Christmas for LaShondra Hayes and Terry Calloway’s family includes many of the elements of a traditional celebration — a big dinner with family, honoring the birth of Jesus Christ, some gifts from Santa — but with their own twist.
When LaShondra walks into Uncle Antoine’s house in Skyway on Christmas Eve, “I smell the gumbo,” she said, and she knows it’s the holidays.
Terry’s uncle Antoine Calloway cooks up a big batch of the seafood stew for roughly 30 friends and family, including LaShondra and Terry’s 3-year-old son, Tre, and his six cousins.
“We look forward to some good food and all the kids are there,” said LaShondra, who lives in Seattle. “We just enjoy each other’s time and company.”
But for Antoine, Christmas Eve is a dinner-and-a-show sort of production, so after everyone has tucked into their gumbo, the chef slips away. The next thing the kids know, a decked-out Santa is knocking on the door with a sack of toys and big ho-ho-ho.
Two years ago, Santa was an unwelcome surprise for the 1-year-old Tre. “He just screamed bloody murder,” LaShondra said. Last year went more smoothly, and this year an older, wiser Tre is certain to give Saint Nick a warm reception.
“He is in love with Christmas and the whole Santa Claus thing,” she said.
