Sharing Memories (Week 17 of 52): Easter

First Communion - Indianapolis 

How did you celebrate Easter as a child? How do you celebrate it now? Do you carry on traditions from your parents or grandparents? What is your favorite Easter memory?

My favorite childhood Easter outfit was a light blue and white hounds-tooth coat with a beautiful robin's egg blue dress and white patent leather shoes. There was a snappy little matching clutch and a hat with a light blue ribbon hugging the hat at the meeting point of the brim and the crown. My sister had a little bonnet with eyelet lace, white shoes and a little white dress with pink and lilac flowers.   

We hunted for Easter eggs, but our parents preferred the basket brimming with goodies to the hunting of eggs. We had all kinds of foil wrapped chocolates and bunnies over the years. Even as adults, we received a tasty chocolate treat for Easter -- it was still fun and I miss that now that my parents are gone.

Now I celebrate by having the orphans and misfits dinner with all the trimmings. If you want to come and enjoy the meal, you are still welcome even if you still have family and parents living. There is usually lively discourse at the table and that is partially what makes it a wonderful gathering.

Most years the meal is centered around a ham -- is this a family tradition? I'm not really certain, I just know that there were many requests for it this year so ham must be the tradition is some households. The communal meals have always been my favorite part of Easter -- and other holidays too. I loved helping prepare food and the kitchen brings back so many fond memories of my family.


What is your Easter tradition?



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Sharing Memories (Week 16 of 52): First Kiss!

At Olive Tree, It's Week 16 of our Sharing Memories - A Genealogy Journey. I'm following along and encourage you to do the same each Sunday as we write and share our memories of childhood. Your descendants will be thankful that you did! Write here as a comment, or on your own blog, or in a private journal, but please write!

Do you remember your first kiss? How old were you? Who did you kiss? Where were you and was it sweet, romantic, passionate or .... unremarkable!

You would hope the first kiss would be something out of the movies. Music, highly choreographed, fireworks in the background. Yes, that is exactly how it was when Johnny Callahan and I kissed in the playhouse in the yard in Stamford, Connecticut.

After we kissed, we talked about marriage -- and even as a five-year-old, I knew that commitment would be too long! My mother always loved sharing the story of how any bad behavior from me was attributed to a little Irish brogue saying, "The devil reached up from hell and..." Even then I knew that women could be in control.

What about you? What are your memories of that special moment?


This great idea comes from: Olive Tree Genealogy Blog: Sharing Memories (Week 16 of 52): First Kiss! http://bit.ly/dTmAds 

Sharing Memories (Week 15 of 52): The Milkman Cometh

It's Week 15 of our Sharing Memories - A Genealogy Journey Follow along each Sunday as we write and share our memories of childhood. Your descendants will be so thankful that you did! Write here as a comment, or on your own blog, or in a private journal, but please write!

I found myself thinking about the milkman last week. Did you have milk delivery as a child? 

Thinking back, I tried to see if I could figure out when I first saw a milk man delivering to our homes. There is no point where I recall a milk delivery starting point. My parents still had milk delivered as recently as the early 1990s -- although no longer in glass bottles.

That wonderful clinking sounds of bottles jostling together is one of my favorite sounds, and I can see the milkman carrying his wire basket up the stairs. Some days we were there to collect the dairy products right away and some days he would leave them in a tin colored cooler that sat on the steps. That ice cold milk that came out of those bottles was such a treat and there is not much better than that.

The dog in the image above was an unfortunate victim of the milk truck. As the milk truck drove up the long, winding driveway he passed a stone wall fence and didn't see the dog as he darted out from behind the wall and was killed. I imagine the milkman recalled that day forever since he was a huge dog lover. I remember him being extremely distraught as he carried the lifeless body to the house to break the news.

Do you remember milk delivery?