Celebrating the season: Holiday traditions in Sisters

Around the globe Christmas is celebrated in many different ways, each country having its own traditions - from Sicily's fasting sunset to sunset December 23-December 24 then feasting at tables laden with eels, larks, fish and sweet bread, to Micronesia where families spend the whole day at church together singing carols and receiving gifts, usually two bars of soap.

Here in Sisters there are many traditions we have brought with us from our families. Along with trees, lights, and candy canes, the folks here celebrate Christmas with traditions that evoke a special meaning to each family.

For most families in Sisters, the season is seriously kicked off with getting the tree. This is not simply getting a tree, it is Christmas tree hunting. With the lack of snow right after Thanksgiving this year cutting into the festive mood of trudging through the fluff to find the perfect tree, the diehards persevered into the woods with saw in hand and determination in mind.

Others eventually gave up waiting on the perfect setting and ventured out to get their tree anyway.

To folks like the Fred and Lisa Woodworth family, the hunt is irreplaceable.

"It all started nine years ago when we moved here from California," said Lisa. "Of course, in California you buy a Christmas tree from a lot. Well, we started going Christmas tree hunting the day after Thanksgiving every year with Todd and Diane Weitzman and their girls. They bring the fresh cinnamon bread and we bring the hot cocoa made with real milk. Dogs come too, dressed in their holiday sweaters! We have been in sunny weather, pouring rain and snow, snow, snow!"

The Gale family evokes a 26-year tradition of dad, Phil, hiding a little snowman on skis that actually sits on the tree's branches, instead of hanging like normal ornaments, after his family decorates the tree. The whole family has to leave the room while dad finds a new place for the quarter-century-old symbol of family love to rest that year. The first one to spot the cute little downhill racer gets a special gift.

Food seems to be high on the list of traditions. You can almost smell the crème brule French toast at Mark and Laurie Francis' home or the sourdough waffles with whipped cream and strawberries along with links of sweet Italian sausage that Vern and Sandy Goodsell bake up on Christmas morning.

Authentic homemade gnocchi, made with love and many hands every Christmas Day after opening gifts is another tradition with the Goodsells.

Anne and Pat Seile have hosted a cookie exchange every year on the first Saturday in December for over 30 years. It's a well organized, largely attended event to open wide the spirit of the season.

Blake and Jami Lynn Weber put on a spread of everybody's favorite foods of the year while decorating their Christmas tree shortly after Thanksgiving amidst the melodies of Christmas music.

Ron and JoAnn Roberts are starting a new tradition in their family with a Christmas brunch. Ken and Sheryl Ruettgers' home wakes up to a birthday theme in their kitchen, complete with birthday cake for Jesus. The joy and fun in making gingerbread men cookies and sugar cookies is another mainstay in the Womack home.

Peter and Janet Storton get together for a big Christmas Day dinner. The meal has included corn chowder for over 25 years and at this point cannot be changed.

Kara Michaelson tells the memories she cherishes of her dad, Bob Taggart: "My Dad and I always made fruitcake together. We had a plan, always the same. He'd sit down and mix the cherries, red and green, the pineapple, the walnuts and the coconut into the flour. I'd mix the sugar, butter and eggs. Then, while I kept mixing, he'd add the flour alternately with the Irish whiskey. It was his Irish mother's recipe so it always had to have Irish whiskey."

Another big one with Sisters folks is pajamas. Opening up new PJs on Christmas Eve is the thing to do for the Webers, Ruettgers and Phil Gale's family.

In some homes, the opening of gifts is a free-for-all and finished in moments; in others that time is spent with one person as the designated "hander-out-of-gifts."

Christmas movies are a definite part of the Christmas season in Sisters. Many families have a large and ever growing collection of videos and DVDs of their favorites. The Womacks watch Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" (the version with George C. Scott). The Francis family spends Christmas Day playing games and watching "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby.

Many families venture to the movie theater on Christmas or the day after for a big-screen treat.

Sisters families also include gifts of time to those less fortunate. There's a lot of that this year. The tree the Sisters Fire Department puts up at Ray's Food Place each year has hardly any "ornaments" left on it, Sisters churches also have trees with "ornaments" of ideas for those in need inside their buildings. These too are almost bare.