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 Remember when Christmas meant baking cookies with mom or a cherished trip into manhattan to see the rockefeller center tree? This year, before you get caught up in the holiday frenzy, think back to a simpler time. there’s nothing like an old-fashioned family tradition to get us back to the heart of the season. We hope these firsthand examples will inspire you to slow down, de-stress and maybe create a tradition or two of your own at this magical time of year.
Make a Family Tree
For years, Melanie Smith, a Westport/Fairfield Realtor and active community member, has created a special Christmas tree adorned with photos of her parents, children and grandchildren. That way, even when the whole family can’t be together, Melanie feels that the missing members are still nearby during the holiday season.
“My family means the world to me,” says Melanie. “So I like to create a tree with reflections of each special person. This is one of many traditions that I hope will go on for generations, just as I have continued ones from my parents and grandparents.”
Other Smith family traditions include tossing a sprig of holly into the fire and making a wish on New Year’s Eve (a practice inherited from her grandmother’s family) and decorating her house with fresh garlands and greenery. She also enjoys baking Christmas cookies — all from her mother’s recipes — with the entire family. “This year, I’m hoping my grandchildren, at least the older two, will participate,” says Melanie, eager to inspire the next generation to carry on family traditions.
Spice Up Your Home
Carrie Gilbertie, the daughter of herb magnate Sal Gilbertie, spent her childhood working on the family farm. For Carrie, the holiday traditions of taking cuttings and making wreaths bring back fond memories of her youth. For thirty years, Gilbertie’s in Westport has hosted seasonal decorating and wreath-making workshops for those who want to create handmade wreaths for their homes or to give as gifts. Says Gilbertie: “We cut all of the herbs in Easton and harvest them in the fall. We get a lot of mothers and daughters who make a visit here part of their annual tradition.”
If you decide to join the fun, get ready for a heavenly assault on your senses as you weave lavender, thyme, sage and red peppers into wreaths you can actually use in your kitchen in lieu of a spice rack. Or mix fragrant juniper, balsam and berries with white pine and boxwood to create custom pieces to complement your décor. Call Gilbertie’s at 227-4175 for more information.
Turn Grief Into Giving
One Westport family turned the sad death of their beloved fifteen-month-old daughter, Rebecca, into a ceremony of thanks. For thirteen years, the Rebecca Chusid Holiday Toy Drive has benefited more than 1,000 children from more than twenty agencies in and around our area — including Jewish, Christian and other child-centered hospitals and organizations.
Starting in November, the Chusids, along with the Conservative Synagogue, the Learning Community, Temple Israel, Dynamic Martial Arts and Westport Music Center, collect toys and raise money during the holidays. “This has really inspired the community,” says Monica Chusid, Rebecca’s mom.
Rabbi Tobin, of the Conservative Synagogue in Westport, says, “Rebecca’s memory continues to motivate and bless this family and this community through this enormous event.” The Chusids’ teenage daughters have learned a lot of valuable lessons from the holiday tradition of giving and have gone on to contribute their time to helping kids with special needs. To donate, contact Monica Chusid at monica.chusid@g3global.com.
Spread Holiday Cheer
If baking cookies is a labor of love, there must be a whole lotta lovin’ going on at Christ and Holy Trinity Church’s annual Christmas Cookie Exchange in Westport. Jennifer Brockman of Fairfield runs this grassroots program, a holiday custom for decades. First, members bake multiple batches of their best cookies, brownies, bars and fudge; then they bring them to the church to be packaged and gift-wrapped.
“We set up a bunch of tables and create an assembly line,” Jennifer explains. “Then volunteers go around the tables loading up platters with two of these, three of those, until each platter is full.”
Once the cookies are wrapped and ribboned, a small army of volunteer drivers deliver them to homebound or hospital-bound parishioners, from the elderly to little kids. Says Jennifer, “I take my daughter, Keleigh, who’s in sixth grade. In the beginning she thought it was fun to bake cookies and see the pretty platters, but now she really understands. She gets that it’s about doing the right thing and making someone’s holiday a little brighter.”
Involve the Kids
To home-and-garden expert Mar Jennings, the holidays offer the perfect excuse to do what he does naturally — put on the Ritz. The Westport-based TV personality and author of Life on Mar’s: A Four-Season Garden has a special tradition when it comes to tree trimming.
“Each year,” he says, “I invite friends and their children to join me in decorating my tree. I find that children enjoy participating in the small but important rituals.”
To create your own tree-trimming memories, he advises, “Mom or Dad should place the lights and garland, and then let the little ones place the unbreakable ornaments on the branches they can reach. Each year, buy a special ornament that captures an important event, such as a new baby, a new pet or a graduation. As you hang your ornaments, tell the story of each, letting the ornament take you back to that special time and place.” He reminds us, “For hardworking parents, the holidays can be time-consuming and exhausting. Try to keep a happy and joyful attitude. Your children’s memories depend on your making the season special for them.”
Grow Your Own
Every year, Frances Palmer, an internationally known Weston-based potter, plants bulbs — paperwhites and amaryllis — in her signature vessels and gives them as gifts to friends and family. Lucky recipients! Says Frances, “I love flowers, and the bulbs are a perfect, no-work way to give gifts that grow. And then the bowl remains and can be used always.”
