Printed in the Daily Herald
December 24, 2011
As many people do, our family has strong traditions when we gather on Christmas Eve, including a nice dinner, reading the Christmas story from the Bible and opening one gift. But we also have two other activities that have long been an important part of our celebration on the night before Christmas.
Following dinner, our family gathering, which includes as many extended family members as can come, begins with the procession of St. Lucia (Sankta Lucia), following the Swedish tradition of the queen of light and her attendants (our children). They enter the darkened room holding their lit candles. Usually it is the oldest daughter who leads the procession, wearing a crown of candles. While entering, they sing the Sankta Lucia song in Swedish, and then each child takes a turn leading those gathered in singing a Christmas carol of his or her choice. We are reminded that the candlelight represents the light of the Lord coming to the world.
This ceremony sets the tone for reading from the scriptures about the Savior’s birth. We all take turns reading the various passages that tell of that great event we are celebrating.
Then comes a family favorite: the reading (in readers-theater style) of “Christmas in the Coop,” a fun and hilarious Christmas story set in a chicken coop. It was written nearly 40 years ago by my now-deceased brother Stan. The stars of the story are the barnyard animals that our family had while we were growing up in Colorado.
Led by Henrietta Peckley, the Grande Madame of the Hen and Rooster Society, the animals prepare for and celebrate Christmas Eve in their idea of the human fashion. Characters include a gaggle of chickens, Bradley Bull the Third, the rabbits Mr. and Mrs. Brown, and Chips the dumb dog. We have a blast acting out the characterizations — everyone gets involved. The story ends with the Humans (our family) peering into the barnyard coop on Christmas morning, watching the animals waking to their Christmas morning surprises. Mrs. Human says, “I hope they like our gifts.”
Reading “Christmas in the Coop” has become a great way to include and remember those who have left us — my brother and more recently my mother, who for years read as narrator and the role of Mrs. Human in the story.
I can’t imagine a Christmas Eve without the candles and the chickens.
— Ken R. Young, 52, Cedar Hills
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