Readers Share Holiday Traditions of Thespians and Depression

As appeared in the Albuquerque Journal Rio Rancho section 11/27/10

'Tis the season to be thankful and I am thankful for my loyal readers. I love hearing from you, and I always get a great response when I pose a question to you. Last week I asked you to tell me some of your family holiday traditions, and you didn't let me down.

Thank you to all who wrote to me. I enjoyed learning about your traditions and what is important in your families. Here are four letters I received from readers, sharing their holiday memories. I think you will like their stories as much as I have.

Thanksgiving is over. Let the traditions begin.

"Our favorite family Christmas tradition started many years ago when my nieces and nephews were young. I would go to the public library and select a Christmas play with a number of characters and the rest was PURE enjoyment. The family would have to find costumes and props and put their best thespian foot forward." — Marian D.

"Our family consisted of six children with our two loving parents. We had very little money, but we had lots of love and respect for each other. Thanksgiving was a day for us to remember how thankful we should be for living in this country and for what we had. We often went to church for a service. Of course, we had no TV, so we were not interrupted with that. We always had a very good meal.

"Our Daddy's birthday was Dec. 16, so we usually did our Christmas decorating on that day. We left them out until Jan. l. We carefully saved the wrapping paper in order that we might use it the next year. You might guess that I am a "Depression kid" and am 86 years old." — Irene J.

"My favorite tradition when we were kids (there were four of us), was that none of the presents were put under the tree until we had gone to bed. The anticipation was intense. We practiced for days getting down the 24-some steps so we could sneak down without making noise. There was also an unwrapped present from Santa left on the hearth or under the stockings for us. My first trip down the steps Christmas morning was usually around 2 a.m. One particular Christmas, when I was very small, I came down to discover my sister and I both had dolls under our stockings. Hers was a bride doll in a beautiful dress. I wanted that doll — I can still see that lace dress with the silver threads. I thought long and hard about switching the dolls. After all, only Santa would know. Sometimes I wish I had done it; Mom and Dad would have had a heck of a time dealing with that situation." — M.J.

"For Christmas, we have a Nativity scene on the fireplace — year round. But, being that our new home has no fireplace, the piano will have to do. From Thanksgiving until New Years' Day, a porcelain Santa Claus welcomes the shepherds and the Magi to the stable. We have the tree up for a very short time and for one reason only; my 12-year old cat still thinks it's her personal plaything.

"Since fatherhood, my son and I have been observing the Nguzo Saba (or Seven Principles) of Kwanzaa, and try to attend at least one celebration during the week. I think I get more out of it than he does, but we are both learning." — Ray W.

Quote of the Week: "Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." — Hamilton Wright Mabie, American essayist.

Ready or Not, Christmastime Is Upon Us

As appeared in the Albuquerque Journal Rio Rancho section 11/20/10

There they were, right in the middle of the living room, right where my daughters had left them upon dragging them in from the garage: the blue boxes, aka the Christmas decorations storage boxes.

The lids were removed and there it all was: the Santa candleholder from 1991, the blinking glass tree that plays a montage of the top five Christmas carols, the umpteen strands of gold garland, and of course, the stockings. But this was Nov. 15, not even Thanksgiving.

Wait. Stop. Are you kidding? I hadn't put away the witch lamp yet. And I am still picking up candy wrappers from Halloween, but nonetheless, someone hung the door knocker with the rustic bell, fake evergreen branch and red bow on the front door knob. Was there any turning back?

They had been begging me since the day after Halloween to start decorating for Christmas, so why should I be surprised? I remember seeing the first Christmas TV commercial on Halloween day. The stores have had their decorations up for weeks. And I was shocked to see Santa in his chair at the mall last weekend. I know they say the older you get the faster time goes by, but this is ridiculous. I know it's not just me.

Getting back to the decorations, I was actually considering putting out a couple of decorations, what could that hurt, right? No, no, no. Some traditions cannot be messed with. Christmas lights are hung on Thanksgiving weekend at the earliest. Decorations have inched their way up to this same time slot, which used to be about the middle of December, just to ward off the claustrophobia that can occur come late December.

Remember the retail tradition of no sales until Dec. 26? Everyone had to buy their gifts at full retail markup.

Do you have a shopping tradition? Do the women in your family go shopping on Black Friday, while the men sit back and watch football?

It's time to embrace the holidays, whether we are ready for them or not. Focus on your family, and be thankful to be with the ones you love.

What are some of your family traditions for the holidays? E-mail me and they might just find their way into a future column. A column tradition I am starting this year. Happy Thanksgiving!

Quote of the Week: "Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world." — Susan Lieberman

Chapman Elected on Vision and Tenacity

As appeared in the Albuquerque Journal Rio Rancho section 11/13/10


I am sure you are all familiar with the name Dave Bency, Sandoval County District 3 commissioner who just stepped down from office due to term limits. Don Chapman won the recent election and will be stepping in, ready to hit the ground running.

