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'The Trimmings' in Ireland were the prayers added on to the evening Rosary ritual in many Irish households.
Right before bedtime, mum would beckon us all to bring our rosary beads & gather around the hearth where the open fire flames flickered their final limbering duty of providing warmth. The dog always had pride of place in front of the fire - he loved his warmth. And as all cats do, ours came & went at its own convenience.
On December 1st every year, there would be another 'trimming' added to the rosary. We waited, my three brothers & I, to see if mother would forget, but no: as we knelt on the cement kitchen floor; (that was before we had it covered over with Linolium - the advanced farmer's kitchen floor covering of the age), when all the other trimmings were prayerfully recited, she would begin: "Hail & blessed be the hour & the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary at midnight in the stable in Bethlehem in piercing cold. At that same hour, O my God, listen to my prayers & grant my petitions. Amen."
We loved that little prayer, which became known as the "Hail & Blessed" novena. If any one of us had occasion to stay away from home overnight in the 24 days preceding Christmas, we were immediately asked on our return if we had remembered to say our "Hail & Blesseds".
We lived on a farm in the west of Ireland, the nicer part of the rural countryside & had a house exactly like that of the local schoolmaster, who lived just down the road, with one exception, though. His house had crimson holland blinds in his front windows, while ours had the ordinary (to us) cream-coloured ones.
Every Christmas Eve, my chore as the youngest of the family was to put a lighted candle in every window to greet the Holy Family or any other traveller passing the way. Mother, acting as 'Temporary Health & Safety Mistress', would come to inspect the lighted candles from time to time & pull down the blinds.
My brothers & I would don warm coats plus scarves to go to the front gate in the dusk of the early evening & admire our windows; then head down the road a piece to see the Master's house with its lights shining through the crimson blinds.
We were always a little bit envious on seeing those glowing lights, and on our return voiced our opinion that the Holy Family would surely choose the Master's house in which to rest on their long journey.
We did not always have midnight Mass, but we sat up until midnight to see if our 'petitions' had been granted, in the form of the small but useful gifts our parents had given us. We were glad to get a good book, a pair of tap-dancing shoes, (this is how Michael Flatley of Riverdance fame started out on his dancing career) a jigsaw puzzle or even a mouth organ - otherwise known as a Harmonica.
We were united; we were happy; we drank cocoa; we ate treacle & raisin home-made bread. Then to bed in the unspoken assurance that ours was a warm & contented world.
Every year we asked mother (dear dad was not interested in these youthful frivolities) what her petitions had been, and the answer was always the same: 'good health, a contented home, the gift of laughter, and the grace to accept with fortitude any troubles that may came our way'.
My mother died quietly in her sleep in 2004 at the age of 89 years & seven months; the last of her 6 siblings.
As for the little 'Hail & Blessed' novena, sometimes over the years I remember to say it; sometimes I have started it and forget to finish it; many times I have just forgotten. But the memory lingers, thanks to our mum.
Perhaps this Christmas, so far removed from the rain; the wind & the familiar gentle green fields of the land of my birth, I'll put a candle in the window & explain its significance to the young of the area, if they are interested. I wouldn't delay them too much because I know how anxious they all are to reboot their ubiquitous IPods, SmartPhones & the like.
Mum would surely like that.
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A lovely memory, Dermot, thank you for sharing it. <3 :-D
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Yes, we always had a stocking with chocolate coins, nuts and a tangerine at the bottom. There was always a pink sugar mouse and things like packets of chalks or crayons, a magic painting book rolled up and a packet of sweet cigarettes too!! Our stockings were hung on the bedpost at the bottom of the bed and our presents were put on our beds at the bottom to open when we woke up Christmas morning. A Christmas Annual was a must. I think I still have a Rupert Bear one in the loft. In later years the stockings disappeared and presents were put around the tree after we'd gone to bed. In our family we never put anything out for Santa like sherry and mince pies. We always wrote to Santa to say what we wanted though. I wonder how many children still send thank you letters?
A new custom seems to be the Christmas Tree festivals in churches. I went to see a few last Christmas and was very impressed. Sitting on Santa's knee doesn't happen anymore for obvious reasons and I never liked that as a child as I was very shy. A few years ago lots of houses had lit up displays on their outside walls, but not many still do it around here. Mostly it is a few twinkly lights or a tree similarly lit up.
We haven't put up the ceiling garlands that we used to do for years now. I can remember mum saving some of the christmas wrapping paper off our presents to cut down and reuse the next year. I doubt many still do that. I can't remember seeing the pretty christmas carrier bags to put presents in years ago, so they must be more recent.
One thing I miss is the christmas bottletops with sprigs of holly on that were on bottles of milk!! I expect you still get them but most of us buy our milk from supermarkets these days.
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I remember making the stiffer garlands at school - intertwined loops of different colours, each with the ends glued together.
Also, crepe paper cut into strips and folded together as in squares to make a long ceiling or wall decoration.
CHRISTMAS lanterns .... Polly, I think you will have made these at school too.
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Just a quick Hello, I am enjoying reading all of your comments. They are bringing back so many memories
Thank you all so much. Feeling nostalgic. X
Keep smiling
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