Mom loved Christmas. This photo was taken one Christmas morning. My sister had given her this hat. In her later years, Mom delighted in just opening gifts, didn't really matter what was inside (as evident from the hat ...). It was the opening, the reveal, the 'oh goodness!' before that one was set aside and the next was placed on her lap, shedding its wrapping in short order. Soon her chair would be surrounded by piles of gaudy Christmas wrap and little gifts.
My first six Christmases were spent in Seattle, Washington where I was born, and I remember Mom used to make up a wreath of wrapped candy which she hung on the front door. People visiting could help themselves. When we came to New Zealand, she did the same for our first Christmas, and I remember all the candies melted in their wreath because of course it was summer time. No matter. We still ate them, as did the neighbour kids who'd never seen such a thing.
Mom had an ongoing relationship with 'the turkey man' who raised turkeys in Silverdale. At that time, Silverdale was bush-clad hills and 'countryside' (now it is a bustling megalopolis traffic jam) and I remember 'going up to get the turkey' for both Christmas and Thanksgiving (which she celebrated as well) was a Big Event. For years, Mom endured the intense heat of an oven baking a bird for hours, until eventually, the menu was modified and made less heat-stressed for those hot summer days.
I grew up on Churchill Road in Murrays Bay (Auckland's North Shore). We lived there until I was around 19 or so, and Christmas day had some traditions in that household. Christmas Day was presents first up, then a breakfast of sausages, eggs and toast (in later years, Mom and I had our 'Christmas nip' of whiskey, which I still do to this day, in her honour and remembrance). Often we'd go down to the beach - one year I went down in my new Christmas-gift-pyjamas - and then Mom and I would make our 'Christmas visits', taking some home-made goodies to her friends living nearby.
I was probably around 10 or 12 then, and always went with Mom as we took some cake to Lorna's, and then to Annette's with cookies, followed by a stop at Helen's, always staying for tea or coffee (sweet bright orange cordial drink for me) and a good chin-wag. Murrays Bay was quite the community then, and Mom knew alot of people roundabout, social as she was. This 'dropping in' on Christmas day wasn't at all unusual, and we received visitors as well.
By the end of the day, totally sugared up on cordial and cake, I'd then go up the road to see my best friend Milton, to compare our Christmas gift haul and eat more ' lollies'.
I really miss Christmases with Mom, perhaps not so much when we were younger, but more when she was older, not many years before she passed away, still showing such a delight in the day when we would all be together, and she had that mountain of gifts to open.