So an older, more firmly established Christmas tradition has been carried out. Several batches of Honey Taffy Popcorn are on their way to far flung places (North Carolina, Utah, and California) as we speak. This is a 4 (possibly 5?) generation family tradition. I grew up anxiously awaiting that magical box of popcorn from my grandma at Christmas time. My dad also grew up awaiting that magical box of popcorn from his grandma at Christmas time. As did my grandma.
I came to be the one to carry on the tradition quiet by accident. When I was in my teens my grandma's posterity got to be too numerous for her to keep fed with popcorn, so she decided to "retire" from the tradition. I didn't want to go through Christmas without it though, so I tried my hand at making some. It took several "dud" batches to get it right (I think I easily made over a dozen that year), and on a whim I decided to ship a box of it to my sister's family in Utah (my only sibling who wasn't living at home at the time), so that she could have it too. After my third Christmas doing this I realized that I had come to fill my grandma's shoes, and I've been doing it ever since.
Last year, however, was when it really "hit home" that I wasn't just "filling in" to make "Grandma's popcorn". When my family all gathered together at my parents' home for Christmas (and my brother's wedding two days later), I had the nice little bonus of not having to run a bunch of boxes to the post-office, as all the recipients were right there in the same house. When my nieces and nephews saw the traditional gallon-size ziploc bags of popcorn stacked on the counter I heard one of them remark: "Oh yay! Aunt Jena's popcorn!"
Whoa.
All of a sudden I felt like I'd sprouted a tweed skirt, blue hair, and horn-rimmed glasses. (not that my grandma wears any of those things!) The next generation of my family wasn't growing up anxiously awaiting the arrival of "Grandma's popcorn".
They were waiting for "Aunt Jena's popcorn".
It was like finding your name mentioned in an as-yet-unwritten history book.
My kids, nieces, and nephews may someday be sitting in a recliner with their own grandkids at their knees, telling them about Aunt Jena's popcorn. I'm a little in awe of that.
I hope they tell them the popcorn was good.
Stumped
1 week ago
Do you scrapbook? Because that along with a picture/recipe for the popcorn would make an awesome page to be read by generations yet to come :)
ReplyDeleteOk. I am having a seriously hormonal/emotional day and this brought tears to my eyes! I am kind of wishing you were Chad's sister instead of cousin so I could get a package in the mail! Keep up the tradition Aunt Jena...what special memories.
ReplyDeleteAndrea: No, I don't scrapbook, but I do print out my blog posts so there are "hard copies" to be read by others at a later date. :)
ReplyDeleteKristen: I wish I wasn't seeing this just now! I could've sent you a box. :) If you have the Lion House Christmas Cookbook there's a recipe for the Honey Taffy Popcorn in there. :) (my aunt works there, and she gave them the recipe)