Your favorite Christmas memory

Krispy, you do know how to egg one on, don't you! But before I begin, I will have to say your story is precious, like the southerners say...I love it!

Christmas has always meant a lot to me from as far back as I remember and am now 61 years old - no big feat, just a fact of life.

Come Christmas our extended families of grandparents, and all their descendants met for a meal, and gifts' exchange. There was always plenty of candy. One dessert my grandmother made that was so good was tapioca pudding. And another memory I treasure is of grandma sitting in the living room with a large dishpan with red delicious apples and peeling them for anyone who wanted a slice. As the afternoon wore on we children would go outside to play 'fox and geese' in the snow.

This is a glimpse of the precious heritage that is mine pertaining to Christmas. And so the tradition of families getting together, sharing gifts has been passed on to the succeeding generations.

Now for a real special story - I have said this before and I suppose this is what Krispy wants me to share?

Christmas always meant family get-together where gifts where shared, delicious food prepared by all the women, and lots of fun and laughter. The guys will even buy lots of fireworks and shoot them off after dark (a southern tradition, BTW). Everyone enjoyed these fireworks except Mom. But this one year, I was in no festive mood: Regina is no longer with us and I grieved, knowing it will never again happen. In fact I was depressed; I missed Gina (I used to call her Ginnyrose sometimes because her name was Regina Rose). She was a lot of fun and everyone loved her.

It was after dinner, we had all gathered around in the large living room to distribute the gifts. I was sitting on the floor next to the pile of gifts because all the seats were full and I am comfortable sitting cross legged. Gifts were passed out and opened. Then my sister Helen gave me a package wrapped in plain white, glossy paper. It looked a little odd but she gave it to me and said this is for you. All eyes were on me as I unwrapped this package. There in that box were a stack of embroidered quilt blocks, all done for me by friends and kinfolks. I looked at this stack of quilt blocks and asked "is this for me?" Helen said "yes". Wow!

(Now let me explain what this gift is: you give a person a blank fabric square and ask her to embroider something on it and then these blocks are collected and sewn together with sashing and then quilted. It is called a friendship quilt. All are original - no two alike. And they are beautiful.)

Helen told me Regina (our daughter) had started this project for our 25th wedding anniversary but never finished it because she got sick and then died on Jan. 14, 1996. So after she died her mother-in-law was going through her things and found this uncompleted project and gave it to my sister and told her to finish it. Now here we are and I have this stack of embroidered quilt blocks that I had to sew together to make a quilt.

A few days later I was going through this box of blocks, admiring each one, feeling so humbled that ALL these people took so much of their personal time to embroider a block just [i]for me![/i] And then something happened, it was so precious...I felt a divine love come over me, it started at my head and flowed through my whole body. I felt so loved and I knew this came from God. It was an affirmation to me that even though He took our only daughter he still loved me! And I have never questioned his taking her from us since then.

Now, ain't God good?!!

Have a blessed Holy Day come December 25!

ginnyrose aka Sandra

Just a few more memories - nothing awesome, perhaps, but it is the small routine things that now in hindsight provides one with blessed memories.

Since I was fourteen years old, I have gone Christmas Caroling. This was always fun as a teen and I never did lose my sense of delight in participating.

In the 60s our youth group always went caroling. Since we were all farm kids, someone had a dad who owned a bob-truck. This truck bed was covered with tarp, and hay bales were placed around the perimeter of the bed. A small light was placed in the corner. It was into this truck bed we climbed and is how we were transported from place to place. It was fun, even if it was cold. Youth today would find this mode of transportation very primitive and amusing. Some of the mystique is lost in traveling in warm vehicles.

At school, there were always the Christmas programs with a lot of memorizing and this was good for us. One thing so very meaningful for this little girl was to hear the "Hallelujah Chorus" being sung by the high school choir. I fell in love with that music then and never have lost my sense of awe of its beauty.

