Elected officials are always on the go with ceremonies, awards, meetings and paperwork, but Southern Maryland mayors Dan Burris of Leonardtown, Mike Benton of North Beach, Jeannine James of La Plata, Brandon Paulin of Indian Head and Pat ‘Irish’ Mahoney of Chesapeake Beach shared a few recollections on Christmases past.
“We would have a traditional dinner with large family. We had a house full [of people] and it was always bustling,” James said in a recent telephone interview from Hawaii. “We may not have had all of the latest things, but we never lacked for anything.”
“There was always a big party at our house with a lot of cheer and laughter and food,” said Mahoney, who grew up in north Philadelphia. “It was tons of fun and a lot of memories.”
Benton begged for BB gun
Benton, who was raised by his grandmother Dorothy “Dot” Haydon, said she transformed the house during the holidays.
“Every knickknack and anything on the walls was taken down and replaced so everything was 100% Christmas,” said Benton, who has been mayor of North Beach for the last five years. “I was with the queen bee of Santa’s workshop.”
Benton said he recalled that one year when he was about 9, he desperately wanted a Red Ryder BB gun.
“I received a box that looked like [it would be it] and when I opened it there was a pogo stick,” he said. “It was devastating.”
Benton added that while times were tough, his grandmother made sure to share the wealth.
“We were poor, but holiday dinners were big,” he said. “She would prepare a feast and give food to the needy. We could be struggling, but she would always give food to others. Nothing ever, absolutely nothing ever, was about her.”
Burris gets his bicycle
Burris and his family attended Christmas Eve Mass and then he and his wife Donna allowed their two daughters to open one gift each, which coincidentally were their pajamas for the night. The couple has continued the tradition with their grandchildren.
When he was 7, Burris said he received a coveted black bicycle — “That was a good memory” — and it was tradition for the family to spend most of Christmas weekend at relatives’ homes.
“Every Christmas was good,” said Burris, who has been making and cooking sausage each Christmas morning for the past 35 years. “I don’t remember any bad Christmas.”
For James, a hall of a wait
James and her sisters, Cheryl, Valerie, Debra and Denise, were allowed to open one gift Christmas Eve.
“We may have gotten a scolding or two when we were trying to peek,” she said, “because there might have been a finger poked into one or two [gifts].”
Living in Milford, N.H., the family would chop down its own Christmas tree.
“As a parent now I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re herding five girls who complain about the cold and trying to get the perfect tree with an axe,” she said.
James remembers one Christmas Eve when she thought the family home was under attack.
“I remember we heard this sound like [something falling out of the sky and crashing],” she said while making exploding sounds. “But it turned out the adults were testing the batteries by playing Battleship.”
The sisters would chew each other out if one slept past 6 a.m., but wanting more sleep, parents Joe and Jane Beaudoin would “mess with their alarm clocks.” At 8 a.m. they were herded into the hallway and lined up youngest to eldest before heading into the living room and seeing the gifts and stockings, which started a tradition.
“Our kids are 22, 24 and 28 and they still cannot go into the living room” until the proper time, she said.
But five girls anxious to see their gifts can be innovative.
“We were very creative and we always had to ‘go to the bathroom,’” she said, adding that allowed a better view of the tree and gifts, though her parents countered this by hanging a sheet across the hall.
One other tradition that has been passed on through the years is that for the past 59 Christmas Eves “The Night Before Christmas” is read. This year her parents will be on a cruise but have already videotaped a reading of the book for their five daughters, 17 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The mischievous Mahoney
Mahoney, who has been mayor of Chesapeake Beach for the past six years, said his father Bill and mother Babe “always made Christmas magical.”
Mahoney himself, sometimes, made Christmas mischievous instead of magical. One year he hid his sister’s gifts and thinking she hadn’t gotten as many as her other siblings, ran upstairs. But it also went both ways; one year his brother gifted him a coloring book with the pictures already colored in, and one time Babe snuck coal into his stocking.
“I just ran back upstairs and got back into bed thinking it was a bad dream,” Mahoney said. “When I got back downstairs they were all laughing at me.”
He said his favorite gift came in 1962 when he received a set of bongo drums.
“That was all the rage when Cuban music was introduced and I banged that damn thing until eternity,” he said. “My dad didn’t like them so much because they made a lot of noise, and I think he’s the one who hid them.”
Regardless, Mahoney said his mother “always guaranteed we had a special, wonderful Christmas no matter what was going on in her life. It’s the favorite holiday for everyone in my family.”
Paulin boys ‘raced for hours’
Four boys meant a veritable free-for-all in the Paulin household.
“We would run upstairs to see all the presents laid out and mom would always make cinnamon rolls or pecan rolls and we’d basically fight over the rolls and then fight to be the first to open a present,” said the 27-year-old mayor. “Then we’d go outside and play with all of our stuff for the next two days.”
One year Paulin and his brothers, Jonathan, Brian and Hunter, each received go-karts “and instantly it was, ‘Whose go-kart can go faster?’ So we raced around for hours.”
There would also be a Christmas Day trip to see their grandmother, who one year decided to add Maryland stuffed ham to the holiday menu.
“We’re like, ‘Yeah, this is all we want to eat,’” the Indian Head mayor said.
But one year there was mystery and intrigue when Jonathan Paulin received a new skateboard ramp in his mid-teens.
“My mom said, ‘Don’t hurt yourself’ and what was the first thing he did? He flew off that ramp,” Brandon Paulin said. “Later we learned his ankle was broken, but he tried to hide it from my parents for the rest of the day because he was terrified.”
Paulin said holidays are a time to cherish togetherness with family and friends.
“If the last few years have taught us anything it’s that we should cherish the time we have together with the people we care about,” he said. “I wish everyone a happy holiday season. It’s a special time of year so enjoy it.”
Twitter: @MichaelSoMdNews
