Christmas. That was always important to my parents. they are immigrants to this country. My mother never saw her mother again, so I feel all the rituals of Christmas came alive for her, then for us. The advent wreath, lighting the candles every Sunday, the cookies and cakes she would bake. She would sing Christmas songs, she sang anyway all the time. The Christmas tree put up after we went to bed when we were small, thinking St, Nicolas brought it. As we got older, it was set up on Christmas eve, after my Dad got home from work, we had a light supper, new pajamas to wear, cookies to eat. This always started on December 1 – always! We had special plates with our names on them filled with fruits, nuts and candies. The house was beautiful inside and out, warm and happy, and would stay that way until January. Her Birthday was December 18th, as we children got older, we made sure her birthday was not Christmas, but balloons, and birthday wrapping. December is my favorite month because of my Mom & Dad. I can’t wait until December first to decorate the house and bake and pass these feelings and rituals to my Daughter & Granddaughter to pass on. The beginning of a new year of hope, she believed. Easter was another special day with traditions from the old country, then Birthdays and summers…