Features

V

Victorians

Speaking of traditions (previous page), we have the Victorians to thank for most of ours. “Though the effectsofthePuritansuppressionofChristmashad lingered for nearly two centuries, the marriage of German Prince Albert to Queen Victoria in 1840 helped spread the German tradition of Christmas trees in England,” says Bruce Forbes, Ph.D., the author of Christmas: A Candid History. An illustration of the royalcouple andtheirchildren (plustoys)arounda decorated tree in The Illustrated London News in 1848 turned the Christmas tide, making the holiday a family-centric one that was less about religion and more about spreading good cheer—and presents.

W

A festive recipe—with a white wine twist—to commit to memory now. You’ll need it all winter.

ACTIVE TIME 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR,

10 MINUTES

SERVES 10

½cup honey 2cinnamon sticks 15-in. piece orange peel 2star anise 4black peppercorns 2(750-mL) bottles dry white wine, such as

Chardonnay BRING the honey, cinnamon sticks, orange peel, star anise, peppercorns, and ½ cup water to a simmer over medium in a large pot, stirring to dissolve the honey. Turn off heat, add the wine, cover, and let steep 30 to 60 minutes. BEFORE serving,gently reheat over medium-low just until the mulled wine begins to release steam; do not let simmer. Serve in handled glasses or mugs.

X XMAS

For people who find this common abbreviation crass, here’s a salve: The X comes from the Greek letter chi, the first letter of the Greek word (Christ). So using Xmas in place of Christmas is kind of saying the same thing. And that abbreviation dates all the way back to the mid-16th century, well before stores started using it to save room on signs.(XMAS

SALE! 75% OFF!)

YULELOG The

glowing fireside scenewe thinkof when wehear “yule log” has its roots in German and Scandinavian paganism. Yule is the celebration of thewinter solstice, and burning a log brought good luck—not to mention light in the middle of a dark, depressingwinter. TheVikings and theAngloSaxons took the tradition to England,where it became linkedwith the cozy feelings of Christmas, and the English brought it toAmerica. Fast-forward to Christmas Eve 1966, NewYork City:TV stationWPIX broadcasts a film loop of ayule log burning in a fireplace as a gift to city dwellerswho live in apartmentswithout hearths.Todayyou can stream ayule log (rent a flickering scene for $2 at amazon.com) and experience thewarmth of the season through…your iPad.

Zzzz

MERRYMAKING IS EXHAUSTING. So Real Simple exclaims, as you turn out the light, Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night!

The author, Elisabeth Egan, and her family: Louisa, Simon, Frankie, and Ethan.

RODE ARIVERBOAT TO FORT SUMTER DROVE 1,958 MILES ALL TOLD

Written by Elisabeth Egan Photographs by Rob Howard

BIKEDON THE BEACH (IT WASAWESOME)

TROTTED BY ALLIGATORS AND TURTLES

I’LL BE ANYWHERE BUT HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Whathappens when yousay “Seeya!” to holiday stress, pare back on presents, skip the cards, and surpriseyour kids with a road trip instead?Writer Elisabeth Egan found out.

TOURING COMPANY

W

henI gotmarried,I dreamedofhavingone ofthose familieswhere everyonewears matchingsnowflakesweaters and singscarols aroundthepiano.Ihopedour futurechildrenwouldinvitetheir friendsover to string popcornand cranberries.Wewouldcountour blessings overa crackling fireand rejoicemore inthegivingthanin thereceiving.

Inpursuitofthisvision,Iaggressivelyestablishedholiday traditions. Onewashandmadecards—200 of them—crafted fromfelt,buttons, andscrapbookpaper,dispatched aroundtheglobe in square brown envelopesrequiring extrapostage. Oneyear,I madetheenvelopes myself.Another,I meltedred sealingwax onthe flaps,imprinting eachred puddlewithatinycandycane stamp. Iwouldsave lonesoldiersocksallyear to fashioninto ornaments—festiveballs stuffed withpillowbattingand tiedupwith grosgrainribbon.I investedina candythermometerandadouble boilerandmadesixvarietiesofholidayconfections,whichI bundled into festivetinstiedwithraffia.

I leftmatching holidaypajamas under eachofourkids’bedswith a

Each kid in the family had an “experience gift” to look forward to on the trip:Simon’swas a ghost tour of Savannah—in a hearse! Frankie’swas a nature ride on horseback; Louisa’s, a culinary tour of Charleston.

note thatsaid, “Congratulations!You’vereceived thisbonusgiftbecauseyouwere extragood thisyear.” Forour annualwinter-solsticeparty, I made200pigsina blanket.I evenowneda tasteful holidaysweater.

