty years since living in the USA and raising a family here.

I still say “Happy Christmas” to everyone, although it is very hard not so slip into “Merry Christmas”! We still decorate our Christmas table with Christmas crackers. For many years, I brought them back in a suitcase back from England, asked people to post them to me, and as a last resort found some very sad little ones over here in the shops. I am happy to say you can buy some decent crackers now, but none will surpass John Lewis or Marks & Spencer’s crackers!!    I still make sausage rolls and mince pies every year. I have given up expecting my family to like mince pies, but they do love sausage rolls as do all our American friends who have tried them. We have Christmas Pudding every year on Christmas Day as well as an English Trifle (the latter being my son’s very favourite dessert of all time).   We have the traditional turkey, sausage stuffing (yes it is not dressing in my house), roast potatoes (none of those sweet potato things they like over here) and of course the brussel sprouts that as a child I hated, and now love! Why is it that I only cook those on one day of the year though!!!

Our children grew up putting their Christmas stockings (actually pillow cases) down the end of the bed for Father Christmas to find and fill during the night. None of those red stockings hanging over the fireplace for us! Father Christmas always found a mince pie waiting from him on a plate downstairs too.    I continued to put tangerine, nuts and fruit in their stockings, although they got tossed aside every year for the more interesting toys, but I was determined to follow on with my mother’s tradition. Quality Street and Roses Chocolates continue to be a special treat at Christmas time too.

Over the years we have had many Boxing Day parties over here. Our American friends are very happy to take an extra day to celebrate and love all the old Christmas games that we introduced them to.   Growing up Boxing Day was a family party day, and I have loved to keep that tradition going.

Our children are now grown and we have grandchildren.   I am happy to say I see many of these traditions being carried on and this truly gives me a special feeling inside.    I sadly lost my Mum this year, and many of those good times and traditions are a tribute to how special she made each and every Christmas when I was growing up. She will be forever the reason that Christmas was, and continues to be, such a special time.

So dear friends and readers, I encourage you all to hang on to those traditions and celebrate them. It keeps us close to home!

Happy Christmas Everyone and a Very Happy New Year.

And as Charles Dickens would say “God Bless us Everyone!!!”

Diane Jones
DBE Tennessee State President