Friday OT #1 - Your Auld Lang Syne

[Angie]

"Old times past" or "times long past" is the translation of "Auld Lang Syne." Who do you not see anymore during the holidays who you wish you could? Do you do anything fun to carry on traditions from when you were together during the holidays?

My two grandmothers passed away (one back in 2002, the other this past spring), and it makes me so very sad not to see them each year. But we carry on certain traditions (playing certain songs while opening presents, there is a certain spaghetti dish with whiskey that one would make each year), so they are still there in a small way.

Without being too somber - who is your auld lang syne?

 

[Buster28]

My grandma Hansen. She was the grandparent I was closest to. Everyone always looked forward to a holiday or birthday at grandma's place because it was fun and the food was always fantastic, whether it was a Thanksgiving dinner or basic burgers. When she got older (and my grandfather was no longer with us), she would come to my place and I got to return the favor for all the gatherings we had when I was young.

 

[Fitzy]

My Grandma Fitzpatrick had a heart attack last November. It was kind of sudden and out of left field because she was one of the most active 80-year-olds I've ever known... Rode horses every day, gave riding lessons to kids around her hometown quite often, still did a ton of the outdoor work around her house and farm... She was a kick ass combo of being overwhelmingly kind (was an elementary school teacher for many years) and such a great model of working hard every day.

The day she had the heart attack, she was driving one of her riding students home (a young girl) from a lesson. From what I understand, the student noticed Grandma Fitz was struggling a bit on the drive and when they got to their destination, Grandma said she needed a drink of water and next thing you know, she was barely responsive. The student told her parents and they took Grandma to the hospital and she was life-flighted to Mercy. The docs eventually got her stable, but she wasn't responding to anything and was only alive because of the machines she was hooked up to. We were told she had apparently developed severe heart disease, which none of us would have ever guessed for a woman as active as her. Fortunately, everyone was able to visit her and say goodbye over the next 24 hours or so before my dad and his brother had to make the hard decision to let her go.

We were all so thankful she wasn't by herself when the heart attack happened and for the opportunity to say our goodbyes. Nowadays, I think of Grandma every time I see a horse and we carry on her memory by playing group Solitaire when we're all together since we always played it with her at her house while visiting.

 

[SCyclone]

It still doesn't seem like Christmas anymore without going back to my hometown in Wisconsin. It never was Christmas until we were headed up the lane to my grandparents' house. It was always days of relatives, get-togethers, singing, huge awesome meals, and of course presents. I had aunts and uncles and cousins galore.

Those days are gone, and my nuclear family is all in Sconnie. What I wouldn't give to drive up my grandma's lane with the snow falling and the Christmas lights blazing just one more time.

 

[MeanDean]

a. My grandmother (and her daughter, my aunt) always made:

Kolaches

Divinity


b. Not as interesting perhaps, but my father would always buy one of those huge 3 lb chocolate box-samplers for the family for Christmas. He was notoriously cheap so this seemed so out of character for him at the time (He did loosen up in his later years). At the time it sorta seemed like not that big of a deal. Now I HAVE to get a box of chocolates at Christmas in remembrance.

 

[heitclone]

My dad for sure. We always traveled on Christmas so we would have our celebration on Christmas Eve. For whatever reason my dad always made a big pot of chili, we'd eat, drive around to look at lights and then come home and open gifts. We did this well through my college years, where eventually spiked egg nog and cocktails were in the mix. The last few times ended up lasting well into the Xmas morning and some rock, paper, scissors to see who had to drive to our big family party thanks to a hangover in the morning.

He passed away suddenly Jan 3 2009, he had been at my house dropping some stuff off and left to throw salt out on the driveway bc freezing rain was in the forecast. About 10 minutes after they left, my mom called and said she had called the Ambulance and that dad wasn't feeling well and I needed to get there asap. By the time I got there, he was struggling a bit more, I gave him a hug and he told me he felt like he was dying. They weren't even a block away from our house when he coded and they weren't able to bring him back. Cause was pulmonary embolism.

The last 10 years, my mom and I, then eventually my wife and our sons keep up his Christmas Eve traditions. His passing being so close to holidays is rough but being able to share some of his holiday traditions with my sons is hands down my favorite part of fatherhood.

 

[Angie]

These stories are lovely.

 

[SCyclone]

These stories are lovely.

They are - a great thread idea! Thank you!

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

My maternal grandmother passed in 2012. Christmas Eve was always at her house. After she passed my mother and siblings carried on the tradition but in the years since I've had a uncle pass away and another aunt and uncle retired and now winter in Arizona. So it's just my mom and my aunt now.

 

[BCClone]

Will be finding out this Christmas. My oldest sister passed away last summer and my mom this October. So it’s down to one sibling and me. I was the closest to mom so I took care of everything for her. When my sister found out she had cancer she had me attend many of her doctor appointments and treatments with her since her husband was mentally slipping so it has been a somber 3-4 year span.

Will see what new traditions start and old ones are kept these next years.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Mine's a what not a who. The church back home always made Christmas feel like Christmas. My family is spread out all over the country and only gets together once, maybe twice a year, and rarely on Christmas.

We all spend Christmas with our own families, which we all appreciate. However, there will always be a part of me that misses singing Christmas songs with my brothers and sisters.

 

[arobb]

We always had ham for Christmas dinner at my grandmother's house until about 20 years ago when she bought t-bone steaks for us to grill out for everyone because she was sick of ham. It was such a hit that it became tradition. Grandma's been gone for 10 years now but we still grill steaks for Christmas every year, whether it's 50 degrees or -10 degrees outside.

 

[madguy30]

Interesting this came up...this will be the first Christmas for me that I can recall that I won't be going to my Grandma's house. Her house was literally an old farm house, up on a hill, with a timber around it etc. and was always the place where we met for reunions, holidays etc.

She passed away in 2018 but never downsized...we had the family gather for one last Christmas together in the house last year, and spent the last year figuring out what to do with all the stuff from the house and surrounding sheds and it sold in November.

Just a very surreal moment when I left there for the last time in October...was like having a big part of my identity and losing a place of happiness and comfort.

Life goes on but in a heartbeat I'd go back and walk into that house one more time on Christmas day to all the wonderful food and being greeted with one of her hugs.

 

[jsb]

I had a very good friend die in a car accident on December 20th 14 years ago. For many years Christmas was really hard because of all of the muscle memory things. If I watched the movie I watched the night before I found out she had died (we didn't find out until the morning of the 21st), I would wonder why I was sad. If I listened to the Christmas CD I was listening to that year, I would get sad. For years I would kind of relive the whole thing (I was the one that had to call our group of friends and tell them.) I'd say that it is only in the last 4-5 years where I forget about it a bit more, which is kind of sad in itself.

On a more traditional note, my grandma died 4 or 5 years ago at age 93. Her death was sad and she was ready to go. She had turned kind of mean in her old age. I can't say that I've missed the old, crabby grandma, but I've always appreciated the one from when I was a kid. But this week, for maybe the first time, I missed her and thought how irritated she would have been over the election and how it would be fun to talk to her about it.