Don and I served on the board of directors for the Chamiza Estates Neighborhood Association in the Unit 17 area a few years back; he as president, and I as secretary. Our major issue at the time was the after-effects of the summer 2006 flood. Our area was mostly dirt roads, and Don fought with legislators in Santa Fe and Southern Sandoval County Arroyo Flood Control Authority here in town until changes were made so the roads wouldn't become impassable again, should another "500-year flood" happen. This sort of vision and tenacity is what got him elected.

Married for 26 years and a father of two grown girls, Don Chapman was a sales and marketing executive for years before moving to Rio Rancho in 2003 and becoming a commercial real estate broker.

When I asked Don what were some of the concerns voters in this election were voicing he replied, "They are concerned about taxes and how they cannot handle more of the same. The challenge is to operate the county's business, not cut any current programs," he said. "But at the same time control taxes, which translates to controlling spending."

Since Don's political profile was published in the Journal during the campaign, we know where he stands on the issues. But that profile didn't ask the really important questions, like: What's on Don's personal bucket list?

Q: Why did you run for the office of Sandoval County commissioner for District 3?
A: Because I believe I can make a difference.

Q: If your house was on fire and all of your family and pets are safely outside, what is the one thing you would go back and get?

A: This is a tough question, but if the family and pets are safe, then there would be nothing worth going back in for, I would have all I need to move on.

Q: What is your greatest extravagance?
A: My wife would say our motorcycle; guess I would probably agree.

Q: What is your favorite getaway spot in New Mexico?
A: We like going to the Sandia Crest, by motorcycle of course, and it is such a short ride away.

Q: At what Rio Rancho haunt are we most likely to spot you?
A: We frequent Federico's quite a bit; the green sauce and mini-tacos are the best.

Q: If you won $10 million in the lottery, what is the first thing you would buy?
A: I would first buy a new (larger) home for my wife.

Q: Name one thing you want to do before you die.
A: Go to the Masters in Augusta in April and watch all four rounds.

Q: What word or phrase do you overuse?
A: Not sure, bet my wife could tell you.

Q: If you had to impress someone from out of town, where is the one place you would take them
A: I would take them to one of the three: Season's, Savoy, or Scalo's.

Q: Red or green?
A: Definitely green!

Quote of the Week: "If there's a golf course in heaven, I hope it's like Augusta National."— Gary Player.

Keepers Hold Special Meanings in Our Lives

As appeared in the Albuquerque Journal Rio Rancho section November 06, 2010

I posed this question to a friend of mine recently: "Looking back on your life, name some of the high points and tell me why you remember them?"

Maybe it's the change of season, or maybe it's birthdays, or maybe it's just because all of the hate ads are gone from the TV and peace has been restored that puts me in this mood. But actually, the Christmas ads have started already and that's a whole new ball of wax, but we will save that for a future column.

High points, or keepers as I call them, can happen at anytime; sometimes they are planned like vacations or special occasions, and other times they are spontaneous moments that remain in your heart forever, like souvenirs.

Career high points is a category unto itself. Your first job, I mean your first real job where your paycheck came every two weeks and it covered the rent. Maybe during that job you landed a big client, brought sales up 45 percent or produced the best radio commercial the company had ever heard. Whatever career highlights you have, they usually left you with a great feeling of pride, accomplishment and happiness.

Personal high points in life are definitely in a category of their own and vary greatly among everyone. Time with the people we have loved, family reunions, birthday parties all carry souvenirs for us. I still have a birthday card my brother gave me for my 12th birthday with a 1972 quarter taped to the inside. Simple pleasures are the best. Sure, I suppose the rich have very different keepers than the rest of us. Do you think a trip to Carlsbad Caverns would be a keeper for Mick Jagger?

Souvenirs seem to involve travel or special people, or both. When I was in college, my boyfriend and I sneaked off to Niagara Falls for a weekend. My father found out about it afterward and was convinced we eloped. It took me months to convince him I was still single. The drive up, the raincoats we wore on the Maid of the Mist boat, the little cabin we stayed in, all keepers.

My great-grandmother was a quiet, unassuming woman from southeastern Ohio with little money. I never knew my great-grandfather; he died before I was born. They lived in the same small house their entire lives, raised their children in it, and it was where I would go back to visit her into my early 20s. My dad would tell me the story of the trip they would take for their anniversary every year, which must have been in the 1940s and 1950s. It was the highlight of the year for them, driving from Ohio to Virginia in the fall to see the colors changing in the trees along Skyline Drive. When I first heard this story, I didn't understand how something as simple as that was so memorable to them. Now that I am older, I get it. Keepers.

As we get older, the keepers, the souvenirs, become more and more special. I guess that saying might be true, that you know you are old when all you talk about are your memories. I'm not quite there yet, but I feel it coming.

The aspens in the Jemez are at their peak color this weekend. Get your loved ones and drive up for the day. Take a good long look out your car window. I promise the yellow leaves against the blue November sky above and the red rocks below will stay with you forever.

Quote of the Week: "Memories, they can't be boughten. They can't be won at carnivals for free. Well it took me years to get those souvenirs. And I don't know how they slipped away from me." — "Souvenirs" by Steve Goodman.

2010 Copyright Jennifer Huard. All Rights Reserved.