Plymouth Magazine-Winter24-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 11
Sheena Thomas
Jim & Barbara Bell
What is your favorite Christmas
tradition or memory?
As I was growing up, the Christmas family
tradition I most remember was that we’d go
to the Christmas Eve service (Dad was the
minister and Mom was the choir director).
Since that service was always early in the
evening, we would then take the Scottish
shortbread that Mom had made around
to various friends and church members
and look at all the lights around town. To this day, two of my three
brothers and I make that shortbread and deliver it to eagerly waiting
friends at Christmas. I don’t know about them, but my list keeps
growing! And I always enjoy the lights.
What is your favorite Christmas song or hymn?
Too many to name: “O Holy Night”, “Unto Us a Child is Born, “The
Holly and the Ivy”, and almost anything by the King’s College Choir,
Chantecleer, the Baltimore consort, et al.
What’s your favorite Christmas food, dessert, or meal?
Shortbread, hands down.
Do you have any good gift suggestions?
Sustainable kitchen products like Stash silicone reusable zip locks or
Norwex cleaning cloths.
What is your favorite Christmas
tradition or memory?
We used to have huge family gatherings
at Thanksgiving, allowing our kids to be
at their own homes to establish their own
Christmas traditions seven children, 15
grandchildren, and 18 great grandchildren
grew too large for this and moving to
retired community put an end to this, but
the kids are taking over very nicely.
What is your favorite Christmas song or hymn?
All of them..
What’s your favorite Christmas food, dessert, or meal?
Whatever the excellent cooks provide.
Do you have any good gift suggestions?
We have started ordering fresh Christmas wreaths from Maine for each
of the kids. They usually hang them inside their houses near the front
door so that visitors are greeted with a lovely aroma.
Christine Woods
What is your favorite Christmas
tradition or memory?
The 11pm Christmas Eve service with
my family.
Tilda Brown Swanson
What is your favorite Christmas tradition or memory?
We have developed many Christmas and New Year’s traditions as a
family over the years. My daughter Alle (now 25) and I started giving
each other “the first pressie of Christmas” on Dec. 1 each year when
she was young. Now, I do that with our sons, Peter and Ted (almost
15). I look forward to opening our advent calendars. I love making
many Christmas cookies in December with my kids. I like cooking
and eating the meals we eat together at Christmas and New Year’s
each year.
What is your favorite Christmas song or hymn?
I love the Lessons and Carols service, and hearing and singing
“Handel’s Messiah”.
What’s your favorite Christmas food,
dessert, or meal?
For New Year’s, we always have fondues.
We typically have cheese fondue for an
entree and chocolate fondue for dessert
with every kind of fruit, cookie, and cake
we can think of to dip (see photo).
Do you have any good gift suggestions?
A good kitchen gadget for a cook; a good
book or book club for a reader; Stams for
a chocolate lover; a online gift card for a
video gamer, or a good chargeable bike
light for a kid.
What is your favorite Christmas song?
“Silent Night”
What’s your favorite Christmas food,
dessert, or meal?
Pickle Roll ups, made by my sister, Tammie
(see photo).
Do you have any good gift suggestions?
I always try to get three gifts for everyone. Something they need,
something they want and something I just want to give them.
Diana Sickles
What is your favorite Christmas tradition or memory?
Quiet time with our daughter, Sharon. Talking with our son who
lives in Texas. Spending the day being together. Eating leftovers from
Christmas Eve’s special dinner. Playing Granny’s Game.
What is your favorite Christmas song or hymn?
“These are a Few of my Favorite Things”.
What’s your favorite Christmas food, dessert, or meal?
It varies. There is no “must have”.
Do you have any good gift suggestions?
Homemade goodies Christmas cards with annual letter. We gave up
buying gifts years ago.
Plymouth Magazine 11