Butafter13years of producing the extravaganzafor everyoneelse,I startedtodread the holidayseason.My specialtraditionsfeltlike items to check offalist, especiallyin conjunction withshopping fordozensofpresents,mobilizing giftcardsfor teachersandbabysitters,assembling presentableclothing forholidayevents, and attending sing-alongsat multiple schoolsand housesofworship.

I startedtogetsloppy. Iorderedcustompostagestampswith aphotoofourfamilyand didn’tnoticethat one ofourdaughters had been croppedout.(“Huh? GuessI didn’tmakethe cut,” shesaidassheglanced at the envelopes,ready tobemailed.)I droppedtheballon thebonuspresent,and ouryoungestburst intotears:“Was Ibad?!”

This allculminated in a “MommieDearest” momentthenight beforeChristmas 2014.Wehosted dinner for12.When theguestsleft, sometimeaftermidnight, Ipulled out the presents from closets, under beds,inside cabinets—all ofthem stillunwrapped.With piles and shopping bagssurrounding me,I discoveredmywrappingsupplies weredowntoalmost nothing— scraps from a schoolfund-raiser, onewafer-thin roll oftape, no scissors.Fromthebasement,Icould hearmyhusband, Ethan,cursingas heattemptedto assemble a mini trampoline.

Abouttolosemy mind, Iassessed thedamage andmarched intoour olderkids’rooms.“Guys,”I said, as theyblinked likemoles inthelight,

Elisabeth and Ethan offered the kids a deal: “We said, ‘Ifyou guyswill pose for one selfie a day, wewon’t take a ton of pictures.’” The crew is all smiles just before saddling up.

The kids get a history lesson at Fort Sumter, where the first shot of the Civil War wasfired.

“doyou still believeinSanta?”

“No,”saidthe14-year-old, Louisa.

“Maybealittlebit,”saidSimon,12, hedginghis bets.Theireight-yearoldsister,Frankie,hadfallen asleep listeningfor Rudolph.

I took adeepbreath,visionsof futuretherapysessionsdancingin myhead.“OK,here’sthedeal,” Isaid. “I’m Santa.AndIneed help.”

Backdownstairs, Irationed slivers oftape,and my husbandflattened oldnewspaper intogiftwrapas ourbig kidsdiligently andquietly printed names andaffixedlabels with sweatshop resignation. In a rare conspiratorial moment, mydaughter whispered toheryounger brother, “Justsoyou know:What’shappening here is notnormal.”

At2A.M.,as my husbandandI fellasleep, I whispered,“I’mnot doingthisagainnextyear.”

“Good night, Scrooge,” hesaid.

ThefollowingDecember,withthehelpofmy coconspirator(Ethan),Iset out to haveadifferent kindofChristmas.I didn’t obsessaboutcardsor cookies. Itrimmedthelistfor ourholidayparty andservedlessfood(nobodynoticed).Our younger daughterwore ahand-me-down denim vestand clunky snowbootstoherschoolconcert, andmyheart stillgrew threesizeswhenher class played“TheDreidelSong.” For thefirsttimein14 years,wearrivedatmymom’schoir concertearly enoughtosnagfive seats inthesame pew.Isat holdingmyhusband’shand, actuallylisteningto thehymnsinsteadofjottingato-do list in the marginsoftheprogram.WhenIclosedmy eyes, Iwastransportedbackto afamiliar andbeloved touchstonefromchildhood: the soundofmy mom’s alto, beltingoutthechorus of“WeThree Kings.”

OnChristmasEve, Icouldn’t fall asleep—notbecausewewere spelunking in thejunk drawerfora Phillips-headat midnight, but because I couldn’twaitfor thebig revealwe’dplannedfor Christmas morning.We’dtold thekidsthere wouldbesomethingdifferentabout gifts thisyear, butwedidn’tget specific.Oursecretwasthatinstead oftheusualbounty,muchofwhich gets abandonedbythe tree,we were takinga surprise10-day road trip fromour NewJersey home totheCarolinas,visiting Charleston, HiltonHead,andAsheville(city, beach,and mountains),withastop inWashington, D.C., on theway back.

Planningand bookingthisvacation took atotalof threehours—a fractionofthe timewenormally spendbrainstorming andshopping forgifts.Andtheexecutioncost less thanyoumightexpect,thanksto lowgas prices,atight souvenirbudget,andoff-season hotel rates.