Compiled by Mary Damiano

Memories are funny things.  Sometimes they’re so vivid that one’s mind need only caress the edges of the past to make a memory come rushing back; sometimes, no matter how hard we try, they remain elusive.

When I asked people in our local arts community to contribute their holiday memories and New Year’s resolutions for this story, I thought I was asking for something simple.  Surely everyone has a memory of a special holiday that springs to the forefront of one’s mind.  Surely it wouldn’t be difficult to think of something.

Then my mother said that if I was asking for everyone else’s memories, it was only fair that I pony up with one of my own.  But when I really tried to think, no one memory came to mind.  Blame it on all those hours spent watching movies—rather than a single memory, a bunch of images came rushing back like a movie montage: trimming the tree, listening to Christmas CDs, watching It’s a Wonderful Life and crying at exactly the same moment every single time.  (It’s the part at the end when Harry Bailey raises his glass and says, “To my big brother George, the richest man in town.” Wow, just writing those words make me tear up.)

Looking for a way to jog my mind for a Christmas memory, I went to my mom’s and dragged out the photo albums.  There were more Christmas photos of my brother and sister—eight and seven years older than me, respectively—that by the time I came along my parents were probably over preserving every moment.  Besides one image of a 4-year-old me in candy cane striped flannel pajamas and a surprisingly not-that-bad perm, the holiday photos of me involved visits to Santa Claus.

I stared at the photos, trying to recall the exact circumstances, but still just general impressions emerged. My father used to take me to sit on Santa’s lap every year.  We went to Fields department store on Journal Square in Jersey City.  In one Santa photo I’m wearing my favorite piece of clothing from when I was little, an absolutely fabulous hooded purple midi coat that had black bands covered in embroidery running down the front on either side of the zipper. (An unfortunate choice of head scarves makes that particular photo unpublishable.

Studying those Santa photos, I didn’t remember what I asked for; I didn’t remember what I got.  All I remember is that my brother and sister were too old for Santa by that time, so it was always just my father and me.  Huh. I guess that special holiday memory was closer than I thought.

Enjoy reading the wonderful memories below, have a happy holiday, and whatever your plans include, make a memory that you can pull out at will—just like a favorite sweater—that will warm your heart for years to come.

Christmas in the Czech Republic

By Margaret M. Ledford
Resident director, The Promethean Theatre

When I was living in the Czech Republic, I celebrated Christmas with a fellow student/friend's family.  On Christmas Eve during dinner—which was all based around the fish that had been purchased in the market a few days earlier that lived in the bathtub until that afternoon—each member of the family would make an excuse to go to the living room to put presents under the tree.  None of the presents were from the members of the family or Santa Claus, as Saint Mikolaj (Nicholas) had already visited the town earlier in the month to distribute candy for the good and coal for the bad.  All presents were from the baby Jesus. When the male head of the house saw that all the other family members had done their part, he went to put his presents under the tree and then rang a bell to signal that baby Jesus had been there. 

Favorite Gift: The gift of a watch.  My husband and I had agreed to no gifts because we were broke, but he got me a new watch.  

Resolution:  As always, be a better person and not to get caught up in the trivialities of life.

A Special Family Christmas

By Kalyn James
Development & communications officer, Arts for Learning

My parents divorced when I was10, and remarried after 15 years of divorce. My father had been diagnosed with lung cancer. We had our first real family Christmas dinner in 15 years on Christmas day.  This was my most cherished gift ever.  My father passed away two days later. 

Favorite Tradition: We enjoy watching the Macy’s Day parade on Thanksgiving and hauling out the Christmas decorations the day after and decorating the front gate and putting the wreath on the door – holiday music on full blast! 

Resolution:  To treat all humans with respect and patience and be a better mother, wife, friend, and person than I was the year before. 

Christmas in New York

By George Schiavone, actor and photographer

My favorite holiday tradition was going to New York with the kids, taking a room at the plaza, going ice skating at Rockefeller Center and seeing a few plays. The Plaza is gone, the kids are grown, and I am searching for a new tradition.

Favorite Gift:  Most memorable was my first bicycle which I had to wait two months to ride because of the snow outside. I wanted a Schwinn. My parents bought me a J.C. Higgins. Never heard of it before. Selling point: "No pennies in the rear wheel.  All solid." Who cared?  I wanted a Schwinn. My first lesson in "making due." Over the next three years I replaced parts until it was practically a Schwinn. I think there's a metaphor here.

Resolution: Stay positive and productive. Pay good fortune forward.

The Toy Dog and Xanex

By Lisa Morgan, actor

My mother knitted me a toy dog.  I still have it, but now all the stuffing has gone out of it and it looks like a kind of wayward sock for mad people.  Still love it—though I have to hide it in my closet in case my husband thinks I have some kind of weird knitted sock fetish.

Favorite Tradition:  Taking Xanax on Christmas day—it's the only way to survive it 

Resolution:  I don’t make any resolutions.  Because some being, entity, or really-having-a-bad-hair-day angel might actually make me stick to it or dole out some horrible punishment if I don’t.  Besides, Xanex stops you from thinking clearly enough to make any comprehensive resolutions, which can only be a plus.

A Crafty Christmas

By Laura Jamieson
Executive director, Miami Beach Botanical Garden

In a Canadian winter Christmas, one of my earliest memories is discovering from Santa a wicker sewing basket full of brightly colored yarns, knitting needles, embroidery floss and fabrics. I grew up quilting, knitting, doing needlepoint and many crafts.  My nightmare scenario: I’m in a talent show. Can’t sing. Can’t dance. I brandish needles and start a knit one, pearl one routine. Perhaps what makes a good arts administrator is imagination and ability to weave together loose threads, colorful personalities, and a patchwork of financial resources.

