The Giving Season
LOCAL FAMILIES RECALL FAVORITE GIFTS FROM HOLIDAYS PAST
Written by JENNIFER LONDON | Photographed by JACKIE KENNEDY
Whatever your holiday celebration looks like, it’s bound to have one thing in common with most others: the joy of giving – and receiving – gifts.
Following the lead of three wise kings who traveled to ancient Israel, generations since the birth of Jesus have observed Christmas by exchanging gifts.
Likewise, Jewish celebrants of Hanukkah also give presents during the holiday season, as do various cultures throughout the world, including Hindus who observe Diwali in November.
In Coweta County, families of all shapes and sizes slow down a little this time of year to recall their heritage, to spend quality time with their families, and to express their affection by exchanging gifts.
Here, a few families share memories about the favorite presents they’ve given, or received, at holidays past.
The Lee Family: A family that gives together
Reuben, Madeline, McKenna and Tameka Lee look forward to donning a new pair of matching Christmas pajamas, a special gift the family receives each year.
Tameka and Reuben Lee, owners of TRL Upscale Transportation, moved to Newnan just one year ago with daughters McKenna and Madeline. The busy family cherishes the time they spend with family during the holidays more than anything.
“Reuben’s family is in Mississippi and for the longest they were coming every Christmas, but it’s been every other Christmas since we had the girls,” Tameka says. “The girls like that because I have a smaller family and Reuben has a large family. When I grew up, it was just me and my mom, so I love the fact that the girls get to spend time with family and cousins. It just warms my heart.”
Sentimental traditions abound with the Lees.
“The girls have an opportunity to choose an ornament, like a special glass ornament; that’s a special gift we all receive each year,” says Tameka. “My husband and I have some sports-themed ornaments because I’m a Falcons fan and he’s a Steelers fan.”
The family typically visits Macy’s or Hobby Lobby because of their large selection of holiday decor and ornaments, according to Tameka.
As for the best gifts that are given, the Lee family makes sure those go to families in need.
The family makes a habit of “adopting” a family in need, whether that’s through a local program or if it’s a family they’ve heard about who’s fallen on hard times.
“One year, a young lady I worked with was in a bad accident right before Christmas,” Tameka recalls. “We bought Christmas gifts for her and her four children, with McKenna and Madeline picking out all of the gifts for the children.”
For the Lees, sharing in this way puts the deepest meaning to the season.
The Laboy Family: Puerto Rican traditions promise a sweet taste of Christmas
Luis Laboy helps his wife Becky pour coquito into a decorative bottle for holiday gift giving.
In 2022, Luis and Becky Laboy moved to Newnan from New York City, bringing along Puerto Rican traditions that they love to share with those around them while also incorporating American Christmas customs.
The Laboys put up a Christmas tree, add a manger and wrap presents to put underneath. They believe in Jesus, and they highlight their Puerto Rican traditions so that their children and their children’s children will carry them on.
On January 6, Three Kings Day or Epiphany, the Laboys give their children gifts.
“In our tradition, we get shoe boxes and we ask our children or grandchildren to go out in the field or wherever there may be grass,” says Becky. “They take grass and put it in the box, and they’ll put that underneath their beds on January 5, waiting for the three Magi to come and bring them their gifts.”
The boxed grass represents grass to feed camels that the three kings ride, according to Becky, who says children wake up the next morning on January 6 with presents under their beds where the grass was.
On Christmas day, the Laboys host a breakfast, but their big feast is on Christmas Eve.
“We celebrate more on Christmas Eve because that was the eve of Jesus being born,” says Becky, explaining that’s when most Puerto Rican families hold their big family parties.
Traditional Puerto Rican food and drinks are favorite gifts the Laboys share with friends and family. A week or two before Christmas, the family gets together to make pasteles, which are similar to tamales but wrapped in banana leaves and boiled. The pasteles are often given to family members and friends.
Another homemade gift that Becky loves to hand out every year to friends and coworkers is a Puerto Rican drink called coquito.
“Coquito is a rum punch made with coconut milk, coconut cream, Carnation milk and other things,” she says. “My recipe also has brandy and white Puerto Rican rum. I’ll put it in a pretty bottle and most of the time add a pretty bow or a label.”
She also makes arroz con dulce, a rice pudding made with coconut milk that's often gifted with the coquito.
Sharing their culture with others keeps the traditions alive and also spreads cultural appreciation, according to Becky.
“It is part of our culture,” she says. “I give it to my friends to show my love and gratitude.”
The Archer Family: Remembering the gifts that keep on giving
The Archer parents look forward each year to watching their children unwrap and open Christmas gifts, from left, front: Audrey and Joel. Back: Drew, Lindsey and Celia.
Drew and Lindsey Archer moved to Newnan in 2019 with their twins Celia and Joel, 10, and daughter Audrey, 8. The close knit family could be called the Archer Troupe as they are all performers and singers.
The couple worked around the country performing theater before starting their family. Now, Lindsey co-owns Steppin’ Out Performing Arts, in downtown Newnan, where the children also perform. Both Drew and Lindsey perform in local theater productions.
The Archer family members all agree that the best surprise Christmas gift that showed up at their front door one extremely cold and wintry evening was a cat they adopted and named Artoo. It was their first Christmas in Newnan, and they were coming home from a recital when they spotted the cat outside, as if waiting for them.
“I picked her up, opened the door, put her inside, closed the door, and said, ‘Explore,’” recalls Joel. After searching for the feline’s owner and getting no responses, Lindsey bought a litter box, and the rest is history.
