Christmas Traditions
In the City of Brotherly Love
Christmas Traditions
In the City of Brotherly Love
Chestnut Hill, the town where I grew up was a well-knit community of families and friends. The Hill, as many of us called it, was in the northwest quadrant of the city of Philadelphia. Although Philly is a large city, it had many neighborhoods which felt like small towns.
“He’s from Mt. Airy but is married to a woman from West Oak Lane.”
New Yorkers often found us provincial and backward, but we were proud to be from Philadelphia. We were and are The City of Brotherly Love.
During Christmas season, Chestnut Hill was artfully decorated with tiny white lights on the trees of the main street Germantown Ave. Few things have been quite so captivating as The Hill decorated for Christmas. So subtle and quiet and understated.
We could walk everywhere on the Hill. Small businesses lined the Avenue and we kids could choose Christmas presents close to home. I think most fathers received shaving cream or a necktie and many a discount was given to children by the local shop owners.
Our parish church, Our Mother of Consolation, was a centerpiece in our lives. My parents were devout Catholics and we attended the parish school taught by nuns.
Advent, the Christian term for the month preceding Christmas allowed an air of festivity and frivolity denied us in Lent, the period leading up to Easter Sunday. Lent was the time for self-denial with adults giving up alcohol or cigarettes, and children giving up candy.
The priests at church wore purple vestments in Advent, and the altar was decorated with fresh pine surrounding the creche of baby Jesus.
As many cultures do, we believed in Santa Claus who would bring us presents on Christmas morning. I loved Santa Claus but found him to be less than an equal opportunity employer so to speak. So many of my friends received more gifts than I did which had me questioning the whole scenario. I had six brothers and sisters whom I will love into eternity, but it didn’t feel all that affluent in the gift department on Christmas Day.
Thankfully, my family and I were touched by the message of Christmas, the birth of Christ, and the hope for peace, mercy, and love. We were religious enough to diffuse the grip of materialism that surrounded Christmas.
In our family, we attended midnight mass together. The Christmas hymns we sang were truly beautiful and we saw so many good friends at church. Bundled up with hats and mittens. we greeted our friends outside church with everyone saying “Merry Christmas!”
After church, we arrived home and cooked breakfast in the neighborhood of one A.M. My brother Bernie went to his friend Danny McDaid’s for post-midnight mass breakfast. Many Hillers enjoyed the generosity of spirit of the McDaid family.
On Christmas morning, my brother Patrick and I awakened before the older kids and we peeked through the presents before being joined by the others.
Christmas dinner was most often a huge turkey and stuffing, much like Thanksgiving dinner. My mother pulled the leaf out of the dining room table to expand it to fit us all. We set out the good China, the Christmas tablecloth, and lit red and green candles. Our family enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner together and the memories of the love and laughter we shared will sustain me always.
Merry Christmas!