When I joined the Works family 53 years ago, they had a Christmas tradition of going to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
Every Christmas Eve, we would meet at Uncle Jack and Aunt Marguerite’s home for oyster stew. For those who didn’t like oysters, Marguerite made a wonderful potato soup.
Everyone wore their festive outfits and enjoyed the conversation between all of the cousins.
For dessert, we all had a slice of one of the many pies Aunt Marguerite made. She always apologized for the way the meringue turned out or some other disaster, but they were always delicious.
After the Christmas dishes were cleared, everyone joined in singing Christmas carols. Sometimes someone accompanied on the piano or guitar. We always ended with “Joy to the World” with Uncle Jack soloing on the verses.
Children grew up and went to college, met a sweetheart, married and had a family of their own. But, at least, every other Christmas Eve, they would find their way back to Uncle Jack’s.
In 1998, as Jack and Marguerite got older, they asked Joe and I if we would host the family on Christmas Eve. We felt so honored that they thought we could pull this off like they did. We found some Christmas dishes we liked, Jack and Marguerite passed down the large soup tureen they had used, and we made new song books. And we continued the tradition for a long time.
This tradition lasted about 45 years. Traditions give one a legacy. But traditions sometimes have to evolve when families get so large and have other families to accommodate with their traditions as well.
