Each family has them and no time throughout the year is filled with more traditions than Christmas.

Delores Clinton's Christmas season begins the day after Thanksgiving, when she puts up her tree with her little helpers.

"It's a delight to have your grandchildren helping," Clinton said. "The two-year-old, she was so excited about putting the balls on the tree. 'Let me do it, let me do it!' That's such a joy, especially this time of year."

Brandishing the big title of assistant solicitor of the First Circuit, Glenn Justis admits he's still a kid who is just as excited as Clinton's grandchildren when it comes to Christmas.

Justis said his family put their tree up only a couple of days before Christmas Day.

"We'd go to church for Christmas Eve services, then we'd go to bed at like 7 o'clock," Justis said. "When we got up in the morning, the tree would be all decorated and the presents all around it."

Rumor has it that Santa leaves lumps of coal for children who have been more naughty than nice, a rumor Justis said he can attest to having received a few lumps himself. He explains it was just a reminder that there might have been a few blemishes on an otherwise sterling record throughout the year.

And speaking of Santa, millions of letters arrived at the North Pole in keeping with the tradition of writing letters to Santa Claus.

There are ways to avoid a stocking full of coal, says Carlen Chapman, a second-grader at Sheridan Elementary School. When you're writing your letter to Santa, you have to get in on his good side.

"First, you ask a couple of questions to see how he's doing, then you ask him what he wants you to leave out for him," the eight-year-old Chapman said. "Then you just put your name, and draw Santa a picture."

As a small lad, Justis said his mom would always place a small, foot-tall elf figure on top of their refrigerator. It was the elf's job during the month of December to keep Santa informed as to the naughty and nice status of the now-attorney and his siblings.

"One year, we thought of kidnapping him," Justis said of the elf. "We thought of all kinds of things to get him down from there."

Justis said these days, his mom travels from her home in New Jersey to spend Christmas with his family. Is she bringing the elf?

"I sure hope not!" the 39-year-old Justis said.

As the countdown to Christmas grows shorter, as good little boys and good little girls are writing their letters and drawing their pictures, the adults are out following the traditions set forth by the kings and wise men who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus.

And while it may be easy to shop for a baby king, some say it's becoming tradition for the Christmas shopping to become a bit stressful.

"We're still shopping for mom today," Wendy Williams said Christmas Eve. "I can buy her clothes, I know her tastes."

If it came down to the wire for you, as it did for Williams and her father, Wayne Saylor, there's always the pattern of gift selection as set down by the wise men.

"Cash works really well," Saylor said.

Charlene Coppage of Orangeburg said her family's tradition is to have a gathering at her aunt's home to exchange gifts.

Similarly, Karen Sanders' family gathers on Christmas Eve, but their tradition is to sing Christmas carols, a family favorite being "The 12 Days of Christmas."

"And they can never remember all of the words!" the Denmark woman said, laughing at the recollection. "One year, my mom brought a scroll, and they still couldn't get the words! It was hilarious."

In years past, as darkness closed in on Christmas Eve Day, the oven began to glow red in Saundra Shuler's home as she and her mom and siblings began making sugar cookies in the shape of stars, angels and reindeer in preparation for Santa's arrival later that evening.

"And we would peep and peep and peep until we were so exhausted we'd fall asleep," Shuler said. "And you would know he had been there with that bitten-off cookie."

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516.

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