(light music) - [Voice Over] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(music continues) (Christmas music) - [Voice Over] This program is sponsored by Sue and Tim Tewalt.

To support local programming like this, visit wcte.org/donate to become a member.

Or contact Tiffany McDonald at tmcdonald@wcte.org Or contact Tiffany McDonald at tmcdonald@wcte.org for sponsorship opportunities.

(gentle Christmas music) - Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Thank you for joining us for the Spirit of the Holiday Traditions.

I'm your host, Cephas Ablakwa.

This year we're going to focus on the particular efforts of the bell ringer family and how a veteran celebrates Christmas, and lastly, how a catering family celebrates the holidays.

The holiday season would not be complete without a feast.

Let's join the Casey family as they take us behind the scene of the Grade-A Catering during the holiday season.

(laid-back holiday music) - I look forward to 12 o'clock - I look forward to 12 o'clock on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

(laughs) No.

Yeah, we go pretty busy.

We go a pretty good pace.

Pretty busy from three or four weeks out on Thanksgiving and it's a lot going on for those three weeks.

Then we get a little break at Thanksgiving for a few days and get to do some family time stuff.

We have out of town family that comes in and then we have a really hard three or four weeks right before Christmas.

And then we look forward to usually December 22nd, 23rd is about the day we really look forward to.

- The things that I, myself, and my family look forward to around the holidays is to be able to settle down from the family business, take some time together.

We typically leave work, go home, get some rest in the night.

We get up the next morning, it's Christmas Eve, usually cleaning the house up from the chaos of the last month.

The kids typically help me clean the house up and then I send them out the door through the field to their grandmother and grandfather's house to start cooking, and they start making our traditional Christmas Eve meal that we've always shared together.

Our traditions are to prepare a meal on Christmas Eve together.

Slowly, not in a rush.

My son Ben and his grandfather Mike make pasta together and it's delicious, and then my daughters, Julia, the oldest, and Ella is our middle child, They typically get together with their Gigi and they love to make an apple tart.

It's a Barefoot Contessa French apple tart recipe that they've made over the years.

They don't even have to pull out the recipe anymore.

They know it by by heart.

And they really enjoy getting to spend that time baking slowly with their grandmother.

I usually stand in the background and snap pictures of those opportunities that we don't always get to have.

(jazzy holiday music) - After a lot of planning of other people's meals and events through the holidays, we really look forward to spending more time together and not a busy scheduled time.

So that looks like in our family a lot is, as soon as we get everybody else's party out, we usually try to plan overnight or a day in Nashville, kind of doing things off the cuff that we don't do every day, like ice skating or we try to go to a play or music.

My dad was a music major, so we always try to get some, a symphony or a show in to try to do something a little different with our experiences, and just a lot of gifts a lot of times.

Our traditions have changed over the years, of course, as people get older, but also from growing up to passing away, those have changed.

All of our family lives in Alabama.

My folks moved here in the 80s, so when my brother and I were younger, it was driving to Alabama on Christmas day and having breakfast and lunch at Waffle House on our trip or seeing the grandparents and trying to split time in Alabama between two cities.

But as my brother has had kids, we've moved to more having Christmas and Thanksgiving locally and just splitting it between houses here.

And when the kids were little, it was getting up super early, but now that they're all teenage in college, we get a little bit sleep in, so that's nice.

So I'm recently married, about a year and a half, so we've been working on new traditions for ourselves.

And so again, trying to do a trip.

I really enjoy traveling, so trying to go out and do something.

Last year we went to St. Augustine and we were there during the Southwest debacle, so that was kind of funny.

Mom and dad were actually going to meet us down there, but they got stuck in the Southwest breakdown.

But yeah, so for my husband and I, we're really trying to travel a little bit through the holidays to mark that time that we don't have the children to, we try to look for other ways.

(jazzy holiday music) - Around the holidays, we have a lot of just fun time, because it's downtime for us.

So we do a big Christmas Eve service at our church and we all get ready for that, and then we do a family meal.

We usually meet at my parents' house and the kids are excited because they get to open a couple presents that night before Santa comes the next day.

But just the time we get to spend together is probably pretty good because it feels like we're pretty scattered with the month or so leading up to that.

It feels like leading up to it that we've cooked for everybody else and served in a lot of different ways.

So our time together is pretty valuable and pretty treasured just because we have a time that we can teach the kids, I don't know if it's building a legacy, I guess you could say, but we pass down the things that we've done as children and up through adulthood.

