A Christmas Memory with Author Ottilie Weber

Here's a delightful medley of memories from Ottilie Weber, many of which I'm sure we can all relate to! Read on:

A Christmas memory is a mixture of family traditions that occurred in my family. The family gets the customs started with the twinkling lights covering the whole house, including a homemade Santa’s workshop, and even Snoopy.  Even the Christmas tree is up before Thanksgiving, even though that gives us a month till Christmas.  Christmas has always been a time for spending time with family, friends, and being away from school.  Even in college the thrill in the holiday is still there as I get to see my younger cousins live through the joy of Santa.

Christmas always bring the giddy joy of childhood traditions that feels like we never fully have to out grow.  Unpacking the boxes of ornaments that we get to decorate the tree with as the family talks about all the real trees that we had before we got the fake tree.  The year the tree was shaped like a pregnant tree, the year my grandparents dog knocked down the tree to only popped out of the fallen branches, and then there was last year how the decorations were only two feet high on the tree in one sector because my cousins were decorating.

My favorite childhood traditions that I never get to out grow however are the movies that I grew up on.  Movies that involve the Grinch, Charlie Brown, Muppets, and a not so childhood version The Christmas Carol, Scrooged are ones that I look forward to see each year.  Even to this day while watching Rudolph and The Year without a Santa Clause my mom and I will compare the Santa’s wondering why Rudolph didn’t make Santa beg for help, saying he was the grumpiest Santas.  The big joke with these movies is that they are on the same video as my mom’s Duran Duran music videos so that we have to get a blast from the eighties before the Christmas spirit.

Last year we included my two year old cousin who at the time was one in our cookie making session while watching the old animations on Christmas Eve.  Mixing the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies and trying to steal as much cookie dough before the cookies are actually made.  For we all know the dough is better than the actual cookies!  Later that night we went to church for the Christmas Eve service, getting all dressed up to see the candles and to hear the music that everyone has been practicing for.  To see new faces there those are people coming home again to see their families for the holidays.  To finish off the night my family will get back into our car, finding a Christmas music station as we drive around aimlessly to look at the glistening Christmas lights of yet another holiday that we are together.

Ottilie Weber is the author of End of the Line and Family Ties. 

For more about Ottilie and her work, please visit: http://ottilieweber.blogspot.com