Christmas with the Grandparents

By Merle Weiss, arts patron

I will tell you about my most memorable Christmas, which will remain in my heart forever.  I was a small child, maybe 7 or 8 years old, and my parents had left me with my grandparents during the Christmas holidays while they vacationed, god knows where.  My "mom mom" and "pop pop" were Jewish Russian immigrants who would never have considered celebrating Christmas.  But to make me happy, they allowed me to hang a stocking on the fireplace, (a real one, filled with coal!) and on Christmas morning, I awakened to a full stocking of little gifts and treats and a big toy below.   My grandchildren are that age now, and I still remember and appreciate the love and ecumentalism of my wonderful Jewish, immigrant grandparents that holiday season.

The Gift of Faith

By Juan Sanchez, playwright

While I was writing my first play, my sister, Betty, who year after year gave me underwear and socks for Christmas, suprised me with the gift of a pen.  I loved the pen as a gift because it symbolized my sister's support of my writing and my decision to become a playwright.

Favorite Tradition:  Christmas Eve at my sister Maria's house is the best.  It's the one day of the year when all 800 of my nieces and nephews, ranging in ages 10 to 29, come together and ask me, "Why aren't you famous and rich, yet?"   Ah, sweet, sweet bastards—I mean, holiday tradition.

Resolution:  I have a hard time fulfilling resolutions I make day-to-day.  I have a hard time doing stuff I don't want to do.      

Brown-Eyed Girl

By Deborah Mello, director

One memorable childhood holiday gift was a brown-eyed doll.  One day I lined my dolls up in my room and had my mother come in to see that they all had blue eyes—but I didn't.  She took note of this phenomenon and on Christmas morning Santa delivered a brown haired, brown-eyed doll dressed in a red dress, my favorite color at the time.  The story, according to my mother and aunts, was that my mom searched for many months to find that doll for me, because the standard in those days was blue eyes.

Favorite Tradition:  My birthday is Christmas Eve, so I am a bit of a brat and insist that no Christmas gifts are opened on my birthday; instead, everyone must wait till Christmas morning to open gifts.  When the kids were younger, we would allow them to open one present after midnight mass.  Now that everyone is older, we like getting together for brunch and opening gifts together on Christmas morning.

The Fresh-cut Tree

By Gregory von Hausch
President & CEO, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival

In 1980 I purchased an old historic bungalow (circa 1915) in Gainesville's Duckpond area.  I decided to have an old-fashioned Christmas in honor of the house.  I made my own decorations, went caroling, made hot apple cider and created my own recipe for egg nog.  I also went out into the woods, found a perfect tree, cut it down and brought it home.  An hour or so later, I'm underneath the tree trying to get the stand to work with the trunk's off-kilter angle—hate that part—when the ugliest grasshopper I ever had the misfortune to meet, fell on my face.  Disgusted, freaked and totally grossed out, I slid out from under the tree only to discover there were millions—okay, I didn't stop to count, but a bunch, like more than 30—in the tree.  In my haste to get the tree outside, I knocked it over and a plethora of the gargantuan mutants escaped and began their tireless pursuit to take over my habitat and evict me.  After an eternity—okay, 25 minutes—me and my pillowcase championed over the Excess of Evil.  The good news to this story, my egg nog was a hit and I have made it every Christmas since.

Smells Like Christmas

By Suzette Espinosa
Media and public relations manager, Carnival Center

Roasting “lechon” (whole pork – head to toe) outdoors—the garlicky scent emanates from backyards all over Southwest Miami, where I grew up—on Christmas Eve and reminds me of every Christmas that went before it. Instead of snow/cold, we have the smell of lechon cooking since the morning to herald the holiday.

Resoultion:  I make resolutions all year long.  New Year’s is the only time anyone asks me what they are.

Baby Gift

By Antonio Amadeo
Actor, co-founder of Naked Stage Theatre Company

The first Christmas with our daughter, Lara, was just unreal. You don't know how special the holidays are until you have a child. Pretty awesome.

Favorite Tradition:  It might be the new one we're starting now. My wife, Katie, is teaching our daughter about Chanukah. So we're doing the whole eight-day thing. It's pretty cool. We light the candles every night and Katie and Lara sing the prayers.  It's great to watch.

Drummer Boy

By Paul Tei
Actor, director, co-founder of Mad Cat Theatre

I got a drum set for my 13th Christmas—I think I was 13 maybe 12.  It was a toy one so it only lasted a few months before I put a hole in all the drum heads, but it was the most excited I had ever been at Christmas. My dad was sitting on them and trying to play them when I woke up.  It was pretty funny. I think my folks were as excited as I was.

Favorite Tradition:  My folks and I usually go see a movie on Christmas day.  The Piano was one I'll never forget.

Resolutions:  I don't usually do one.  I don't see the point in that day being the day I need to resolve something. I usually want to forget something, or someone.

The Jewish Christmas Tree

By Joseph Adler
Artistic director, GableStage Theatre

Favorite Tradition:  Looking at Norman Rockwell paintings and watching It’s a Wonderful Life (just kidding, of course!)  For several years, when my son was very young, we put up a Christmas tree and decorated it with bagels. (I’m not kidding!)

Memorable Holiday Gift: Growing up my family never celebrated Christmas, just Chanukah—and that means eight little (and unmemorable) gifts.  I guess I’m not really into receiving gifts.  I do like giving them, though.

Resolutions:  I don’t make resolutions.  I have enough guilt without starting the year by making broken promises to myself.

The Annual Christmas Fire
By Autumn Horne, actor