This was without doubt the finest Christmas Dinner I can remember.
My Father's Father and all of Dad's siblings arrived, at the old shack we called home at the time, each bringing gifts and platters of food that were the specialties that were reserved for the Christmas table.
It was the first time I recall that all of these family members, their spouses and children managed to share this special day.
Thankfully it was a typical Texas Christmas with warm enough temperatures that the children were able to spend most of their day playing with their new toys outside the tiny old house.
I don't recall that there was a special reason for this being different from other Christmases, but to a half-starved teenager it didn't matter as long as the food was good and there was lots of it.
Mom and my aunts had really put together a feast by any standard with a large smoked turkey topping the list of delicacies along with a goose and a brace of pheasants supplied by Dad's friend Sunny.
Fresh fish, oysters, and frog legs were a special treat for our city-fied family members.
Pecan, pumpkin, and apple pies, a cake or two, banana pudding with vanilla wafers and whipped cream topping were treats to satisfy the "sweet-tooth" of any hungry youngster.
This day was a very special one for me, because I was even then a keen observer of humanity and this was a "one time only" opportunity for me to watch and enter-act with these family members all together under the same small roof.
Dad and his two sisters and younger brother told family stories and laughed over many memories they shared of their childhood shenanigans.
Grampa, in his mid-seventies,was teetering on the verge of senility by this time and being nearly deaf had a difficult time following the conversation. He was living with one of his daughters and each of his children would care for him until he died at 86 years while living in my Father's house.
Dad's youngest sibling Andrew was a fussy eater in that he carefully placed food on his plate so each serving was separated from the next. Beans couldn't touch mashed potatoes etc. He explained that he preferred to enjoy each flavor and texture un-tainted by other flavors and textures.
Grampa at one point asked for another serving of "ham" to which Aunt Ella Mae replied, "Papa, we don't have any ham today, that's turkey you've been eating." Grampa didn't care for anyone questioning his authority and told her, "Don't lie to me, I know ham when I taste it!"
He was presented with another serving of smoked turkey and enjoyed every bite.
I have shared many years of fine Christmas Dinners since that day, but never in my life have I experienced a day such as this where I had such a feast of wonderful food and family enter-action.
Thanks for sharing this memorable Christmas Feast with me Friends and may you all have the Very Best of Christmases,
CJ
My Father's Father and all of Dad's siblings arrived, at the old shack we called home at the time, each bringing gifts and platters of food that were the specialties that were reserved for the Christmas table.
It was the first time I recall that all of these family members, their spouses and children managed to share this special day.
Thankfully it was a typical Texas Christmas with warm enough temperatures that the children were able to spend most of their day playing with their new toys outside the tiny old house.
I don't recall that there was a special reason for this being different from other Christmases, but to a half-starved teenager it didn't matter as long as the food was good and there was lots of it.
Mom and my aunts had really put together a feast by any standard with a large smoked turkey topping the list of delicacies along with a goose and a brace of pheasants supplied by Dad's friend Sunny.
Fresh fish, oysters, and frog legs were a special treat for our city-fied family members.
Pecan, pumpkin, and apple pies, a cake or two, banana pudding with vanilla wafers and whipped cream topping were treats to satisfy the "sweet-tooth" of any hungry youngster.
This day was a very special one for me, because I was even then a keen observer of humanity and this was a "one time only" opportunity for me to watch and enter-act with these family members all together under the same small roof.
Dad and his two sisters and younger brother told family stories and laughed over many memories they shared of their childhood shenanigans.
Grampa, in his mid-seventies,was teetering on the verge of senility by this time and being nearly deaf had a difficult time following the conversation. He was living with one of his daughters and each of his children would care for him until he died at 86 years while living in my Father's house.
Dad's youngest sibling Andrew was a fussy eater in that he carefully placed food on his plate so each serving was separated from the next. Beans couldn't touch mashed potatoes etc. He explained that he preferred to enjoy each flavor and texture un-tainted by other flavors and textures.
Grampa at one point asked for another serving of "ham" to which Aunt Ella Mae replied, "Papa, we don't have any ham today, that's turkey you've been eating." Grampa didn't care for anyone questioning his authority and told her, "Don't lie to me, I know ham when I taste it!"
He was presented with another serving of smoked turkey and enjoyed every bite.
I have shared many years of fine Christmas Dinners since that day, but never in my life have I experienced a day such as this where I had such a feast of wonderful food and family enter-action.
Thanks for sharing this memorable Christmas Feast with me Friends and may you all have the Very Best of Christmases,
CJ