- Well, I think that's one of the most important things that families can do is to establish traditions.

When you look in the Bible, at the Jewish traditions, that's how they passed on their culture.

That's how they passed on their beliefs, that's how they passed on a love between them and their children and their grandchildren and on down to generations.

When we came, when we had children and had a family, we decided we wanted to have some traditions that they could remember and that they would enjoy with my parents and Greta's parents, and we all got together at Christmas time.

You know, this is a real busy time in anybody's life, You know, this is a real busy time in anybody's life, and to make time for family is a very important tradition.

We started out probably with going out and getting a Christmas tree.

We had a couple of friends that we met here, Charlie and Fran Hutchinson, and so we would go do things with them and their children.

Our children were all friends, and we even went and cut a Christmas tree off the interstate one time, which I think may be illegal, but we did that at one time.

And then we got down to going to Christmas tree farms and we would all cut our trees and then decorate them together.

And so the symbol of the Christmas tree and the birth of Christ, and we also, almost as soon as we got here, we moved to Cookeville, we started a Christmas tradition at Christmas Eve.

We would have three families, we'd get together, and we would all have a meal together.

The kids would put on a little play together.

We would sing Christmas carols together.

We even went out and caroling together.

'Til even now, that's still a tradition that we follow on Christmas Eve.

- I would say I look forward the most to taking our trip to Nashville.

We always make sure to go ice skating, which is my favorite part.

And we normally make a big competition or game out of it, which is so fun.

- The holidays to me, they're one of my favorite times of the year.

I love it so much, just because around family, around everybody, and just really get to converse with everybody.

- I think the best part of the holidays is after we've fed a lot of people and planned a lot of parties, just being able to look back and being proud of that, but also being able to enjoy the foods that we really like to eat, because we've gotten to try so many different ones.

And then also just spending time, different things outside of work, because we don't always get to do that through the week and through the holidays.

I think what traditions mean in our lives, especially in the holidays, is to make memories.

And the memories are what keep you moving forward in life and things you get to pass down to others is just those memories.

And that's what the traditions bring, is to be able to mark the time with memories through the traditions.

To me, that's what keeps it moving.

- I look forward to being with family around the holidays, because that's one of the few times of the year that we can get together.

And I think it's really important that as parents and grandparents, sometimes we are the ones that have to start this.

You know, we have to be the spark plug to say, "Let's get together."

We think it's important because sometimes as the generations go on down, they might not feel that's important.

But yet I think again, it affirms what we've done when we hear our grandchildren say things that are important.

The Jewish traditions helped to influence the generations The Jewish traditions helped to influence the generations with their religious beliefs and their cultural beliefs.

And it was very important throughout history to have a tradition, to have something that you could hang your hat on as something that you did as a family and maybe nobody else did.

And it became meaningful because it was your family and you could depend upon that.

In a world that's changing so rapidly, some things I think should not really change.

And I think traditions of love and care and acceptance And I think traditions of love and care and acceptance should be part of that.

And I think that's one of the things that our traditions support.

- Imagine spending 80 years with the one you love.

Our next couple, Roy and Miriam Shores, did just that.

Let's go over to their house and see how they celebrate this holiday season.

(jazzy holiday music) - My name is Roy Shores and my wife Miriam.

We got married 79 years ago.

I'm 99, she is 98.

I'm 99, she is 98.

And I got married when I was in the Navy, and we moved down here in Cookville about 1985, and we moved down here in Cookville about 1985, and we like it here.

It's a beautiful town and we love it here.

Before when I was at home growing up, we always had a Christmas tree, of course, and we just went out in the woods and cut a cedar tree down and brought it in and we'd take thread and popcorn and string the popcorn on and ring it around the cedar tree, and that was our decoration.

And of course if we had any presents, I was an only child, so we'd put them under the Christmas tree.

And of course my wife, I think they always had a Christmas tree and they had lights, and they had lights, and I know her mother had a string of all blue lights, and I know her mother had a string of all blue lights, and of course they had presents and then they would have a big dinner after that, and then they would have a big dinner after that, their Christmas dinner.

So that's what they did, and we always had a... My dad did the cooking, he was a cook in the army during World War I, so he would make dinner, so he would make dinner, and that was pretty much what we did.

Well, when we got married, of course I was in the Navy Well, when we got married, of course I was in the Navy and then sometimes I wasn't home at Christmas time, but when I got home out of the Navy, of course they always had a Christmas tree.

