Warm Christmas memories of traditions last a lifetime

Since 2005, the first Thursday in December has brought the YMCA-Naperville Mayor's Community Prayer Breakfast at the Fry Family Y, welcoming some 500 guests to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season with music, scripture and special guest speakers.

The breakfast sets the stage for myriad traditions of thoughtfulness, faiths and giving that make this season bright. Listening to featured soloist Joshua Blue, a junior at Waubonsie Valley High School, put his incredible voice to “O Holy Night” and “Do You Hear What Hear” touched many hearts in the audience. I could tell because many eyes were glistening in awe.

I also was emotional when our adventure-bound son returned recently from his second yearlong stint of teaching English at a private school in Seoul, South Korea. I'm so grateful he's back in the States for the holidays, the first time in four years.

When I called my folks in Muncie, Ind., with news of our first snowfall, my mother reported snow there, too. She also mentioned my 87-year-old father had fallen while helping to decorate the large fir tree at the entrance to their subdivision. He listened on the extension, adding his two cents here and there.

Back in 1958, neighbors chipped in to purchase colored lights and they began the annual holiday ritual when the tree was 25 feet tall. Today, the evergreen planted in 1947 stands more than 75 feet tall.

My mother said firefighters again had lent their cherry picker and a few hands to drape new sets of lights.

While watching, my dad slipped on wet leaves. He banged up his forehead and broke his glasses. He insisted he was OK, trying to make light of his injuries with his resounding, “Oh, Carol!”

My mother continued to provide the gory details.

Since the tree-lighting ceremony was Saturday evening, I suggested a quick visit. Jeff was available, so he drove.

Jeff is a huge Cubs fan, so I wasn't surprised when he settled on WGN radio, where the commentary featured tributes to Ron Santo who had died the day earlier. Listeners were calling in to tell about their remarkable encounters with the “Cubs' biggest fan.”

As we were heading south on I-65, WGN began replaying the game in 1998 in which Kerry Wood struck out 20 opposing batters.

Jeff recalled watching the exciting play-by-play of that Cubs vs. Astros game in real time more than 12 years ago. Then I had a realization. I had never witnessed a Cubs game from beginning to end not on the radio or TV or at Wrigley Field.

Every break in the action touted that we were listening to the “Kerry Wood 20 Strike Out Game.” Though I figured the outcome, every one of Wood's pitches still was a thrill and every strike out sent chills up my spine. I couldn't keep from cheering from my bucket seat as the recount of one record after the other was met or topped.

Moving right along, the predicted snowstorm pretty much fizzled out the accumulation was about the same in Indiana as in Naperville and the roads from here to there were clear.

The baseball game ended just minutes from Muncie, and, for once, the ionosphere had allowed the radio waves to bounce and the reception that usually begins to break up just south of Lafayette was perfect the whole way.

Jeff's Cubbies won 2-0. And I'd listened to an entire Cubs game while experiencing the good nature of Santo.

Within minutes of our arrival, my mother mentioned the tree-lighting at 5:30 p.m.

At just the right time, we bundled up and walked toward the tree where roughly 20 neighbors had gathered near a table with Christmas cookies and hot cider. Others waited in cars. I greeted a bunch of neighbors I hadn't seen in years. Some still called me “Stevie.”

We sang carols. The minister who lives on the corner blessed all the folks who'd helped decorate the tree, carrying on the tradition of more than 50 years. The new LED lights are brighter than ever.

Though I'd missed all of the tree-lighting ceremonies since I left Muncie at age 17, I'll always remember that first time. And this year I'm happy to remember the last time.

Stephanie Penick writes about Naperville. E-mail her at spennydh@aol.com.