Letter To The Editor: Alton Family’s Open House Christmas Breakfast Celebrates 70 Years
After seven decades of hosting Christmas morning breakfasts, the Guccione family announces the final gathering in 2025 with heartfelt thanks to attendees.
Letter To The Editor:
Seventy years ago, after Christmas morning mass, Mrs. Betty (Vincent) Guccione noticed two men mulling around the church. She approached them, asking their plans for Christmas day.
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When they both stated they had no plans, she invited them back to her house to have breakfast with her family. This act of kindness started a yearly tradition of Christmas breakfast at the Guccione residence. Over the years, as children came along, and more friends were invited, the number of people at this event grew. Rather than a set time to have breakfast, it became an open house, starting around 9 a.m. and finishing when the last guests had left, usually around 2 p.m. When the Guccione family moved across town, to a bigger house, the numbers continued to grow and invitations were impossible to keep up with, so it was stated that if you were invited once, you were always welcome.
If you had no plans for Christmas morning, you could always have breakfast with the Gucciones.
When Betty passed away, the Guccione family continued the tradition which grew every year. It was estimated that some years over 80 people attended, each leaving with wishes for a Merry Christmas and a full stomach.
In 1998, the Guccione family home was purchased by daughter Lillian and her husband, Corey Bates. Vincent continued to live with them and Christmas breakfast continued with him making eggs to order, while all around biscuits, ham, Italian sausage, roasted potatoes, sausage gravy and coffee were prepared. Along with the main courses a large assortment of cookies, cakes, pies, pastries and other desserts were also available. 2001 saw Vincent stepping aside as “egg chef” to spend more time visiting with his guests and upon his passing in January of 2003, the Christmas breakfast mantel was assumed by Corey and Lillian.
We continued this tradition as a celebration to the birth of our Lord and Savior and also felt it was important to our family. Over the last 22 years, the attendance numbers have gone up and down, with COVID being our lowest ever. However, this year, it was agreed that the course has been run.
Children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have grown and established their own families and traditions, so it was decided, with some sadness, that 2025 would be the last and it was a grand send off.
The estimated attendance was between 40 and 50 people and estimated food prepared was: 5 dozen eggs, 12 lbs Italian sausage, 9 lbs ham, 15 lbs roasted potatoes, 64 biscuits, 2 gallons sausage gravy, 3 gallons of orange juice, 55 cups of coffee, plus all of the aforementioned desserts.
Thank you cards were given to all those in attendance in appreciation of the years of support and as a memento of this last breakfast.
We want to thank all of those who have contributed to this celebration over the last 70 years and to wish all a Merry Christmas, and that the spirit of Christ will be in their hearts forever.
Sincerely,
Dr. Corey and Lillian (Guccione) Bates
Alton, Illinois
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