A Hamann Family Christmas

Christmastime tends to be a season of traditions...and that is no different in my family. For as long as I can remember, and as it turns out, for the last 40 years, the Hamann Family Christmas has been celebrated on Christmas eve. Some of the evening festivities have changed as the cousins grow up and the family morphs ever so slightly. However, many traditions remain the same. This year our count was 21- ranging in ages from 10 years to 84 years old.

We all meet up at Oma and Opa's home in sunny Huntington Beach. The tree has shrunk so that the ever-growing pile of gifts can fit underneath. An entire wall is dedicated to the stockings- and more would be necessary if the whole family were to make it down one of these years. Going in age order, my mom and our immediate family of five spent a few days and nights preceding the festivities- and got to enjoy the Huntington Beach Pier. My Uncle Walter, Aunt Julie and cousin Luke (10), drove in from Ojai. My uncle Martin, aunt Lisa and cousins Claire, Noah and Sophie made it, as did my uncle Eric, aunt Kim and cousins Emily and Alex. Finally my Uncle Ernie and aunt Kathy rounded out the bunch. That meant that 17 people were missing to make the Hamann Family complete.

Other traditions include having plenty of sweets and this year, Lex, Dans and I decorated cupcakes as Wooden Toy Soldiers- much to everyone's delight.

As expected, Oma made her traditional ham and so we had to balance that out with very delicious seasoned vegetable skewers-well received by the rest of the family.

Opa greeted us all with Pisco Sour- a definite must. (I hope he remembers to bring me back a bottle of Pisco from his Peru trip in January!!)

We sang every religious Christmas song in the traditional fashion in the song packet. Plenty of rosy cheeks and good Hamann Family cheer!!