Nostalgia

Remembering Svetlana Bodim's book in Nostalgia, I can't help but thinking how my perception of Xmas has changed through the years. I have made peace with the fact that what I took for granted as a kid, will never be repeated, like the family's Xmas celebration at my great-aunt's with the whole clan of Costa Redondos and Quaresmas reunited under the same ancestral roof. I recall with great detail certain aspects of those days together of celebration like the food, the games, the songs, the gift exchange, the might winter cold, and other less noticeable aspects like how three generations dealt so expertly with each other, the intense feeling of belonging, how young every was, how any one, kids and grown ups alike, would spend hours around the table just talking, singing, and having fun together, the magisterial climbing to the castle, a necessary pilgrimage for us kids, the warmth of the food, the wine, the singing and laughing together, the deep shared silences when my great-grandfather recalled the war and the losses of lives, got mad at "bastards" like Salazar or Franco, and gave thanks for our good fortune as a family, the fact that no one was the spotlight, but every body mattered in equal fashion... And by rereading Bodim, I was hoping I can't do something productive with this kind, my kind of nostalgia. I often worry that my own son here in the US will never get to experience any thing similar to my cherished Xmas memories. For one thing, there aren't just enough of us on this side of Atlantic to recreate any thing similar. The food is not the same and the smells neither. The language is radical different and due to the commercial diligence of our publicity, I can't stand Bill Crosby singing about Xmas anymore! I miss the sweet plenitude if my mother tongue with its nasal sounds and easy rhymes. English is just too harsh for the same effect. So what should I do to all of my nostalgia to make it productive and to transform it into a long-lasting memory that will also be part of my child's Xmas memories? Any suggestion will be very welcome.