From the Reminder family to yours

Dec. 23, 2019 | Payton North
payton@thereminder.com

Reminder Publishing stock photo.

Everyone’s families are different. Some enjoy spending the holidays in their pajamas on the couch, watching festive movies and drinking hot chocolate. Others enjoy a more regal affair; dressing to the nines and celebrating the season with a big shindig.

As we look forward to the New Year, the holiday season is often a time of reflection and introspection. It’s a time of giving thanks for what you have and celebrating the people that are around you.

At Reminder Publishing, we have a wonderful, hardworking staff filled with people from diverse backgrounds. Most of our staff members are behind the scenes – readers don’t have the opportunity to see their bylines in the ‘paper every week.

In honor of the season, for this week’s page two feature, I decided I would ask some of the Reminder staff what their favorite holiday family traditions are. After all, you, our readers, welcome our newspapers into your homes and families every week. It’s time we share about our families and open up our homes to you, too.

Nate Halla – Circulation Manager, West

“Every Christmas my father and I watch ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ together. We have done this since I was a little kid. Others in the family are welcome, but most of the time it’s just us. I look forward to it every year!”

Holly Mulligan – Circulation Manager, East

“My favorite holiday tradition is our family’s annual trip to cut down the Christmas tree. We drive to a local tree farm and set out on the search through the snow (usually mud), for what we each think is the most “perfect Christmas tree.”  We have a lot of fun shooting down each other’s picks and disagreeing, but in the end we all decide and pick a tree that ‘almost’ always looks great when we get it home! When we are done we make a stop for coffee, hot chocolate and donuts.”

Nancy Holloway – Account Manager


“From when my kids were little up until they were well into their teens, every year I would tell them on Christmas Eve that Santa would be coming soon, and that they needed to go to bed. I told them that the gnomes were going to check to make sure they were in bed. Depending on if it had snowed or not, I would then dress myself in all black or white, go outside, grab a long, raggy branch from a tree that I had stored in the yard and proceed to run around the house tapping on their windows acting as the gnomes. Then I’d run inside and I would say ‘What was that?' and the kids would say the gnomes were here! Bottom line: they were in bed like a shot, hearts pounding but ready for Santa!”

Flora Masciadrelli – Account Manager

“We have a very large family gathering on Christmas Eve. Our newest tradition is a game of Left/Right/Center, a simple dice game. It’s so much fun. Everyone contributes $1, and winner takes all. With 20 people...it really gets fun.”

Lisa Nolan – Account Manager

“Christmas Eve is celebrated by most Italians as the ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes.’ My mom, Maria Meccia, has kept this Italian tradition going for years. A staple on Christmas Eve is an Italian favorite called baccala (salted cod fish.) I’m so happy that my mom has kept this Italian tradition going. I’m also very fortunate she makes so much food that she sends us all home with leftovers! Buon Natale and Buon Appetito!”

Paula Dimauro – Account Manager

“Some traditions come and go as life changes.  But the most memorable are participating in the Christmas Choir as a child, visiting with family and exchanging old world foods with greeting words ‘Buon Natale’ which means ‘Merry Christmas to you’ in Italian. Realizing it was an extension of my dad’s joyous upbringing in an Italian home it was more rewarding and memorable than a gift. Top of the list is the Christmas tree. It was always a joyous part of the season, from choosing ‘which one,’ decorating and keeping it intact (we would have to tie it to a door knob to keep it straight when living in my apartment.) These were all challenges that created memories!”

Carolyn Napolitan – Sales Assistant

“Ever since my kids were born (they are 29 and 27 now), I’ve gotten them an ornament for the tree – one that means something to them at that time.  (Pokemon, hockey always, Barbie etc.) Then, when they have their own house, I give them all of their ornaments to start their own tree. My son has lived on his own for several years and his ornaments  are now on his tree. I’m still giving them new ones each Christmas though.”

Donna Holden – Office Manager, East

“One of my holiday traditions is to put the pickle ornament out for Santa with his milk and cookies. He then hides the pickle on the Christmas tree. The first child to find the pickle gets an extra special gift wrapped under the tree.”

