William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2011-12-01 / 12. szám

Tibor's Take with Tibor Check, Jr.

Karácsony

A time to reminisce

and reflect

WITH EACH PASSING HOLIDAY SEASON, I find myself placing more emphasis on family, beliefs and friends and less on gifts and commercially created pageantry.

And for my family, the kitchen is the focal point for most of our holiday activities. Sure, we have a Christmas tree in each room of the house, but the real feel of our Magyar Christmas is found in the cooking area.

For me, Halloween is the starting point for almost 10 weeks of planning, preparation and family fun; it seems that everyday we are doing something special in regards to Karácsony. It may be the retrieval of our many boxes of Christmas regalia or the plotting of recipes to be used for baking or cooking. By mid-November, several dozen boxes of Christmas Tupperware containers begin to mysteriously migrate from the Cseh basement (for obvious reasons, we have nicknamed our cellar, "the catacombs") to the main floor foyer. My anyam strictly enforces the rule that only she is authorized to look inside each chest that yields our yuletide treasures. During the two-week cycle of container accumulation and accounting, mom slowly designates each particular box to take residence in a certain room. We dare not to even sneak a peek into any plastic storage carton for fear of losing some body part or realignment of an olfactory membrane. She has a sixth sense that tells her if any container has been even slightly tampered with.

I have three personal favorite Christmas trees in my home. The tree that displays all of the handcrafted decorations made by my brother, sister and me is my second most favored. That is followed by our Magyar themed fenyő. But, a tiny 15-inch tall miniature evergreen that originally belonged to my great-grandmother, Mend Kadi Cseh, is by far my favorite.

She brought it over from Csőt, Veszprém, Hungary, in 1913. When I gaze at the tree and the small red berries interspersed among the branches, my mind begins to drift back in time. The tree gives me a soul-searching association to a loved one I never knew; I was born 20 years after her passing. Other than pictures and occasional stories about her from my Aunt Olga or father, any historical link

to her as a forebearer is minimal. For me, this little "Charlie Brown Look-A-Like Tree" is a spiritual connection to her. I feel her presence and love radiate from deep within those tiny green branches. I know it sounds crazy, but it is what I feel whenever I am by it. Ironically, I sense no fright or scary movie sensation, but that of a warm, cuddly inner glow that one has when holding and sipping a rich cup of steamy hot chocolate.

As we enter the week of Thanksgiving, our attention centers upon that fourth Thursday of the month of November. The food preparation for our national day of thanks is a mere warm up for the big holidays of late December and early January. We defy all health warnings and deep fry our turkey. The pies are laden with cream and sweeteners. The health rendőrség must be cringing all the way to Washington, D.C., with the seemingly endless array of fat, salt and cholesterol laden substances that are part of our holiday food menu.

Right around Veteran's Day, my brother Endre II, begins to practice on his cimbalom the Christmas carols and songs that he will play for the various parties and get-togethers during December. The highlight of his holiday playing performance schedule is, of course, Branch 28's Christmas bash. He especially enjoys performing for this event because so many children attend. The natural curiosity of those youngsters make him the cimbalom version of "The Pied Piper." For him, it is also a homecoming of sorts. He meets and plays special requests for many members of the Youngstown Hungarian Club. Irene Nemeth, Dee Gran and Frank Tobias want to hear "Csak Egy Kislány." Another annual tradition is when he plays for Mrs. Goda, " Az A Szep." Twin sisters Margie Dubos and Betty Anzivino join in a Magyar sing-along of “Pásztorok." Endre tries to stump Branch 28 President Steve Novak with a little known song. Mr. Novak can identify and hum along to every song Endre II plays. Last year, my brother learned to play an obscure carol, "Bring the Torch Isabella." He thought for sure he would stump "Uncle Steve" (as Mr. Novak is affectionately referred to by the Cseh children). Before my brother could play more than a few bars of the song, Mr. Novak announced the song's title.

Do you have an interesting Karácsony ritual, cookie or custom that would be neat for me to know about? Possibly in a future Tibor’s Take, I could tell your story. Please let me know about it! Boldog Újévet!

6 0 December 2011 0 William Penn Life