By:Brian P. Watson
The couple, who celebrated their 50th anniversary last year, remembers their eight children sitting on the staircase on Christmas morning, angling for a peek under the Christmas tree. "It was like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting," Fran said. "To see their faces as they came down, it was just glorious."
Today, their daughter, Mary, lives right down the block with her family, while their son, Jimmy, lives on Forest Place with his. The other Bingham children live on Long Island, with the exception of son Charlie Jr., who relocated from Rockville Centre to Holmdel, N.J., several years ago.
While the Binghams gather the family together every two to three months for birthdays and anniversaries, Fran said the holidays were the "icing on the cake." The family typically makes the rounds to different houses, this year being no exception, as they gathered at Jimmy's house to celebrate Christmas.
With airports filled and roads crammed, the Binghams, along with several other families in the village, didn't venture far to share good tidings. They had the luxury of having their relatives close by.
Bob and Janet Wiedenhoft spent Christmas day at their Richmond Road home, along with their four children and eight grandchildren.Two of their children still live in the village-son Robert on Wright Road with his wife and three young children, and daughter Jane on Rockwin Road with her husband and child.
The Wiedenhoft's mantle carried 17 stockings, and their house was decorated with nativity scenes, or creches, the couple had collected from their world travels. Janet said the family has creches from Austria, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland, among other far-off places.
Having their children and grandchildren close by-the farthest away are in Connecticut-was a great convenience for the holidays. "It's so wonderful," she said. "Everyone wants to be together."
For Mayor Eugene Murray, Rockville Centre is far more than his place of business-it's a place where he's seen five generations of his family grow. Murray's parents moved to Rockville Centre in 1919, and he still has four siblings living close by. Nineteen of 26 grandchildren live in the village, as do five of eight great-grandchildren. Since moving to a smaller home, Murray and his wife also spend Christmas day going to their children's houses, taking turns each year for dinner.
"It's absolutely great. We get together for all the holidays and birthdays," Murray said. "We're always together, and the grandchildren love it," he said.
Richard and Sue Oppenheimer, of North Forest Road, share the same sentiment. With four generations of their family having graduated from South Side High School, Rockville Centre has a special place in their hearts. They've lived in the village for 48 years, and still enjoy the company of their children, who still live in town.
Bill and Pat Phelan have lived in Rockville Centre for around 40 years. They celebrated Christmas at their daughter Carol's house on Columbia Road, and their son Mike lives on Atkinson Road with his family. Of their 22 grandchildren, the Phelan's have five in Rockville Centre.
With seven children spread out from Boston to Dublin, Ohio, gathering everyone together for the holidays is always a challenge, but Pat said it worked out nicely this year. While not all of them could be home for Christmas day, they all took the time to return to Rockville Centre in the days afterward.
"It's really a great effort on all their part," Pat said. "They were all brought up here, and they know a lot of people here, so it's great. They enjoy being together."
For Fran Bingham, bringing family together was what the holidays were all about. "There's a lot of preparation involved in Christmas. You savor the memories, but bask in the goodness of your kids and their kids," she said. "It's too big for words."
