To the editor:
Every year at this time, I think back to my days as a student in the Holy Rosary Grammar School. The nuns who taught us always told us to pray for the men in the armed forces who would not be home for this holy time of the year. They also wanted us to pray for the poor and infirm people, and for world peace.
I remember the times I would be at my grandmother's house for the traditional dinner with the family. To this day I notice that a lot of the celebration is still similar. Today the gifts are plentiful and more expensive, but not as practical. Today the relatives and friends are not next door, not upstairs, or on the same street. Sending Christmas wishes with a greeting card purchased in a box of 12, or to an individually titled person was a common practice.
The family gatherings of Christmas Eve I will cherish because my family still gathers for the dinner of all dinners. My wife still maintains the cooking that her mother taught her. The Feast of the Seven Fishes, the custom of Italian heritage, is still done. Today there are some changes regarding the number of fishes, supposedly the seven fishes represent the seven sacraments. Some use less than seven fishes and some serve meat also. My wife serves seven meatless courses. My daughter and my sisters help my wife in preparing this banquet. My children, with my grandchildren, would go to their in-laws for Thanksgiving so that they would come to "Nana's House" for Christmas Eve.
My grandmother used to serve baccala (dried salted cod), or stocco (whole cod) with potatoes and olives and olive oil. The Christmas seasons of then and now show how commercialized the season is today. My family still celebrates the religious part of this holy time of year. The Midnight Mass was a big part of Christmas when I was an altar boy, but now I am in bed by midnight after four hours at the Table of Plenty.
The appetizers would usually suffice, but not on this night. The volatta, vinegar peppers, two types of olives, anchovies, and olive oil, and a side of provolone cheese with crusty Italian bread, starts the banquet, then the smelts, deviled eggs, caponata, cheeses, dips of various kinds. The dinner consists of spaghetti with shrimp, and with garlic and oil, baked haddock, scallop casserole, broccoli rabe, salad, garlic potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The desserts are cannoli, rum cakes, various pies, Italian cookies, roasted almonds and filiberts, chestnuts and of course, anise (finnochio), beverages, wine, and coffee. Truly a family function that I hope will continue forever.
It is so sad that such a small part of society is attempting to take the name of Christ out of Christmas, and Christmas out of the greeting. I still greet with "Merry Christmas" and I ignore the "Xmas" because it is Christ's birthday, not Mr. X. Have a blessed and Merry Christmas.
NED LEONE
Methuen