One year I learned how to [i]not[/i] give a gift. In school we would exchange names and then you would give this person a gift at the Christmas party. Well, when I was in the third grade one of the fourth grade boys got a huge pile of gaily wrapped gifts. He was so full of pleasure and delight in seeing all these gifts he fairly danced in his seat in anticipation of opening these gifts. Why, he had more then anyone - he must have been very popular! or so he felt and those of us looking on thought so. But you know what? All but one or two of these gifts were gag gifts - one had a brick, if I recall...He took this all in good humor - laughed about it, but I was shocked that anyone would be so mean. It appeared that this was planned by his fellow classmates.

Today, our church group still goes Christmas caroling - everyone who can walk goes. And we travel in [i]warm[/i] vehicles. After singing, we would give them gifts of food like a fruit plate. We have in the past participated in other programs were gifts were given to inmates' children. This was halted when their response was one of disgust, rejection of gifts shared. (They were expecting expensive gifts!) Last year our church made gift bags for inmates at a state penitentiary.

As a church we try to spread cheer to folks in our community, especially to the old and those who are house-bound. It truly is a blessed time when we can remind our neighbors that Jesus is the reason for the season and not Santa Claus.

ginnyrose

I type this with tears rolling down my face from both of your stories. Thank you so much for sharing them! What a blessing to have such memories. =0)

None of my memories come even remotely close to either of those. I was going to say my best memories were those when my dad wasn't home and it was just my mom and myself at home decorating the tree, singing Christmas carols and me dancing around the living room with garland flowing around my neck. I didn't grow up in a Christian home and so Christmas always just meant "how many gifts will I get this year". I've only been a Christian for about 3 years and now this time of year has a totally different feel for me. Even though I cherish the dancing and singing in the living room with mom, Christmas now has meaning and comes with a hope that my life never had before.

Thank You Jesus! =0)

As I reflected upon my memories of "Christmas" I became depressed because I could not come up with a "happy" one. My parents divorced when I was in kindergarten so all of my "Christmas" holidays were pretty much a war zone.

When I brought this before the Lord, He blessed me greatly with memories of coming unto Him. How the blueness of the sky filled my heart. Of His breath upon the grass - wave after wave rolling forth bringing great delight to my soul. Of walking along the river with my old dog while listening to His Word. Of His beautiful light shining through the trees, reflecting off of this surface, and that surface, searching for my face. Hour after hour of meditating upon Him - throwing aside anything, and everything, that got in the way. Oh yes, Christmas indelibly etched upon my heart. My blessed Saviour coming to wash away all of the pain and sorrow of my past, and then filling me with His Love.

Oh, the everlasting Beauty of my Lord.

Oh yes, Christmas indelibly etched upon my heart. My blessed Saviour coming to wash away all of the pain and sorrow of my past, and then filling me with His Love.

Oh, the everlasting Beauty of my Lord.

Amen! =0)

Like many, I was not brought up in a Christian home.

I remember being about 11 years old, and there was a good supply of alcohol in the home that Christmas.

It was the time of year when we could eat what we like without asking our parents, we could just help ourselves.

And there was alcohol there also.

I decided to try some.

I got a glass, and a bottle, poured it, and stood by the sink to drink it. I stood by the sink, because, if I didn't like it, I could just spit it out.

Well, the sink came in handy, real handy. I had only picked up a bottle of whisky, and it was the most vile thing I had ever tasted.

Needless to say, my whisky drinking days were over.

Merry Christmas!

Last year... for a different reason.

Last year it was around 11:30pm at night Christmas eve. I was just sitting around and spending some time with the Lord. Everything was ready to go for tomorrow, car packed, gifts ready, food prepared to be cooked, kids and my wife all sound asleep.... All of a sudden I felt that I wanted to be buy other Christians sharing in the memory of the birth of Christ and longing for singing out praises to His name.

So I got my shoes on and left with what I was wearing, jeans, hooded sweat-shirt with holes everywhere and my thermal hate (cold out).

I went driving around looking for "churches" that were open for worship. I pulled into a church that had a full parking lot, sadly knowing that most of the people who came in these cars this night would not be seen on any regualr Sunday... I proceeded to enter the church.

