... To Grandmother's House We Went

Me and my brother at Christmas

During my childhood my father worked for United Airlines, and was transferred from Washington D.C. to San Francisco in 1962.

This meant we usually traveled twice a year, back to visit the family.

The Christmas visit was my favorite for many reasons, one of which was both locales had snow! I'd previously lived in Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia- and was not happy about living in sunny California with it's absence of snow.

My mother's family home in Maryland was decorated simply during the holidays, the main focus being on both food and family. We always took a separate day-trip to see my cousins nearby in Cockeysville, otherwise we were mainly with adult family members.

Grandmother Warren served dinner daily, around 1pm. Supper was usually soup and sandwiches, and eaten in the early evening. Her meals, especially the big Christmas dinner, were consumed at a large dining table, groaning under the weight of various home-cooked foods. This is still my idea of the perfect holiday meal, although I now serve buffet-style due to the size of our dining area.

On the other hand, my father's family in Rochester New York was less formal. My cousins lived just down the street, and were always up for some sledding. The house was decorated to the max, with a huge tree and home fully lit.

Grandmother Nicht's best friend from across the street was a destination in itself! Mert's home was off the charts. One could hardly walk through the living room for all the decorations. There were several trees, trains, tables loaded goodies; and even their bathroom was screaming Christmas!

This grandma cooked things I'd never had anywhere else. Boston Baked Beans, served with brown bread steamed in used cans was a favorite. She always served Swiss Steak, definitely not something I was partial to. Liver and onions...

Returning home after two weeks was always a let-down. Sure, the first thing we did was run to our friend's to see what they received from Santa. It's always good to sleep in one's own bed too... but I always missed that magical snow!

~Disclaimer~ To all you bloggers who are already sick of snow, keep in mind I was a child and didn't have to shovel, nor drive in the stuff. I now live in a place where we get a little of the white stuff- and I still sit up all night watching it fall.