36 | SUNRAYS
DECEMBER 2013
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A Christmas Moment
Editor’s Note: This was written by Jeanne
Lubey following Christmas 1995, after
getting settled into a new home.
I
love Christmas, with all the giving
and getting and kind words, the deco-
rations and gaudy, but beautiful col-
ored lights, and, of course, the excitement
of parties and friendly visits. It’s like a
shot of high-powered vitamins.
However, as we began the task of deco-
rating our home [for Christmas], I won-
dered aloud if it was really worth the
effort. After all, the kids were all grown
and lived across the country, and it felt as
if we had just gotten settled after moving
into our new home in Louisiana ― just
two months earlier, I had finally found
a place for each trinket and photograph
and piece of artwork. All the dishes were
lined neatly in the kitchen cabinets, and
the autumn colors that were so famil-
iar to our home were everywhere. The
move was behind us, but now I had to
rip it apart again―for a two-week holiday
binge. Dread, dread, dread!
We began by choosing the perfect tree for
our new living room. It was lovely and
full of a woodsy pine scent that perme-
ated the house with its wonderful smell.
I dutifully emptied all the shelves and
cabinets, and put away the artwork, the
trinkets and photographs to make room
for Christmas. Out came the Christmas
boxes full of visual reminders of years
gone by. With each light and ornament
placed on the tree, our Christmas spirit
grew. The room teemed with memories
of Christmases past. My husband placed
the angel on top of our tree, we hung the
kids’ time-worn socks on the fireplace
mantle, and put our wreath on the front
door. We were at last ready to celebrate
the rich holiday traditions our parents
and grandparents and great grandpar-
ents so lovingly preserved for us.
Time passes quickly. With Christmas
over, we carefully wrapped the orna-
ments and placed them away for yet an-
other year. As I boxed each Christmas
memory, I thought to myself, how could I
have questioned, was it worth the effort?
Of course Christmas is worth the effort,
if only for one moment of shared joy that
will be cherished by generations yet to
come. Celebrating Christmas is good for
the soul. It makes us pause reflectively
to think about our lives, and the lives of
others we are privileged to touch. It is a
gentle reminder to reorder our thinking.
Christmas should be a fire that rekindles
our spirits and renews the love in our
lives. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that
fires need tending to stay alive. Perhaps
next year I won’t be so quick to question,
“Is it worth the effort?” Perhaps I will
remember that I must tend the fire.
― Jeanne Lubey, N10
Midnight Soup
I came from a very large family in
Hawaii. My paternal grandfather
came to Hawaii fromPortugal as a
baby, andmy paternal grandmother
was born in Hawaii to Portuguese
immigrants. They practiced many
traditions, most of which involved
food. There were 12 of us grandchil-
dren growing up together on the
island of Oahu.
Every Christmas Eve, the whole
family would gather at one of the el-
der relatives’ homes around 11 p.m.
We would all have “Midnight Soup”
and then go to Midnight Mass at
the Cathedral of our Lady of Peace.
It was a tradition that lasted for all
of my youth and all of the cousins
loved this tradition and the gather-
ing of the family.
“Midnight Soup” was a tradi-
tional Portuguese Chicken Soup.
I remember it being cooked in a
large pot that was built into the
stove. I haven’t seen one of those
stoves since 1960―but I do remem-
ber the soup!
―Karen Meredith Lindholm, N30
SMITTEN WITH SANTA
Marcia Schorer (N06) with Santa at Macy’s San Francisco, circa 1945 or 1946.
