Octogenarians recall Christmases of yesteryear

'Tis the season for my traditional holiday column. Hopefully the stories I share will bring a rush of beautiful memories of your own holidays past.

The first story is from Ralph Engelking, 85, of Bensenville. He was raised on a farm in Schaumburg, the youngest of 13 children whose family celebrated their German heritage for the holidays.

"I was the baby, the spoiled one," said Engelking, "At least that is what they told me."

Times were tough and even as the youngest he got very little at the holidays. But this didn't matter. Most important was knowing he belonged to a wonderful family.

According to Engelking, many Germans had settled in the Schaumburg area and for most, Christmas Eve services were a tradition. But because there were farm chores to be done each night, services did not begin until 8 p.m. When their chores weren't completed, he remembers his brothers having to stay behind to finish.

The children who did attend services would receive a bag of candy with nuts, oranges and apples and for that they were very grateful. It was certainly a special treat. Fortunately for the Engelkings, as a farm family there was always enough food and his mother's wonderful bread.

"She made six loaves of bread two times a week," he said, adding there were lots of cookies and plenty of rhubarb for pies. And the Christmas menu for this large family always included a goose and a duck.

While Christmas gifts were rare, Engelking does remember one Christmas when he did receive a very special toy.

"My favorite gift was a barn and animals," he said "I'm surprised I never got kicked by a horse, I was always with the horses."

When Engelking and his wife of 58 years, Rosie, now 79, had children of their own, they kept church services as their Christmas tradition. While they had more financially than his parents, he and his wife only spent $50 to $80 on their two daughters' Christmas gifts.

"We bought whatever we could afford," he said. "We didn't use a card or anything," because that was how it was done in those days, he said.

Doris LoPorto, 81, of Wheaton fondly remembers her childhood Christmas celebrations during the depression and the lack of gifts didn't matter.

"I grew up in that time so I didn't know anything else," said LoPorto.

However, she did know how blessed she was with a wonderful family.

"We were always surrounded by family," said LoPorto, the youngest of seven.

If her family knew of someone who would be alone, they would invite them.

"We didn't want anyone to be alone at this time," she said.

As the years passed, their feast grew bigger with 45 or more celebrating. No matter how many joined them, there was one family tradition that remained. She vividly recalls how each Christmas Eve, there would be a special time for the family to come together in song, prayer and to hear the Christmas story told by an older sibling.

"We would hold hands and form a circle," said LoPorto. "And we always got along beautifully."

Traditionally Christmas Eve services were a part of their celebration, too. Although her parents did not have money one Christmas to purchase a gift for her, somehow they were able to get a free doll from a newspaper promotion.

"It had a silver lame dress and I thought it was one of the most beautiful gifts," she said.

Of course, being the youngest did have its advantages as she was indulged more than her older siblings. But she recalls that they didn't mind at all and her brothers and sisters were so happy to see her open the only gift given one Christmas.

"I got a cotton dress," she said. "It was very plain with vertical stripes and a peter-pan collar."

As with many Italian families, hand-made raviolis were on the Christmas menu with plenty to go around. When Doris and husband, John, now 82, started their family, many of the traditions continued. The young family didn't have a lot of money either but the holidays were all about their four children, family and friends and lots and lots of cookies. LoPorto would make at least 14 different cookies, about 2,000 in all. And it was tradition for everyone to take trays of cookies home with them.

LoPorto still chuckles as she recalls a conversation with daughter Nancy. Apparently when Nancy was older, she finally told her mom that she wasn't exactly fond of the cowboy outfit Santa left her. LoPorto said, "She (Nancy) said she will never forget that ugly thing." So they have often laughed about that most memorable gift.

Homer Bachman, 85, of Lombard was the youngest of three and sickly as a child. When he was 6, his family decided that he should move to his aunt's farm in Stillman Valley, Ill., where hopefully his health would improve. However, after his parents passed, the family holidays were spent at his sister's Elmwood Park home.

"It was always a very nice Christmas," he said.

While gifts weren't plentiful, Bachman was happy with what he received.

"I usually got books in those days," he said.

Then one Christmas when he was 10 or 11, he was surprised with his favorite gift of all -- a two-wheel bicycle.

"I couldn't reach the pedals," he said. But that was remedied when wooden blocks were attached to the pedals.

When he and wife Eve, 77, had two children, their traditions changed. This included waiting to put up the tree after their young children went to bed Christmas Eve. One of Bachman's fondest and perhaps funniest holiday memories was when Santa visited his son at a family gathering. Bachman's son Homer, 3 at the time, told dad that Santa really sounded like cousin Ronald. However, that was soon remedied when Bachman's brother-in-law, Al, gave cousin Ronald some marbles to put in his mouth to disguise his voice. That certainly gave everyone a good laugh.

Loretta Nemec, 74, of Naperville, lovingly remembers her family's Polish Christmas Eve celebration at their Chicago home. As tradition would have it, Christmas Eve was meatless.

"We had 11 courses of beans," she said.

This was served with a type of fish and borsch soup and pierogi. Most importantly, her mom always left a place at the dinner table for the Christ Child. And they shared Oplatka, a wafer, that was passed around to each person as they were wished something special for the New Year.

As the middle child of three with an older brother and younger sister, the highlight of Christmas Eve was a visit from Santa, who made his entrance via the front steps.

"He was the saddest looking Santa ever," she said. "The kids were all scared of him."

But he was a generous Santa with gifts for all the children and adults, a total of 19 family members. Once the food was served and the festivities calmed down a bit, the family attended midnight Mass. She recalls that by the time they returned home it was nearly 2 a.m. Christmas morning and that each year, as if a sign of this special time, there was a sprinkling of snow.

When Loretta and husband, Raymond, 78, had their four children, they continued to celebrate Christmas Eve at her mom's home until her mom passed. Then Nemec's family celebration moved to her home with the same tradition of meatless dinner but with shrimp cocktail, oysters in the shell and her specialty, clam chowder soup.

Now one of her special gifts to her family remains the Kolacky, oatmeal, peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies made with love.