Congratulations to our randomly drawn Christmas Memories Contest Winners!
Janice Patterson, Chilliwack • Heidi Shaw, Ucluelet • Hope Wilson, Edmonton
Thank you to everyone who entered, here is a sampling of the Christmas Memories that flooded in…
Christmas in my house while growing up was not complete without a box of chocolates. Usually cracked open Christmas Eve after dinner, with a load of family sitting around the woodstove. Eventually the box would get down to the last few chocolates, mystery chocolates, scary and possibly gross chocolates. Then my sister would feed them to the dog, unbeknownst to us that that was a bad thing, and he lived plenty more years. Good times. Merry Christmas! – Roberta B.
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My favorite memory is spending the day with my girl friend making our own chocolates filled with liquor. We drank while we made them and were quite tipsy by dinner. So much fun and lots of laughter. – Gayle C.
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When my brother and I were kids, we used to leave out cookies and milk for Santa, along with notes of what we wanted, and a letter saying hello. Santa used to write back to us, although it was generally Rudolph who did, because Santa was busy putting all our presents out. One year, after the usual, I noticed Santa didn’t eat his cookies- so I went to read the letter. Lo and behold, he wrote us back personally, saying “Santa has to eat so many cookies and drink so much milk, next time he’d really like some chocolate and beer.” We were flabbergasted. But, next year, Santa got his chocolate (peanut butter cups, his favorite, coincidentally enough, my father’s favorite) and beer. It had vanished by morning. I’m pretty sure I heard a burp of appreciation that night. – Stephanie S.
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My Mom, who was born in Austria, would ask her friend who still lived there to send some of the old school European foil wrapped chocolates that they used to hang on the Christmas trees. Now these chocolates had the string, which was attached with wax, that you hung on to the tree. Within a few weeks the wax would dry out enough that the weight of the covered chocolate would cause it to fall. When we were small my Mom told us that when the chocolates would fall from the tree, the chocolate was ready to eat. So after the tree went up and was decorated, every morning after that my brother, sister and I would get out of bed to see if any chocolates had fallen and were ready for us to eat. Ah, when you’re young and impressionable… – Walt G.
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My favorite memory is that of eating all of my brother’s chocolate that he received in his stocking. When he went to my parents very upset I explained to them all that 5 days had passed with the chocolate uneaten so he obviously didn’t like chocolate as much as I did – therefore I was more grateful and deserving. Nice sister! Ha! – Jen T.
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The boxes of liqueur-filled chocolates clients used to give my Dad! We all remember those. – Sharleen K.
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Each Christmas my stepfather would buy each of us a box of chocolates!
When he passed away, my mom carried on his tradition and it continues… What a sweet way to keep his memory. – Tracy T.
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When I was younger my family usually spent Christmas with my Mom’s sister and her family. My aunt loved Christmas and she loved giving. She never filled a small stocking for us but always used pantyhose! They would be filled with small gifts and oranges, but mostly CHOCOLATE. What a joy! – Glenda D.
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Was given so many chocolates one year for Christmas that I was able to eat them until June. I was able to remember Christmas for 6 months! – Trina M.
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Just last year my mom had a new wonderful Christmas idea. She hid our favorite chocolate bars with a $20.00 bill slid in between the chocolate and the wrapper. But, you could only take the chocolate that had your initials on it. The whole family enjoyed the new hunt and it quickly turned into my brothers finding any candy bar and then re-hiding them. After a while everyone besides my little brother Luke had found their chocolate. We all decided to pitch in and help him look for his, but it was no where to be found in our big house.
A year went by and Luke had forgotten about his defeat. The other day I helped my mom pull out the Christmas decorations and the first box that came out of the closet fell and out came Luke’s chocolate bar from one of my mom’s snowman. A few hours later Luke came home from school to find a chocolate bar and $20 on the dining room table. He asked my mom and I why a random chocolate bar and money was on the table, not realizing that it was his. A few minutes later he began to laugh and ripped open the bar. With a huge smile on his face he said, “I finally found my chocolate.” One year later Luke finally got to enjoy his huge chocolate bar! – Stacy Y.