Good morning and Merry Christmas.....
To me Christmas has always been very traditional. Looking back now as an adult, the memories and being with you family and friends. As a child the main concern is what you got from Santa.
As a parent of a now grown up daughter, I have tried to instill those traditions in her. To me it is not what I get that matters at all. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy getting gifts. But putting a smile on other peoples face to me is way more important.
While I am a mix of several different nationalities the traditions that have been front an center my entire life are Italian traditions.
Christmas Eve in the Italian American tradition is ”The Feast of the Seven Fishes”. This growing up was my absolute favorite. Everyone would go to Bayonne, New Jersey to my uncle Vito’s this night. The house was absolutely packed. He would spend countless hours preparing this meal. Not to mention all the time he spent down at the piers picking the freshest seafood for the feast.
The name says seven but obviously my uncle Vito must be bad at math because there were always over a dozen different dishes spread out. There were a few that were always the same and traditional like baccala stew, fried calamari, mussels marinara (both hot and sweet), and my absolute favorite clams casino.
I feel like I’m rambling a bit, but the message I’m trying to convey to you all is enjoy the time with your family and friends. Most of my family now is all over the country or have passed. The holidays are not the same for me anymore. My daughter is a beautiful young lady and I’m hoping that she will continue with the traditions I’ve taught her.