As I entered the church, I heard the singing of Silent Night. What a wonderful sound it was. I was excited to go and sit inside with other believers that were praising the name of the Lord.

I started to walk up to the main assembly area and saw a man standing by the door (usher I am sure). I started to walk towards him and had a smile on my face because I could see that the room was packed full. I was thinking, "Please Lord, let a true awakening happen in this place tonight".

As I walked closer to the man, he began to look me up and down. He looked at my jeans and looked at my "holy" sweat-shirt. He then looked me in the eyes, and turned his back to me. I just stood there. I peaked into the room where all these people were sitting. I saw families together singing praises to the Lord. I saw people dressed up in the Chirstmas Sunday best...

I saw Laodicia.

I left and walked to my car thinking the whole time that if there were any true believers in there, the lukewarmness of the church swallowed them whole. I was wondering if an angel came to them looking like me, would they host him in love?

I went back to my home, came inside, and praised the Lord that I am counted worthy to be looked down upon for His name.

KrispyKrittr wrote:

Not sure if I should say praise the Lord, or what?

I say praise the Lord in this situation because I once was among the walking-dead like I saw in this church, and I realize that I should have gone to hell. But the Lord in His mercy and grace has chosen me to call His own. I am counted worthy because of His son.

He opened my eyes Christmas eve night. If I choose to shut them, I shut them on Him, and Him alone. I praise the Lord that He would reveal Himself to me in such a small, yet so large way. That He loves His children enough to share with them the good and the not so good. In all things praise the Lord.

[u][b]Psalm 150 (NKJV)[/b][/u]

1 Praise the LORD!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD!

But I do have one question, brother... how in the world did you get your wife and kids in bed by 11pm on Christmas Eve? We usually shuffle the kids off to bed by 10... then spend time getting things ready for the morning wake up call from the 3 & 5 yr olds. Also there is usually my wife and I... and a fireplace... and egnog... mistletoe...etc...

We have the kids well trained. My wife has me well trained ;-)

Seriously though. Between the driving to and from from different grandparents homes on Christmas day, the amount of time cooking AND eating, getting the young kids to nap (or preparing for a day without naps for the kids:-?) opening presents, calming the kids down after a long day with in the car and at families homes, getting everything organized at the end of the night, oh...did I say eating?...

This all tends to put my wife to bed very early.

Krispy

KrispyKrittr wrote:

I'll take romance over gift wrapping any day!

You will NEVER hear me disagree on that point :-)

You will NEVER hear me disagree on that point

LOL! that is one reason a man needs a wife!

ginnyrose

The gifts I wrap look like I wrapped them in the garage and used duct tape, a blow torch, Gorilla Glue and bailing twine.

Ah, the imagery that comes to my mind....I can see it! and yes, please [i]allow[/i] ;-) your wife to wrap those gifts! LOL

Seriously, I was thinking about this overnight and want to share it here, so get on your hiking boots - we're off on a rabbit trail!

I just love it when married men express publicly their appreciation and love for their wives. A good example is what has been posted on this thread. It makes other females feel secure, like our trust in males to lead is justified, be it church, community or the government. And when husbands mistreat their wives for any reason, it destroys trust among morally, upright females for males.

When I heard that our Rep in Washington, Chip Pickering, is divorcing his wife, I got so very upset! So upset I think he ought to be strung up by his toes and left there until the buzzards come home. You see, I have met Chip, we had our picture taken with him; we have visited with him. He spoke at a CPC banquet. He was a fine, upright man - or so we thought. He projected himself as a Christian (foremost), a loving father (now of five boys!!), and husband and an ardent pro-lifer and pro-family man. Now he steps out on his wife and divorces her! Man, I am so upset...and he knows better. In his youth he served as a missionary to Hungry...See what I mean? This makes me MAD! And I feel so sorry for his wife, so sorry it just about makes me cry.

OK, enough of my rant...get the point? OK, you guys, go love your wives and make sure everyone knows it! best Christmas gift you can give to your community - wherever that may be, here on SI or in your physical community.

God bless ya,

ginnyrose