Quantcast

North Cook News

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Traditions change but the meaning of Christmas stays the same, 44th state rep candidate says

Plasticchristmastree

Holiday celebrations have changed over the years for Katy Dolan Baumer but the meaning of the season has not, she says.

“Traditions changing isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Dolan Baumer told the North Cook News. “It is still in our hearts and we are still here. This is a time for reflection about how you are as a person. Are you true to what you believe in, and are you true to your family? It was always a warm, comforting time.”

She said this is her favorite time of the year.

“I love this time of year. I love the crisp cool air. I love snuggling up with a book and a glass of wine. There is nothing more exciting to me on a cold winter’s day.”

Her most treasured holiday memories involve big family get-togethers.

“We would all get together on Christmas Eve and go to church and come back home and pry into the presents: Do the normal things that kids did.”

Things changed when Dolan Baumer and her siblings grew up.

“As we grew older and all got our own families, we decided to have a theme night for Christmas Eve. So, we would all agree upon a theme. Sometimes it would be a Greek theme. So we would all do Greek dishes and listen to Greek music. Sometimes it was Japanese. My sister married a Japanese man so she brought that influence into our family.

“My mom is a Francophile so she would do a whole French theme. She would do crepes. She would work for hours making crepes. She would make savory crepes and fruit-filled crepes with lots of whip cream, then set (them) out on a table so we could pick whatever we wanted. Those are some of my favorite ones.”

This year will also be different as her mother and mother-in-law are both in care facilities. 

“We are going to spend time with my mom and then we are going to take his mother, who is 93-years-old, we are going to take her for Chinese food. Her choice!”

In the end, Dolan Baumer said it was the meaning of the season that made it special.

“This is a time for people to reassess. It is a new year. A lot of people set their goals for the following year. It is such a good refreshing time.”

Dolan Baumer is running against Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Streamwood) in the 44th District.

ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY

!RECEIVE ALERTS

The next time we write about any of these orgs, we’ll email you a link to the story. You may edit your settings or unsubscribe at any time.
Sign-up

DONATE

Help support the Metric Media Foundation's mission to restore community based news.
Donate

MORE NEWS