Christmas Memories: Then and Now

Driving in the car this morning, Moises shared his regrets for not making it out last night. He had a fever and was in bed by nine. But we went this morning and had a Christmas breakfast with his mom and sister and family. It was lovely. Daisy, my sister-in-law, lovingly prepared the turkey (pavo) and pork (pierna), both totally delicious. We bought the French bread to make sandwiches and grabbed some bags of chips at Bodega Aurrera. We ate a four course breakfast with family, and that is what Moises said too as we drove home, that Christmas is about family. Thinking about it, Christmas is about family and friends who have become like family.

me and my three brothers at Christmas

So I would like to share my Christmas memories with you, my blog readers. In my mind, like snapshots, I think of Christmases past. I remember that my dad liked pork roast on Christmas, not the ham that my grandmother prepared. Christmas was crowded around the antique table for fourteen in my grandma’s little dining room, with the oversized chairs that came from Uncle Joe, my grandmother’s uncle. I remember Uncle Joe’s huge ears and the way his house smelled, like moth balls and faded memories. I remember how my grandma always invited strangers who had nowhere else to go, and my father didn’t like that either, grumbling about why he had to spend Christmas with somebody he didn’t know. Grandma invited them anyway, the widow from down the street, a distant cousin we barely knew. The scents of my grandma’s stuffing, her spaghetti with cheese and the turkey my aunt brought from her house. The cookies and the hugs and all the laughter. I also remember my parents in true Mad Men style, they drank cocktails while Uncle Rich chain smoked cigarettes. I miss those Christmases, but all those relatives are now gone to Heaven, never to be played out again. My mom, dad, grandparents, Uncles Rich and Ron, my mom’s sister Peg. I can hear you playing the piano and singing Christmas carols still, Aunt Peggy.

me at Christmas 18 months

Left are my cousins and Uncle Bud in Ohio, my brother in Tampa, my nieces scattered in England and California, so far away for the holidays. Mom, I will never forget how you decorated the day after Thanksgiving, the hundreds of ornaments and figurines you had, the way you loved Christmas. I remember after Mike (my brother) died, Christmas was never the same. My dad cried every year, but you didn’t, Mommy. Even when the Huntington’s disease left you unable to walk or eat properly, you still loved Christmas … and your family. You never forgot me like your sister did when she got sick.

me and Denise at Christmas 8 years of age

So we missed the big celebration last night, but it is now Christmas Day. So filled with promises and hope, and I truly love the way my husband’s family, a true Yucatecan family, never holds grudges or resentments. We didn’t go last night, but we were welcomed this morning. And I realize something; this is my fourteenth Christmas in Cozumel. So now I have a whole new list of Christmas memories … our first Christmas here when our house was new and our dogs just arrived from the states, the year the rains came so strong we could barely drive down 30^th Avenue to get to Daisy’s house, the year my husband went to Merida for the holidays (2011), and I celebrated both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with good friends. But we swore we will never be apart again as long as we can be together, and Moises said that too, that he did spend Christmas with his family last night, me.

I remember every year on Cozumel Island as a year having a whole new family to love and care for. I do regret not being able to stop at a friend’s Open House last night or seeing the baby at her first Christmas,  but there will always be next year, and my continuing new Christmas memories of Cozumel.

Merry Christmas to all!

Cincinnati Visit Part 2

Bobby Lammert and family

You know the old saying, you can't go home again. Well I did, but boy was my memory lousy. I happened to sit in a room across from one of my brother's best friends for many hours and never realized who he was. My brother even gave me prompts, like remember Bob this or Bob that. But the guy I remembered was named Bobby and was thirty years younger! Sorry, Bobby Lammert, and if you make it to Cozumel, I promise to cook you that flank steak you liked so well.

We have a new tradition of meeting up each summer, my brother and his girls and a few select friends of my brother. One of the ones I enjoy speaking to and also talk to throughout the year is Liz. She is just such a wonderful, warm and together person.

Liz and me

The other is Tom, who shared his home with all of us. He has been a constant in the lives of my nieces and really like another Dad. I am honored to call him my friend.