Audrey says the favorite gift she’s ever received was a karaoke machine. Since the Archers are all gifted musical theater performers, they all get a kick out of Audrey’s gift and join with her to sing songs from musicals like “Annie” and “Frozen” or Christmas hymns and jolly songs at the holidays.
As for handmade gifts, Celia is the expert.
“I like to make Christmas cards for people because I like to do crafts, and it’s fun to make Christmas cards,” she says. “I put ‘Happy Christmas’ on the front, and then I write something nice about them and draw a picture. On the next page, I might put something tiny or draw another picture.”
She delivers her handcrafted cards to neighbors, friends at the dance studio, and her teachers. She says her secret ingredient to amazing Christmas cards is glitter.
While celebrating the holidays, Lindsey says her family uses a devotional book by Ann Voskamp that features a Jesse Tree.
“The book opens up to this big cardboard tree, and every day you open a new ornament and put it on the tree,” she says. “We’re Christians, and the devotional points to the birth of Jesus. On days leading up to Christmas, there are ornaments that go along with the story, and then on Christmas, it’s a star.”
The Archers enjoy finding the deeper meaning in the Christmas season, according to Lindsey, who says one of the greatest gifts is simply spending time together as a family.
The Konidala Family: Combining tradition and modernity for Diwali
The Konidala family includes, from left, daughter Asana, mom Bargavi and dad Praveen.
Bargavi Chinthagumpallu and her husband Praveen Konidala live in Newnan with their 11-year-old daughter Asana Konidala. They are Hindu and, as wife Bargavi says, “All of our festivals are around the sun and the moon directions, so anything that we celebrate from July until January is all about the darkness and removing the darkness.”
Their most important holiday is Diwali, also called the Festival of Lights, which falls anywhere from the end of October to the end of November, with dates based on the Indian calendar.
A special Diwali gift that Bargavi remembers and treasures was from her grandfather who gave her a bicycle when she scored good grades on her 10th grade exams. She recalls how she'd long been hoping for a bicycle that she could ride to school.
According to Bargavi, Hindu gifts have traditionally either been practical or given with the idea that they will increase in value. If parents are wealthy, they might buy their children 22k gold jewelry.
“Because of more western influence since globalization started in India in the 1990s, I see toy shops everywhere in India,” says Bargavi. “It’s changing a lot.”
As for her daughter, the special Diwali gift Asana receives each year is a new Salwar suit, a custom-tailored dress she looks forward to getting.
“I get Asana traditional clothes for our traditional festivals,” says her mom. “It’s not like what she wears every day, but when we go to our place of worship or when we celebrate the festivals at home, that's one mandatory thing – that she has to wear the traditional clothes.”
For Diwali, Bargavi begins planning months in advance, ordering fabrics from India and having them custom stitched and shipped here. The colors and patterns are a surprise until Asana receives the gift.
“I like Diwali because it lets us share our culture,” says Asana.
Asana was born in America, so Bargavi and Praveen balance between sharing their traditions and also giving her toys that would be on her wishlist during Christmastime. That way, she can have experiences like her friends here, according to her parents.
Asana says her favorite gift so far has been her hoverboard.
The Moreland Family: The transformative power of thoughtful giving
Darien Moreland holds Love, the rescue cat, while her husband Kenyan, carries Mattea, the couple's bearded dragon. These animals the pair gifted to each other continue to be the gift that keeps on giving.
Newnan Loft residents Kenyan and Darien Moreland have been married almost two years and are the proud parents of Love, a rescue cat, and a bearded dragon named Mattea. They both work at Serenbe, he in landscaping, while she’s an esthetician at the Serenbe spa.
A thoughtful and dedicated gift giver, Darien says there are a few things that she deeply believes in. One is being able to rewrite narratives that may have ended badly – or igniting certain things that may have been dormant in people for a long time – with gifts.
One of the best gift-giving experiences she’s had was with her mom.
“We’re all from Louisiana,” says Darien. “When my mom was younger, her house burned in a fire; they lost everything. She used to tell this story about the toys she had, especially an E.T. toy, this little cassette tape with a book, and a little doll with a lavender dress. She used to tell us that story over and over again.”
Five years ago, on Christmas day, Darien presented her mom with a special present.
“She opens it and sees the doll and starts crying,” Darien says, recalling how she spent four months searching online before locating the special doll on Ebay. “My mom displays the doll in her room, and she’s never told the story again. Somehow, the story about the house burning in the fire has never been repeated because of this one thing that was redeemed later in her life. I love the reality that a gift is with the person in mind and can heal something they may have felt they lost forever.”
Acts of service are Darien’s love language, so gifts for her husband tend to be deeply meaningful.
One year, she researched his dream car and took him to Xtreme Xperience to drive a Lamborghini Huracan.
“I wanted him to be excited obviously, but it was because there’s always something in him that lights up when he talks about this thing,” says Darien. “I wanted him to have one moment that the childhood kid was redeemed and he got to drive a fast car around the track.”
When he recalls the experience, Kenyan smiles and says, “I was actually pretty excited. Early on, I wasn’t the most expressive person because there was still a lot to unpack within myself. I almost couldn’t believe it in a way because I never experienced somebody being that thoughtful to me, for somebody to take the initiative to listen to me without me having to prompt them to listen. It healed something in my heart.”
The holidays are supposed to represent love no matter what you celebrate, according to Darien, particularly the love you have for family, community and connections.
“You would hope that you can love somebody so well that they remember it,” she says. “Life is hard, so to have somebody care about you enough to really think about you is wonderful.”
Darien says the best gift Kenyan gives her are his “thoughtful gestures and paying attention to the things that help without me having to say a word.” NCM