As her work has been featured in just about every top magazine, Frances’s one-of-a-kind pieces are prized for their asymmetry and artistic whimsy. The beauty of a Frances Palmer piece is that it celebrates imperfection — Frances herself is fond of saying that the clay “has as much to say about itself as I do. The best part is seeing what emerges after the kiln is opened.”
What materializes is an entirely unique gift that, when filled with holiday berries or a spray of fragrant pine boughs, creates a striking centerpiece to be cherished every year. “When my children were small,” Frances recalls, “we used to do a clay holiday gift every year. I would make a shape such as a bowl, candlestick or plate and the children would decorate them. Now that they’re grown, my family and friends have an ongoing collection.”
To view the Frances Palmer Pearl Collection™, visit her website at francespalmerpottery.com.
Get Your Points Across
Imagine being a child who wants to buy his mother a gift but can’t even afford a pair of oven mitts. The McGiveny Community Center in Bridgeport has found a solution to this problem, while also keeping young kids off the streets after school. First, new gifts are donated by groups such as Southport’s Wakeman Boys and Girls Club, Westport’s Local 371–United Food Workers International Union and New Haven’s American Medical Response. Then, throughout the year, children at the center earn points for good behavior, such as completing their homework assignments, being respectful to teachers and staff and getting good grades. Finally, at holiday time, they use these points to “buy” the donated gifts at the annual Christmas Store.
Volunteers from the Westport Young Women’s League help each child shop for presents for each family member. They also carefully wrap and label each gift. Says director Joe DeSabella, “This program brings a lot of holiday cheer and also gives self-esteem to kids by allowing them to work hard and earn gifts.” To donate or volunteer, call the McGiveny Community Center at 333-2789.
Remember Your Heritage
Westport’s beloved Chef Pietro Scotti, the owner of Da Pietro’s and Zest restaurants, was born in Ischia, Italy. To Pietro, the holidays provide an opportunity to re-create some of his favorite holiday traditions with his wife Janine and children Tomaso and Lucia. He recalls, “On Christmas Eve, the whole family would go to the fish market. As a child, the fun part was being together and seeing all the live fish splashing around.” They would select the bounty — eel, octopus, smelt, dried cod, calamari and more — and go home to prepare the traditional multicourse seafood feast.
In addition to the family meal, Pietro’s mother dried figs, made sweet wines and baked traditional chocolate cookies called mostaccioli, which she gave as gifts to neighbors and friends. Pietro says, “The main thing to keeping a tradition alive is to connect back to your heritage and pass it on to your children.” He believes that gifts from his kitchen are expressions of his love.
Holiday Happenings: Add an annual event to your family festivities ...
Westport Congregational Church
For the past 37 years, the church has thrown open its doors to host full-on feasts at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Generous local retailers, including Stew Leonard’s, Stop and Shop, and Newman’s Own, consistently rise to the occasion by donating the foodstuffs, and local organizations provide funds, live entertainment and decorations. Says Associate Pastor Susanna Griefen, “It feels exactly the way holidays should — all of us giving thanks and getting to know our neighbors.” To volunteer or donate, contact Susanna at 227-1261 or by email at susanna@saugatuckchurch.org.
Police Toy Drive
In an annual tradition, members of the Westport Police Union team up with WICC AM radio station, AMR Ambulance Service, Toys R Us andlocal police and fire departments for a mega toy drive for kids in hospital pediatric centers and around our communities. “The fun part,” says Detective Jill Ruggerio of Westport, “is that we drive a caravan of police cruisers, ambulances and fire trucks around less-fortunate areas of Bridgeport to distribute presents. It’s fun to see the looks on kids’ faces.” To donate, contact Det. Ruggerio at the Westport Police Station, 341-6017.
Festival of Lighthouses
For five years, the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk has staged a competition in which regional artists and crafters create beautiful holiday lighthouses. The buildings will be lit up and put on display at the museum from November 18 through January 16, with the winner receiving a family membership to the Maritime Center and a $1,000 prize. The lighthouses have spanned a wide variety of design styles and use all manner of materials, from wood, metal and stone to sea glass, gingerbread and candy. For more information, call the aquarium at 852-0700.
Historic Christmas Barn
For the fanatical holiday decorator on your list, this charming, antique A-frame barn (the oldest gambrel-roof barn in CT) is lined to the rafters with all manner of holiday paraphernalia — from a dizzying collection of wooden soldiers, snowmen and carolers to a fantastic range of old-time Santas in miniature through life-sized models. On many Saturdays, visitors can enjoy special displays and refreshments with artisans and designers. The barn is located at 146 Danbury Road, Wilton; 761-8777.
Dickensian Grand Tea
Tired of schlepping into Manhattan for a hectic holiday Christmas show? Join the Westport Country Playhouse for its newest holiday tradition: Dickensian Grand Tea at Zest Café and Restaurant followed by a performance of A Christmas Carol, adapted and directed by Tazewell Thompson. Packages are $50-$65 per person and include a ticket to the show (1 p.m. or 5 p.m. performance) and Grand Tea at Zest. November 23 through December 29. For reservations, call 227-5137. |
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