Thursday, December 11, 2008

A Charlie Brown Christmas Tradition Lives On

Earlier this week, A Charlie Brown Christmas came on television. Ever since my daughter was a little girl, we used to sit and watch it together---the same as I did with my parents when I was little. This year, however, my daughter was away at college so I completely forgot about that particular mother-daughter holiday tradition. (My two-year-old grandson was spending the night with his other grandparents so he wasn't available).

But while on Twitter, one of my followers, Carla Nix, announced that she was watching it with her daughter, which sparked some memories.

So in keeping with the tradition, I called my 18-year-old college freshman and we sat on the phone and watched it together. She knew the part I would cry on and we laughed together as we reminicsed about the Charlie Brown Christmases of the past. She reminded me of the crazy dances I would do during the Charlie Brown gang rehearsal scene and the times I used to call her from work when the show was on.

As a baby boomer parent, I am discovering there are some traditions that should live on no matter how old we get. Those traditions live on even unto death.

What traditions do you still celebrate with loved ones?

8 comments:

Parents Rule! said...

Terrific post--I am going to use this on the show. Traditions don't have to expensive or fancy to have meaning. Often it is the simplest thing that brings the family together in a wonderful way.

Carla Y. Nix said...

What a nice warm fuzzy! That's how reading this made me feel; all warm and fuzzy!

Thanks for this post and thanks for the mention as well.

In addition to watching Charlie Brown (oh, and we just love the rehearsal dance too - especially the little guy with his head bopping from side to side - LOL!) - anyway, one little family tradition I cherish is a little thing we do every Christmas morning. That is to have a breakfast of bananna pancakes. We all sit and eat that (and it HAS to be bananna pancakes each year) before anyone opens presents. This is a fairly "new" tradition for me, but it was born out of memory to my mother. She used to make those and it was always done with special love. So for me and my own family, it's our annual Christmas breakfast!

Simplicity. Sentimental. Special.

Blessings!

Carla Y. Nix

Anonymous said...

I forgot how much they enjoy such little things which are a part of getting ready for the Christmas season. Whether we are baking cookies and taking them to neighbors, or out picking out our Christmas tree.

Thomases said...

Other than just spending time together we don't have a tradition. The girls have been widespread for several years and two are married, one lives in the country, or has been for some years, another is overseas and we've had some overseas or away at different times over the past few years. What we did with them as kids no longer takes place. It's just being together. But I do love to decorate our dining room table and the house and do that each year. This year we'll be at our youngest daughter's place for dinner though - it's time for us to start doing new things at Christmastime.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Beverly--

I was so touched by your Charlie Brown Christmas story. I can see that you and your daughter have a very special relationship. How wonderful to share those memories and traditions with your children.
I wish you and everyone in your family a most wonderful Christmas and many blessings in the New Year.

Debbie Stevens said...

Hi Bev,

What a lovely post, really had me thinking about mum, as she had many traditions that sadly no longer exist.

Thanks for sharing your story with us. :)

Debbie

Joyce Mason said...

Beverly, I love your phone watch with your daughter. A friend of mine and I have done that when we have followed major news events or announcements. We may been 100 miles apart, but it was like we were squeezing each other's hand in the same room!

My side of the family gets together Christmas Eve for an intimate dinner party. This year will be the first without my sister; however, my husband's sister will be visiting from Florida. With my brother-in-law, it'll still be our usual foursome. We have a fabulous meal then watch "A Christmas Story." We start and wrap up by 10:00 so Tim and I can go to Midnight Mass. We open presents in-between dinner and the movie. The next day, we put more presents in the "sleigh" and head off to the San Francisco Bay Area to be with my husband's family.

Anonymous said...

This is very sweet!

We have so many traditions that it is hard to pick just one. The whole family watches Christmas Vacation every Christmas Eve.

I think that my 3 daughters' favorite tradition is picking on me! LOL Seriously, for over a decade now, I have done something of sentimental value for the girls. The first year, I made cookbooks for them of everything that I cook, and included recipes from their grandmothers and great-grandmothers. Other things included a book I had purchased that asked questions about my childhood. I think I bought them at Wal-Mart. It took me about 9 months to fill them in, but they spent all of Christmas Eve reading them and crying.

About three years ago I told them to reserve a certain day for me. I took them to lunch and shopping. We later met at the youngest daughter's work, where I had a limo pick us up. They had no idea that limo was for us or where we were going. As soon as we got into the limo, they started calling their friends to tell them where we were. The limo took us to an elite spa where we all got plush robes, drinks, and sat in the sauna together, prior to our mud baths. They absolutely loved it. They thanked me that year for "not making them cry at their gift.". LOL

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