By Sister Carolyn Jost, SSND
Christmas was always a hectic, busy and fun time for my family. It started in mid-December as we baked my Grandmother’s traditional German Christmas cookies. These recipes have been in my family for over 100 years and yes, we still bake these mouth- watering treats every year!
On Christmas Eve, my siblings and I were charged with decorating our tree. Tinsel had to be strung piece by piece. No globs of tinsel allowed! This kept us busy for hours, while my mother baked stollen and nut rolls. The smell was incredible.
When it was dark, my father would suggest we drive around to see the house decorations. Before we left, though, there was always a phone call in German to my Aunt.
Afterwards, we drove from Green Street to Longwood Drive to see many large, beautifully decorated houses. In one house a Santa in red velvet waved to us!
When we got home, we were thrilled to discover Santa had visited and left our presents under the tree.
Only years later did we figure out the mysterious phone call was a signal to my Aunt to come over and play Santa for us. However, we never did figure out how she knew to leave before we got home and caught her in the act!