Marie Brazee – Office Manager, West

“My family still enjoys getting together every Christmas Eve to eat Polish food, laugh at old jokes and participate in some type of gift exchange. We are fortunate that even new members to the family and younger generations want to take part and keep us together on this special night.”

Melissa Hartman – Office Assistant, West

“My mother’s side of the family is Polish, so every Christmas Eve we gather at a relative’s house to celebrate Wigilia (vigil). Before eating, everyone is given oplatki (Christmas wafers) and we go around wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. The meal is traditionally meatless, so there is fish, pierogies (cheese and cabbage), salad, and potatoes, among other things. After the meal, Santa drops by with a few early presents for the kids.”

Beth Thurber – Graphic Design Manager

“One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is curl up on the couch and watch two of my favorite holiday classics: ‘White Christmas,’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ complete with a cup of spiked eggnog, family and friends. And of course my two dogs, Juneau and Lokai at my feet!”

Susan Bartlett – Graphic Artist

“‘Feliz Navidad’ was our family’s favorite Christmas song. Every time it would come on, we’d drop everything and get our groove on, singing and dancing in joyful holiday delirium. It carried over to the next generation; seeing my 3-year-old daughter jump for joy upon hearing the first notes of the song, then leading me around and around the coffee table in a joyous holiday romp, has made this a sweet family tradition. She’s 22 now, and we still do this!”

G. Michael Dobbs – Managing Editor


“One of my Christmas traditions was given to me by my mom, who in turn received from her mother. I’m willing to bet this tradition goes back even more generations. For Christmas, I make a fruit salad. It is an easy recipe, but an elegant one.  My mom would slice up fresh fruit – specifically bananas, apples and oranges – and then combine them with some canned fruit. The combination of fresh and canned was an indication of what was readily available during the winter 80 or 90 years ago. The fruit combination would be drained and then folded into a large bowl of homemade whipped cream – sorry I can't be more precise with measurements. I was taught to do it by eye and taste. The whipped cream is flavored with both vanilla extract and sugar – again to taste. This salad can be served with the meal or as a dessert. It is easy and simple but memorable.”

Payton North – Assistant Managing Editor, East

“When I was younger, every year my mom would bake a cake to eat for breakfast on Christmas morning. The cake was to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, and to remind my little brother and me that the holiday is about so much more than receiving gifts. Having cake for breakfast was not only a special treat, but a fun memory to have of my parents, brother and me. I plan to carry on the tradition one day when I have a family of my own.”

Hope Tremblay – Assistant Managing Editor, West

“In our family, we have many traditions, but one that my children really enjoy is the pajama tradition. Each year, everyone opens one gift on Christmas Eve afternoon – new pajamas – and we wear them the rest of the day. If we have guests, they too receive pajamas to wear. It’s a comfy, cozy way to celebrate together!”

Sarah Heinonen – Staff Writer

“When my sisters and I were kids, we were allowed to open one gift on the night of Christmas Eve – new slippers to wear on Christmas morning. They were always soft and cozy. We loved waking up in the morning and putting on our new slippers to go sit around the tree.”

Danielle Eaton – Staff Writer

“I have two favorite traditions. The first is driving around looking at the light displays in town on Christmas Eve with my family and then going home to enjoy hot cocoa while watching Christmas movies. My other, and most favored holiday tradition, was always a French toast breakfast at my grandparents house Christmas morning. I’ve grown to love the tradition and spending Christmas morning with my family so much that I’ve carried the tradition into adulthood and now host my own version of the breakfast.”

Debbie Gardner – Prime Editor

“My favorite holiday tradition since childhood has always been Christmas Eve supper with the Portuguese side of my mother’s family. The specialty dishes – home-made  fried codfish balls, the tuna – or rabbit – and rice,  chouriço-stuffed bread, deep dishes of sweet rice and of course, sugar-sprinkled fried dough we call Filhós – meant family to me. Though we don’t recreate all of my grandmother’s dishes any longer, the memories always come back to me when I see the chouriço bread and Filhós on my cousin’s table Christmas Eve.”

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