By Jerusalem Jackson Greer of The Adventures of Jolly Goode Gal

Jerusalem shares special memories of food and family on Christmas morning.

 

When I was less than a year old, my father left the U.S. Air Force in order to finish his college education and then to attend seminary. As far back as I can remember, my father has been a Southern Baptist pastor in some capacity, and during my middle childhood years, it was his only vocation; but at heart he is an introverted poet, scholar, and musician, and he never sought the role of senior pastor of a mega-church, never climbed the church leadership ladder. This also meant that our bank account did not climb any ladders, either. For herself, my mother chose to be a stay-at-home mother as her vocation, homeschooling all four of us for a large chunk of our education and creating an amazing environment for creativity. But even though this was what she wanted, what she chose—it was still work, and even though she wasn’t bringing in a paycheck, she still had financial responsibilities. So, the task to find ways to stretch one paycheck as far and as wide as the Atlantic Ocean fell to her. 

Despite our cheese-and-crackers budget, we always had gifts under the tree—maybe not many, but there was always something lovely: something my mother had stayed up and sewn through the night; something she had saved pennies or Green Stamps to purchase. Once, during the Cabbage Patch Kid phase, she even took a night sewing class in order to make me an extra-large soft-headed Cabbage Patch knockoff doll, just what I had wished for (curiously I had wanted only a boy doll and that Christmas I got two—one my mother made and one off-brand doll that my grandmother bought me. Talk about foreshadowing!). Even my father, who loves to shop for gifts almost as much as his father, got in on the thrifty gift-giving, and my most favorite gifts from him were always things that were given with more thought than cash. 

The big family gift that first Christmas in Juneau was a videocassette recorder. Months before Christmas, my parents had purchased and hidden it in my father’s office at the church. During those weeks leading up to Christmas, Daddy secretly videotaped television shows and movies for each of us, wrapping up the videotapes and putting them under the tree, so that come Christmas morning my three siblings and I would each have something special to watch. My tape was filled with the PBS Anne of Green Gables series, based on the books by Lucy Maud Montgomery, and within five minutes of viewing I knew had found a bosom buddy for life in Anne. I am sure there were many things on my Christmas wish list that year that I was convinced I needed, that I spent nights dreaming of and hoping for. But I have no idea what they were, and chances are I will never remember, but I will remember Anne of Green Gables forever—she became a huge part of my identity. As dramatic as it sounds to say, I would not be who I am today if it had not been for Anne, and I have my daddy and his thrifty thoughtfulness to thank for that.

 I wonder now, a parent myself, trying to scrimp and save in preparation for Christmas gifts and decorations, staying up late to put the final stitches in a gift, juggling the electric bill with the boys’ wish lists, if my parents ever second-guessed their choices. If they ever felt that homespun gifts and home-taped videos were second-rate gifts. If they ever wondered if they had made the right choices, traveled the right path. I wonder those things about myself all the time—isn’t that part of parenting? The never knowing if you are getting it right? You hope you are, you want to desperately, but you never know for sure. “Please Lord, just let the good stuff stick,” I pray.

 I take some solace in the fact that despite how I acted then, what matters now, what has stayed with me all these years about our family’s Christmas, was not when or how our tree was set up, or what presents I didn’t get, or how odd the gifts I did get might have turned out to be. What I am grateful for now, even as I put my own children’s inadequate gifts under the tree, is that regardless of whatever was not enough, what was always in full supply on Christmas Day was my parents’ love and presence. Come Christmas morning our home was full of merriment, laughter, and kisses; there was always hot food on the table, a dry roof over our heads, plenty of books to read, and music to dance to. We had each other, despite whatever other brokenness our lives encountered.

 Christmas morning can cause a hiccup to menu planning if your big meal is later in the day, and especially if the budget is tighter than normal. Here are two easy recipes that will make any crowd happy, won’t break the bank, but will feel indulgent and can be eaten at everyone’s convenience throughout the morning.

 Since I was a little girl, my mother has made the most wonderful hot chocolate mix, even when the budget was especially tight. It was always one of our little luxuries.  Some of my favorite Christmas memories are of sitting underneath our family Christmas tree, giggling and sharing cups of cocoa with my childhood friend Tracy. To this day I can still lure friends over for a visit with the promise of a hot cup of Mrs. Jackson’s Cocoa.  The recipe will make quite a bit of cocoa, and like Mrs. Jackson , you can give jars and repurposed coffee canisters of it away as gifts throughout the holidays (the mix will stay fresh for many months if stored in an airtight container. )

 

Crepe Bar
The very first time I ever had a crepe was at my friend Carrie’s house around the age of sixteen. I watched in awe as her mother flipped paper thin pancake after paper thin pancake Crepes are a great Christmas morning treat because family members can add toppings according to their taste – be it savory or sweet! 
Ingredients
2 cups flour
3 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt (I love fine sea salt for this recipe)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon whole milk

Directions
Mix ingredients together in a blender; mixture will be very thin. Cook these in a non-stick skillet or a crepe pan that has been lightly greased, on medium heat.

Crepes can be served as a savory or sweet dish, depending on how you fill or top them. My favorite crepes are filled with a creamy chicken mixture and served over a bed of sticky rice.
On Christmas morning, try creating a “crepe bar” by putting out lots of different fillings and toppings. Let each person create his or her own unique savory or sweet crepe at their own speed. Keep crepes warm in a low temp oven or crock-pot (make sure to coat the bottom and sides of your crock-pot with butter if you go this route.)
Some filling ideas for the crepe bar are:
Ricotta cheese
Shredded cheese
Plain or vanilla yogurt
Fresh fruit, sliced thinly
Shredded chicken
Sautéed mushrooms
Sour cream
Maple syrup
Nutella® spread
Butter
Powdered sugar
Fruit jam

“Juggling songs of praise with cries for help. Her words and works inspire..” – Publishers Weekly 

Jerusalem Jackson Greer is a writer, speaker, retreat leader, former pastor, nest-fluffer, urban farm-gal, and author of A Homemade Year: The Blessings of Cooking, Crafting and Coming Together. Jerusalem lives with her husband and two sons in a 1940s cottage in Central Arkansas at the crossroads of beauty and mess with an ever-changing rotation of pets, including a hen house full of chickens and a Hungarian Sheep Dog mutt. As a family, they are attempting to live a slower version of modern life.  She blogs about all of this and more at http://jerusalemgreer.com

Narrative and recipes excerpted from A Homemade Year:The Blessings of Cooking, Crafting, and Coming Together by Jerusalem Jackson Greer

©2013 by Jerusalem Jackson Greer, images by Judea Jackson
©Portrait image by Whitney Loibner

Used by permission of Paraclete Press, www.paracletepress.com