Tom, my brother's good friend

One of the highlights of the Cincinnati visit was a party that my niece, Sarah, put together for us to see our first cousins, Julie and Lisa, their children and spouses and one of my favorite people in the whole world, Uncle Bud. Everybody should have an Uncle Bud, a guy who always believed in us, clowned with us and loved us unconditionally.

Uncle Bud

Our cousins Lisa and Julie

Seeing Jule and Lisa again was awesome. It was a tiny bit sad as their mom passed away in January. But she will live on in all our memories, love you, Aunt Peggy. I really need to pull out some of the old photos with Bud with Elvis hair and Peggy with her beehive and cat glasses. I just love those old photos!

Adorable Emmet with one of the puppies

One of my favorite photos from that day was of my cousin Lisa's younger son, Emmet. What a doll and of course, he is holding a puppy!

Cincinnati Visit Part I

Me in Cincinnati

Now home almost a week, I can finally clear the cobwebs of my brain and begin to tackle all the emotions a trip back to Ohio brings. It had been seven years since my last visit. I feel like I am reciting how long since my last confession. It is almost the same process. Each visit back brings the ghosts I think I have finally put to rest running about again.

Good points of my visit ... seeing family and friends, visiting my parents' graves, staying at a wonderful place (Mariemont Inn) ... more to come about that on my Gargoyles & Graffiti blog. Great food and beautiful architecture. I forgot how gorgeous Cincinnati is.

Bad points of my visit ... feeling the void of my aunt's passing, worrying about the health of one of my favorite relatives, seeing how old everybody is ... when I don't see them, they don't age ... and just having too little time. Always too little time.

Gorgeous lobby of the Mariemont Inn

My cousin Julie & her three children

And of course the theme of the trip ... puppies, puppies and more puppies. My brother now has twelve dogs, of which four are to be sold. The rest are Bella, Worley, Paisley, Chocy, Churchy, Tinkerbell, Rocket and not to be forgotten Baby Ruth. The four puppies entertained my cousins' kids for most of an afternoon. We had a great time last Sunday with everybody.

Patrick with one of the puppies

I am always amazed and awed by the friendships my brother has that have endured more than thirty years. Two of his good friends have also become my good friends as well.

Friends Liz and Tom with my niece Emma

My brother Tim with one of his puppies

Last but not least, there is my brother and his two daughters. My niece, Sarah, was visiting from England so that was the main reason I went to Cincinnati. Her little sister, Emma, flew in with her new husband and my brother, Tim was there too. A wonderful time was had by all! And, wow, boy can my brother cook.

My niece Sarah visiting from England enjoying a Margarita

Transported Back in Time with Rye Bread

Homemade salad with rye bread from Holland

Today I found a brick of bread labeled Rye bread, Pumpernickel, from Holland. Amazingly, a small brick of it weighed 500 grams. Being from Cincinnati, Ohio, I love rye bread. Growing up we had 26 varieties of rye bread available to choose from. I am lucky to find one hard loaf of Centeno Negro in either Chedraui or Mega, so this was quite a find. It was in the international section by the sliced ham and turkey at Chedraui.

But when I opened it up, to my utter delight, it was so much more than expected. This was not any ordinary rye bread. This was like the brown bread my mother used to make. As I took the first few bites before my salad was prepared, see the photo above ... I was transported back in time. 

I was a girl of 10 or 12 again, helping my mom in the kitchen. We had collected cans for a few weeks, cutting out the tops and saving the cans. We used the size that baked beans come in. Then on this special Saturday, my mom would make the brown bread from my grandmother's recipe. She would pour the thick mixture in to the cans and bake them in the oven. When the bread cooled sufficiently, we would turn them upside down, get out the hand can opener and open the bottom. Then I would help push the brown bread through the can and pop it on a plate. Grab a slab of cream cheese and be transported to Heaven.

If any of you have German or Dutch roots or have ever had this type of brown bread and loved it, I highly recommend this treat. I think it was $42 pesos for 500 grams. It is made by ven der Meulen of Holland. I could taste the molasses and for a few minutes, I was no longer in Cozumel. I was back in Ohio, enjoying my Saturday treat with my mom.

van der Meulen Dutch Pumpernickel wrapper

Miss you mom!