Christmas Time

What a fabulous time of year. The air is crisp and the smells of the holidays are in the air everywhere. Love the smell of a fresh cut pine tree, garland and wreaths. Love the smells that come from the kitchen when we started to bake the Christmas goodies.
My mom would do old fashion pull candy. She would dedicate one evening to us kids in the Nuckols family to pull our candy and put it in cans to take home. It was fun and usually made blisters on our hands but it was so yummy. Everyone loved her candy. She always made bourbon balls , peanut butter logs and pull candy.
The big spectacular thing she did every year was her OPEN HOUSE. She had the best of everything gotten out for this occasion. Our sweet Agnes, the maid, would polish all the silver, platters, bowls, julep cups. All the good china was brought out and every room was decorated with pine, magnolia, bright red ribbons, holly and candles. Over the middle of every door was a huge ball of mistletoe. Every room in the house was lit with candles. The tree was to the ceiling and the lights were always assorted reds, greens, blues and yellow. Our ornaments were beautiful and most were collected over the years and handed down through the years. Daddy and I would play a game on who could throw the tensil highest on the tree, of course he always won. What made it the coziest was the two fireplaces with bright embers burning.
The house was always full of lots of people. Family, friends, old and young friends of friends etc. The food was delicious, turkey old ham and beatin biscuits, shrimp, stone crab, cranberries--- homemade yeast rolls and a delicious jam cake. Of course someone always sent us a fruit cake(ugh). Never liked fruit cake, oh well.
Mom and dad had one friend that always made me laugh. His name was Doc Bond. He always brought me a paper bag of silly presents. BUT in the bottom of the bag was always a really nice gift. It was always the fun part of my Christmas Eve. He would wrap up half of an onion, a bottle opener, an orange always a bag of peanuts and some bananas silly stuff like that then a nice pair of ear rings or a bracelet or a watch or a ring. Always fun to have around on Christmas.
My Aunt would play Christmas Carols and songs on the piano and we kids would all sing. Usually everyone left around 11 because everyone would go to midnite service at church. Ones with real little ones would go home and wait for Santa. Church was one of my favorites--incense, candles and the choir plus the celebration of the coming or Our Lord. Love Christmas Mom always made it very special and was Our favorite time of the year. Love you MOM and miss you always.