Whether it’s the memory of receiving the first present each year because they were the youngest child, or of being the oldest sibling and enjoying watching the younger one’s sheer delight on the morning of Dec. 25, the positive memories of Christmases past are seared into the minds of Hudson County residents.
For Anita Detto of Bayonne, it was about the gathering of family, and what it meant for her as a young child.
“One of my best memories is coming home from Midnight Mass and finding my family, aunts and uncles, and close family friends gathered at my house,” Detto said. “We were all together as a family, and it was wonderful.”
Her doting mother, who made sure all guests’ coffee cups were never empty, had also been busy cooking up a storm of culinary delights, including seven types of fish, from clams to calamari.
But the holiday was even more special for Detto because, being the youngest of four siblings, she received one gift before everyone else received theirs on Christmas Day.
“I got my special gift because I was the baby,” Detto said. “My best Christmas gift was my dollhouse, when I was about 5 years old.”
So special, in fact, that she still has the three-foot-wide dollhouse decades later.
For Tina Fiore, also of Bayonne, it was also about family and a special gift. Fiore was pregnant with her daughter Camille when her late husband gave her her first piece of jewelry other than her engagement ring and wedding band. The bracelet, with a charm of Santa by a fireplace, was not what she was expecting.
“It was something that I had never received,” Fiore said. “I had no jewelry except for the wedding items. I was never a jewelry person, but then I was after that.”
For Ashley Laureano, 18, of West New York, her best Christmas memories are not about any gift she received.
“It’s about being gathered around the tree with my family, making Christmas dinner in the morning, and watching this beautiful baby face wanting to open her gifts,” Laureano said of her four-year-old sister Khloe, who she held in her arms while being interviewed.
Fun times with cousins eating and playing games were also high on her memory list.
For Miguel Torres of Weehawken, his best memories of Christmas are the family reunions held when possible.
With relatives in Hudson County, New York City, and Florida, the gatherings are magical when they can be planned.
“It’s all about family,” Torres said. “It’s eating, talking, and listening to all kinds of music.”
Tangos also became part of the fun.
Rocio Perez of Union City, 16, echoed the fun-with-family theme.
“It’s going outside, playing around, and hanging around with family,” she said. “We have more time together.”
“It was something that I had never received.” – Tina Fiore
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For Hector Gutierrez of North Bergen, it’s also about relatives.
“We love the time with family; family and friends,” he said. “We eat, dance, and have a happy time. Then we exchange gifts.”
Special gifts were also the memory of fellow North Bergenite Annette Gonzalez, who remembers one she received when a young child.
“I loved toys when I was little,” Gonzalez said. “When I was 9 years old, I received a train set. It was a great train set for me and my brother, something we both liked.”
For Wemceslao Mella of West New York, who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 2013, his best Christmas memory was an easy pick.
“I’m happy I’m here,” he said. “This was the Christmas I’ve liked out of any place I’ve lived.”
Mella said he and his wife are especially happy to see how Christmas is celebrated in the United States with holiday lights and other decorations.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.