We lived with her parents for about a year, and they'd have a Christmas tree, of course, and presents, and then her mother would make a big dinner, pork, dumplings, and sauerkraut.

That was their specialties and it was really great.

And then we built a house in back of them and then we moved back there and we would still go over to her parents' house and we would still go over to her parents' house for Christmas dinner.

So then after we moved down here, our daughter at that time was... She retired and they were moving up, they lived up north of Seattle, Washington, they lived up north of Seattle, Washington, so we're here alone.

So sometimes at that time we would just go out and have dinner, whoever was open at that time.

But anyway, we went out to dinner until they finally moved back here, and now we go up to their house and have dinner with them.

The dinner that her mother made, pork, dumplings, and sauerkraut, and they were bread dumplings.

She would make them about this big around and drop them in boiling water and then you have to had to cut them with a thread, and then she made sauerkraut, put it over that, and then we had the pork and dumplings and sauerkraut and that was a great feast, we really enjoyed that.

We did a few times after we moved down here when Miriam was still cooking, she would make it once in a while, but now she's not able to cook.

So we'll just go over to our daughter's house probably if they're here and have dinner with them at Christmas time.

And if they're not, then we'll just go out and have dinner somewhere.

We had a lot of friends when we were up north, a lot of friends, and we sent out about 150 Christmas cards at Christmas time and we would get in return probably close to 150, but we don't do that anymore.

I'll just send Christmas cards to the immediate family and that's about it.

Miriam used to write a message in each Christmas card.

Miriam used to write a message in each Christmas card.

She can't do that anymore, so I try to write a little something in each card and then of course, sign our name to it.

So that's what we do now.

I don't know of anything I'd like to do differently.

At my age, it doesn't make much difference anymore.

- Let's join Michael Yarbrough as he tells us about his family tradition of bell ringing.

(light-hearted music) - My name is Michael Yarbrough.

Every year my family and I get out and ring the bell for the Cookeville Rescue Mission.

It's a tradition that we do simply because we've learned that we want to give back to the community.

The Rescue Mission matters.

We love Christmas, we love Christmas songs.

It means a lot to be able to give some of what we've received to give some of what we've received back to the world around us.

Well, interestingly enough, I worked for a company that decided to have somebody within the company ring the bell for the Salvation Army one Christmas.

Now this was up in the Nashville market.

Nobody wanted to do it, so I said I would be happy to do it.

And as it just so happens, not only do I love Christmas, I love singing Christmas songs.

So I stood out there and I rang the bell and sang Christmas songs all day long.

Found out, not only did I love it, the people walking by loved it.

And when you can touch people with a little bit of Christmas spirit and holiday spirit, it makes a difference.

Oh, I've been doing it for about 15 years now, maybe getting close to 20.

I remember one year I was set up in front of Walmart down here on Jefferson Avenue, and I was ringing the bell and singing Christmas songs, and there was these two little girls, probably about nine years old, maybe ten years old, that came across the parking lot with their mother.

And they were fascinated to see me out there ringing the bell and singing Christmas songs at the top of my voice.

They came running up asking, "What is this?

What are you doing?"

Now, my first reaction is, "What do you mean what am I doing?"

We've been doing bell ringing in Cookville for 30+ years, how could you not know what's going on?

But instead, I explained to them what I was doing and why I was there and who I was representing.

The very next weekend I happened to be in front of Walmart again, ringing the bell.

Those same two girls came up running across the parking lot, carrying a jar full of money that they started pouring into the bucket.

And they said, "We went home and we sold cookies and lemonade and everything out of the corner of our street to raise money just to bring and put it in the bucket.

We're so glad you're here."

If that is not heartwarming and touching, and how that impacts not just me as a ringer, but the people in the community, the youth that become interested in caring.

the youth that become interested in caring.

I added singing to bell ringing, I added singing to bell ringing, because I love Christmas songs and I just sing with them.

I'll put them on in the car and sing Christmas songs.

I love the old crooners, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and I'll just sing along with them.

And so I just decided to start doing it while I was ringing the bell, and it became very natural to me.

I really don't care what most people think about me, so I don't get a lot of stage fright from it.

I know where my value comes from and I'm just out there trying to make people happy.

We all get together and get out when we can.

My daughters are young enough that my youngest, she can ring for about a half hour, 45 minutes before she kind of gets the wiggles and gives out.

My older daughter now rings with me for maybe an hour, a little bit longer, before she gets the wiggles and kind of gives out.

My wife will stand there the whole time with me, and we love to do it together when we can.

