Seniors Reflect on Their Favorite Christmas Memories from the Past
CALGARY–For Helen Jusic, picking a favourite Christmas memory is no easy task. Her childhood holidays were filled with carols, twinkling lights, and the sound of bells calling people to midnight Mass. One thing she can determine with certainty, though, is the best gift she ever received—an orange.
Jusic, 88, came to Canada 63 years ago from Austria, where she found refuge after escaping from then communist-ruled Croatia. Her childhood was difficult, she says, as her family struggled with unemployment and she began working at the age of 12.
But she has many cherished memories of Christmas.
“Christmas Eve was so happy,” she says. “First praying and then singing Christmas songs.”
It was her mother who gave her the orange for Christmas, as the rare treats were too expensive to ship from other parts of the country. “That was special because we didn’t have that,” she said.
At Jusic’s home, Christmas Eve began with the family gathering by 5 p.m. to offer a prayer, followed by a homemade dinner that often featured blood sausages. The evening unfolded to the sound of carols sung by young boys on the street, and later, the ringing of church bells announcing the midnight service.
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