Esther Wachtell Provides Some Of Her Favorite Stories About This Time of Year

Esther Wachtell Provides Some Of Her Favorite Stories About This Time of Year

The Winter Holidays are my favorite time of year. We don't have a traditionally white Christmas in Southern California, but our beautiful state does us proud every year. Light wrapped palm trees and days balmy enough to go coatless - the Midwest and northeast can keep their White Christmases; I'll always prefer Christmas California style. My family celebrates the entire season. Our kids, their spouses and our grandchildren are of both Christian and Jewish descent. We've made it a point, my husband and I, to throw a big two day sleepover at our home for our entire family each Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we put up the kids tree and our grandchildren spend the afternoon decorating it however they want. Some years the tree is truly a sight to behold - like the year they used brightly colors socks and ribbons to adorn the tree in our playroom. Whenever my husband and I need a good laugh, we just pull out the album that holds photos of the kids' tree throughout the years. The year they decided they were going to string popcorn to decorate the tree was a particularly memorable one. They finished the tree and by morning, little elves had eaten a good portion of the popcorn off the tree, leaving many blank spots in their popcorn chain. The kids would never confess as to who the popcorn bandit was, but it was pretty obviously the grandson who was not hungry for breakfast, or lunch.

It has been a long time family tradition to serve the feast of seven fishes on Christmas Eve. We feel exceptionally lucky to live in an area with excellent access to a variety of fresh fish. The feast of seven fishes is a typically Italian-American tradition, but one my family has embraced. This year, we're planning to serve fried calamari, oyster shooters, lobster stuffed manicotti, linguine with clam sauce, crab cakes, fried shrimp and a Nicoise Salad. For the members of our clan who are not big fish eaters, I'll make my famous homemade lasagna as well. Christmas Eve is a day filled with such warm memories of my family. It is something I look forward to each and every year.

After dinner, the entire family changes into pajamas and meets near the main Christmas tree in our living room. With a fire roaring in the fireplace and hot chocolate and hot toddies to go around, we turn to our stockings to discover what delights lay within. With the trend in electronics to go small, our children, their spouses and our grandchildren have been shocked and delighted to find items such as digital cameras, flip video cameras, iPods and Iphones in their stockings in recent years.

On Christmas Day, my family spends the day watching classic holiday movies - or well, newer classics anyway like Love Actually and Elf. I consider my greatest accomplishment to be my family; and Christmas is a celebration of family.

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