You might think I am talking about just the December holidays. Well, this year it was going to be a bit different. My best friend and his family being Jewish meant that I was about to experience something very new. And very different. Since his family basically adopted me and my mom, including my mom’s boyfriend back in August, we were all about to learn more about them, and the celebrations of their history and culture. And I felt like my mom’s boyfriend reluctantly tagged along.
And this year these celebrations blended a traditional American holiday with their upcoming holiday of Hanukkah.
This would be our first year away from family for the Thanksgiving holiday. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about not having a traditional Thanksgiving feast at my Grandparent’s house. And it was hot outside and not cold. And there wasn’t much color changes in the trees either. This year I felt lost in this new and alien environment. This feeling of being lost would change as I began to learn more about how others celebrated their holidays and what made them special. More discovery for me.
So, starting with the Thanksgiving holiday feast, all the way through New Years would become an eye-opening experience, and you could say an incredible journey. I would know now that there is more than one belief system in the world. And I would learn even more as I grew older into my teens.
Let’s start with our shared Thanksgiving. I learned that it doesn’t matter what your belief system is, Thanksgiving is for everyone. It is a time to gather and just be together sharing stories and memories. So, this year in this new place our two families joined forces to create a Thanksgiving feast that included some Western North Carolina dishes including candied yams and apple pie. And I will add to this tell, some Jewish delicacies were also enjoyed, and boy were they tasty. My friend and I stuffed ourselves and then later went to the pool for a cooling swim. And we were told we had to wait for an hour before we could go swimming.
Two days after Thanksgiving my friend invited me over to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. This would be a new experience for me coming from Western North Carolina and only knowing of Christmas. I had no idea what this holiday was, but I was soon to find out. After the first celebratory candle was lit we were each given a small gift. I remember my gift was a one-dollar bill in a small box. WOW! I thought this was neat. My friend told me that we would each be getting a gift for each night of Hanukkah. What was my response. And then I asked why.
My friend’s dad gathered our families together and he then told the story of Hanukkah and the meaning of the candles. So, for this night and the next seven nights the lighting of the candles and the gifts we received would become a special time for me. This would become another moment of discovery that would help follow me into my preteen years.
And then there was Christmas. My new challenge was which part of the sky should I be looking towards to see if I could find Santa and his reindeer pulling his sled. And I think this is the year that I think Santa may have lost his mystique. From one of my dreams, I just couldn’t see Santa without snow, or at least the cold weather with the threat of snow. And I thought that the reindeer wouldn’t want to be found where it was hot.
Yes, Santa was at the department store, but it just wasn’t the same Santa. I think I started to not believe anymore. But then we got a Sears Christmas catalog, and it was full of toys just like we would get back in Western North Carolina. And then we got another Christmas catalog from Montgomery Ward and that brought my Christmas spirit back. The hardest thing I would have to do is explain Santa to my best friend from my point of view. We agreed to both accept Santa and now, Hanukkah Harry. Done!
Christmas eve arrived and my mom started a new tradition for dinner. We would be having Oyster Stew and Oyster Crackers. Later that evening I was introduced to Eggnog. And then it was Christmas day. and guess what… Santa came and brought me a set of army men with tanks and jeeps. He also brought my best friend some toys too. Our joint families then sat down to Christmas dinner and celebrated.
December 1964 became an important milestone in my life. I discovered so many new things about how and why we celebrate our holidays. I also learned that family doesn’t always need to be direct. We can also have adopted families. And we can adopt their celebrations into our lives as well. I think I learned that being together with others is an important piece of our happiness. And the others do not need to be family.
New Years Eve came, and we tried our best to stay up. We were nine-year-old boys wanting to experience this ending of a modern calendar year and the beginning of a new modern calendar year. I say modern because my best friend’s calendar year is different; and very ancient. This was cool to know that we track years differently. I was also looking forward to the new year hanging out and playing more with my best friend and his family.
But a new change was brewing…
“Follow my story for new vignettes”