One of the beauties of Christmas is that it inspires thoughts about family and friends who once shared the season with us and filled our hearts with warm memories. We fondly remember our family traditions. We’re touched by keepsakes of ornaments handed down to us and now displayed with great joy.
Here’s one of my memories as a young girl. We lived on a dirt road, in an old house that only had a coal stove for heat. Sometimes in stormy weather the windows would rattle as the cold air made its way through the house. My dad would put plastic sheets over the windows to help keep his little flock a bit warmer, and mom would keep the oven going making Christmas cookies and steamy soup. My sisters and I would dream of Christmas morning as we strung some popcorn to hang on the tree. We always had a fresh cut tree that dad dragged in from the woods right next to our house. It smelled like evergreen goodness for weeks.
I remember one year when we’d had a lot of snow, and it was difficult to get a car up the hill we lived on. As a six-year-old, I worried about whether Santa could even manage to get to our house. After all, I wasn’t even sure he knew where we lived. I kept my worries to myself, while mom continued to bake red and white candy cane cookies, and chocolate fudge. She was particularly good at making fudge. My sisters and I all sang in the choir at the church and often had to walk down the hill to get there. I just remember my older sister doing her best to keep me warm as I trudged along, quite sure we’d all freeze to death.
When the big day finally came, it wasn’t the kids who jumped up in the early morning, scrambling to get to the Christmas tree. It was mom! She couldn’t wait to start Christmas because she was so excited about what she knew was under the tree. Wrapped in our big blankets, we’d head to the tree and wait with anticipation. We did our stockings first. There was always an orange, and some candy, and usually a new color book and crayons. There might even be an extra surprise or two. When the stockings were done, mom would hand out the first gift and off we’d go…new pajamas, check! New slippers, good! It was generally the time of year when we got a few very practical socks and underwear kinds of things. But then, it wasn’t over! At last, the present that had excited my mother enough that she couldn’t wait till morning. It was a new record player! It was given to my sister Donna, but it was a gift for all of us. We put on some music and danced around the living room. It was a moment that made my mother smile in ways I had rarely seen.
As it turned out the snow was so deep, my aunt and uncle couldn’t get their car up our hill to come to dinner, but that didn’t stop them. They crunched through the deep snow, bearing new baby dolls for little girls and frilly purses to delight us. Despite the snow, it was one of our warmest Christmas’s ever!
That sweet memory blesses my life every Christmas. May God bless you as you unwrap some memories of your own this year!
Joy to the world!