And if we can't, we go bits and pieces, and it means a lot to me and to us.

It's something that my grandmother taught me initially.

It has to do with the value of traditions.

They matter.

And then my mother taught me something else very important about traditions and that is, they don't just happen.

You have to choose to make them happen every year.

Now, I'm not just going to suddenly, "Oh, it's Christmas time, let's ring the bell."

You think about it, you plan for it, you schedule it, you make time to make it happen.

My daughters love bell ringing with me.

It's one of the things they look forward to the most.

Oh, this is one of our favorite family traditions at Christmas time now, we look forward to bell ringing season.

When we are coming home from vacation at fall break with the girls, I put Christmas CDs in the CD player and we start singing and practicing our Christmas songs on the way home.

So late September, early October, we're already planning.

The typical bell ringing rotation starts out with, you sign up for a two hour shift.

The Rescue Mission sets everything up at the bell ringing station for you.

They drop it off in the morning, pick it up in the evening.

They'll come by partway through the day to collect money to make sure that the bucket stays empty.

And then you just show up ready to ring the bell and say, "Merry Christmas.

God bless you."

You know, greet people, talk to people.

People want to stop and talk to you sometimes.

I've had people come up and tell me, "The Rescue Mission really helped me.

They were there when I needed them a few years back.

I always give when I walk by, even when I don't have anything but a dollar in my pocket."

And you just stand there for two hours and do that.

I've had people walk up and ask if they can pray with me.

I've had people ask me if I can pray with them.

You encounter real life for two hours, You encounter real life for two hours, and then you can go home and rest.

You don't have to dress up or sing.

I wear a Christmas hat.

Most people will wear something that looks at least a little bit Christmas-y, whether it's a Christmas hat, antlers, whatever it is, dress up in some kind of Christmas-looking clothes.

You don't have to sing, you don't have to perform or do anything like that.

Most people just stand there and be friendly.

Be welcoming and greeting, share some Christmas spirit with people walking by.

Other than that, singing is me.

I do it because I like doing it.

I've got several friends now that actually get out there and sing as well, but it's not a requirement at all.

The Cookeville Rescue Mission is very important to the community, and not just the community.

A lot of people don't realize that they service the entire Upper Cumberland region.

You would be surprised how many people need assistance or a place to stay during the course of the year.

They'll have as many as 2,500 different individuals They'll have as many as 2,500 different individuals that will spend time at the Rescue Mission over the course of a year.

Average stay is about 11 days.

They'll serve 43,000 plus meals over the course of the year.

A lot of people don't see the homeless or the people that are struggling, but they're here, and the Rescue Mission has served them for many years and they do a good job.

So I'm very happy to help them support that.

And the bell ringing and individual giving like this is their primary fundraiser.

They're not funded by the government at all.

They're completely self-funded one way or another.

A lot of people will come up and ask me questions like, "What does the Rescue Mission do?

Where does the money go?

Is this local?"

You can contact the Rescue Mission directly.

There's the HopeRingsOut.org website that they can go to to sign up to ring the bell online.

Then you always get other strange questions like, "What do you do when it rains?

What do you do when it's cold?"

Well, you stand out here and freeze.

You stand out here and get wet.

It is what it is.

The bell ringing itself in the community, first thing it does, especially during the holiday season, is it draws awareness to the people that are not fortunate enough that are not fortunate enough to have the Christmases that many of us have.

And that's important year-round, but especially in the holiday season, it really draws that attention.

It also helps people realize that I can give a few cents.

It also helps people realize that I can give a few cents.

Pennies add up, and it makes a difference in somebody's life.

People will realize how easy it is to get out and serve others.

to get out and serve others.

Two hours ringing the bell is not very difficult, and so that that willingness to serve and so that that willingness to serve and to learn how easy it is and what a blessing it is when suddenly I'm giving back some of what I have, even if it's just two hours of my time, makes a difference in a community.

In a time in our culture where volunteerism is diminishing dramatically, it reminds people how good it feels it reminds people how good it feels to care about other people.

(jazzy holiday music) - On behalf of WCTE, PBS, and myself, thank you so much for watching.

We hope you enjoyed the show.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone.

(heartfelt music) - [Voice Over] This program is sponsored by Sue and Tim Tewalt.

To support local programming like this, visit wcte.org/donate to become a member.

Or contact Tiffany McDonald at tmcdonald@wcte.org Or contact Tiffany McDonald at tmcdonald@wcte.org for sponsorship opportunities.

- [Voice Over] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.