By: Tony Traficante, ISDA Contributing Editor
Tis the season of Christmas tidings, good food and the celebration of the Christ Child. Will it be the same for Christmas 2020? No matter what else, the religious value of Christmas will continue to dominate this holiday.
I often reminisce about Christmas past as we all probably do. As youngsters, we eagerly waited for the jolly little man, dressed in red, and the clatter overhead of his sled and reindeer. We couldn’t wait to see what gifts we would receive. No one even spoke about how this fat little man got around the world in one night. It never crossed our minds, and we didn’t question how he slid down those chimneys, or how he ever got back up. To even think about it was blasphemous!
My generation grew up during a war and a depression. Money was tight and Christmas gifts were sparse. Gifts were useful items, such as clothing, shoes and a few candy treats. No high-end toys. In fact, we were lucky to receive a couple small toy items from the Five and Dime store, hidden in our hanging stockings.
We heard about “La Befana” from the adults. They often talked about her. She was the old lady who, instead of using a sled, flew around Italy on a broom. Now her we joked about! And rather than keep our mouths shut, we challenged our parents: “Come-on. How can a broom fly?” Wrong! “Taci, Ragazzini! Attente le bocche! Se no niente regali.” (Watch your mouths! You young whippersnappers. Or no gifts for you.)
By the time we were a bit beyond elementary age, we had dismissed the Santa Claus theory. Too bad! It was fun while it lasted. We took it in stride. There would still be gifts, lots of delicious food, and goodies.
Christmas Eve dinner was a smorgasbord of fishes. It was customary for many Italian families to celebrate the seven fish meal. Our family usually had four types of fish consisting of baccalà, calamari, smelts, and “capitone” (eel). Two heaping bowls of pasta, one with sauce, the other with “aglio e olio,” accompanied the fish along with an array of sides and fried dough!
A display of scrumptious pastries and cookies lay waiting on a separate table underneath an intoxicating aroma of vanilla, anise, and almond. There were, to name a few, taralle, pizzelle, mostaccioli, thumbprints, fried ravioli filled with mashed “castagne,” ceci beans, and biscotti. “C’era sempre un’abbondanza,” to eat and give away as gifts.
After midnight Mass, it was back home with family and friends to chat, play cards, and sing songs. A favorite being the beautiful “Quell’ Mazzolin di Fiore.”
Having had a military career, I can attest that Christmas wasn’t pleasant for the military men and women who were away from family. It was worse if they were in a combat area, not knowing whether they would see family, or Christmas, again.
One Christmas Day, in Vietnam, I accompanied our Deputy Commanding General to one of our outlying, isolated Firebases. We were delivering a hot meal to the troops. There were no mess halls or tents. We ate in shifts “al fresco.” While half the soldiers ate, the other half stood guard along the perimeter. It was a good day for the troops. They certainly enjoyed the hot chow and the break.
Christmas 2020 will be different. Yet, we will do it and find a way to celebrate safely. There is a proverb that states “Natale viene una volta all’anno; chi non ne approfitta, tutto va a suo danno.” (Christmas comes but once a year. Shame on you if you don’t enjoy it!)
This year let’s add an extra prayer to our Christmas list. Pray for all our protectors — our military, police, first responders, and dedicated medical personnel. And I leave you with a personal blessing “Cari Amici, per questo Natale straordinaria ti auguro buona salute! Possiate essere tutti al sicuro!” (Dear friends during this extraordinary Christmas, I wish you good health. Stay safe!)
“Buona Natale e Felice anno nuovo!”
