First Snow & Joan Plowright

Sewickley was blanketed in snow this morning ... our first real snow. It was ice cold, heavy, silent and terribly exciting.

After a long day at work, we stopped at the tiny microbrew pub to share a new "winter beer," dark and plum puddingy, before heading home. Though I have yet to finish the book Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont; I did the unforgivable and watched the sweet movie by the same name featuring one of my favorite movie and Broadway stars, Joan Plowright  (Baroness Olivier). The movie is delightful if you don't read too much into the grandmother/adopted grandson friendship (which too many people do but I could not find in it myself).

I have been asked by Nan at Letters from a Hill Farm to answer a few Christmas questions ... and so I will gladly (thank you for asking):

What is your most enduring Christmas memory? There are three memories that stay with me. The first is bringing my darling second daughter home in heavy snowfall on Christmas Eve as a tiny little newborn in a Christmas stocking. It doesn't really get better than that! What a gift.

The second is being in fourth grade. It was very close to Christmas, if not Christmas Eve, and I was walking outside with dear parents and beloved sister and brother very late at night. It was another world - snow banked up along Selborne Drive, even with my shoulders. Brilliant stars, glorious moon - just following the biggest snowfall Centreville, Delaware has ever witnessed. It was a magical night.

The third memory is an annual event ... singing Silent Night by candlelight in our lovely, old stone Episcopal Church and then walking out at 1 am in the morning - in the crisp winter night air and thinking "this is Christmas. God with us."

Do you have a favorite piece of Christmas music? Oh ... everything from Bing Crosby's crooning to John Rutter's King's College Boys Choir Lessons and Carols. The minute Thanksgiving is over, I begin to listen to Christmas music and love it all.

Do you stick to the old family traditions? Being married to an Episcopal priest ... I'm afraid we do. December 6th (St. Nicholas Day on the church calendar) is when the tree goes up (though for one of the first times I am late this year); Christmas Eve Midnight Festival Eucharist which is always a window into heaven for me. Christmas Day morning - popovers and strong coffee for breakfast; opening gifts; walk with the dogs (Ceilidh & Bella); eggnog and spiced nuts; Christmas cracker in each place; beef tenderloin with everything traditional,  steamed pudding with cream sauce. Boxing Day finds the whole Sewickley clan driving two hours to Cleveland for a fabulous extended family Christmas gathering. It's pretty wonderful and we've never been able to make a change.

What makes your mouth water at Christmas? Our family loves hot, fresh popovers in the morning (though Elizabeth, one of my darling daughter-in-laws, insists, quite rightly, that popovers are not meant to be breakfast food) and sailor's duff - a very dark traditional molasses steamed pudding laced with lethal vanilla cream sauce.

How soon do you put up the tree and take it back down? Since we put the tree up so early on December 6th ... it just barely makes it to around the 30th of December when we enthusiastically haul it out of the living room bay window in a hail of needles. Once Christmas is over, I pretty much love to make a clean sweep of things and get ready for the new year.

I do enjoy being asked to answer wonderful questions ... but I am not very good at asking others (now you really know something about me). Though there are so many of you, whose blogs are a real gift to read, from whom I would love to hear. I'm just not good at asking!

Comments

[Elizabeth]

Becca, it is so lovely to discover more about you! What a pretty place to live, such lovely Christmas rituals, and warm family connections. Many Blessings to you for a wonderful 2008.

[Tongue in Cheek]

"...baby in a christmas stocking." That just tickled my heart!

[Kathy]

Thank you for the movie recommendation--I rented it and loved it! I guess now I'll need to read the book! I stop by your blog every now and then and enjoy the photos and posts very much.

[Bellezza]

I didn't know you were married to an Episcopal priest; how wonderful is that? Madeleine L'Engle was Episcopal, and it is a denomination which has always been compelling to me even though I was raised in the Covenant church and currently attend Calvary. I have The Book of Common Prayer, which I often read, but I'm not sure I use it properly.

You did such a beautiful job with this meme. It was wonderfully written, and very insightful into your poignant memories. I loved reading it.

[Nan]

And I knew that. I wrote LL on your blog as well as mine, when I meant to write CC. I guess the printing on the piece of paper could have been Ls or Cs. :<) But I've corrected it, and I apologize. You can see my email address right? A nice little feature typepad offers.

[Becca]

How fabulous is this that I am being gifted with a fabulous Celtic Harp cd ... Bella is my darling cocker spaniel ... I'm Becca. So my puppy will love the cd!

[Nan]

Hey, you won the celtic harp Christmas cd!

http://lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com/
2007/12/cd-winner.html

Please email me with your mailing address.

And I hope your name is Bella. :<) I wasn't sure.

[Alice C]

What a lovely treat to read your Christmas post. I almost feel that if I looked out of my window I would see thick snow on pine trees instead of driving rain! Thank you.

[Louise]

Wonderful questions, you have given wonderful answers, and really interesting to hear of your Christmas traditions. I plan to put our tree up this afternoon and decorate it tomorrow, I always leave ours up until twelfth night, as soon as everything comes down, J's birthday cards go up, it works out so well. There is no sign of snow down here in the South of England, just torrential rain and gales, not very pleasant at all. It is lovely to see the snow in your photos, I wonder whether I shall be taking any this year, may be able to catch a frost or two? I must admit to wondering were you live, Sewickly sounds such a lovely place with so much history.

[Carl V.]

We got our first snow as well, only it came yesterday. It was..and is...wonderful!!!

[tara]

What a lovely town you live in!

I'm going to have to either read the book or find the movie-it sounds really great. A baby in a Christmas stocking-what a wonderful memory.

[Zoe]

A lovely post. I loved hearing about you bringing home your baby in a Christmas stocking. Also I really like the photo of Joan and Larry - two of my favourites.

[Passementerie]

My husband is from PA too - Montgomery County. He's just back from a visit there and saw the snow too! We're far from having snow yet in Paris, thank goodness.

Sarah

[PG]

I'm not very good at Christmas...but my greedy eyes lit up when I read the words 'beer' and 'microbrewery'! Lucky you to have one in the neighbourhood. And snow too.

[tut-tut]

I love your answers; very evocative of the season!

[Nan]

I loved hearing about your traditions. I don't think I've had popovers for breakfast, but why not!
Have a great day!
Nan

[Michele]

Are the fresh popovers from the bakery or do you have a special recipe? Also I would love to have your recipe for the steamed pudding...both sound wonderful!
We too celebrate Boxing Day at my house with a large gathering of all my siblings, I just love extending Christmas!

[Olivia Kroth]

Thank you for the link to your home town. I looked it up. An Indian name in Allegheny County, how interesting.
I also love Bing Crosby crooning Christmas songs or Elvis Presley rocking them.

[Mary]

I am really looking forward to seeing photos of your tree.

And loved seeing the photos of the snow. We have promised our kids a white Christmas one year.

So you don't leave your tree up for the 12 days ( I still take mine down on Jan. 6th!).