Christmas Memories

 

And there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.”  Luke 2:8-9

I saw this picture in a posting recently and it brought back so many memories.  As a child growing up, decorating for Christmas was especially exciting for many reasons. The family time, the learning process from the preparation of putting up a real tree, learning about each ornament on the tree, learning about the nativity scene as it was put up for display and the Christmas music playing in the background. It was a reminder of all the things we needed to be grateful for.  After all the decorations were up we would lay under the edge of the tree and look up at the sparkling of the lights. There was always one light that had pretty much lost its coating on the outside but shone so bright like the star leading the three wise men to Bethlehem. It was a time of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and being thankful for all we had. Yes, there was the excitement of Santa arriving, and the opening of the packages on Christmas morning. The true meaning of Christmas was feeling the excitement of the birth of Jesus Christ and all it holds for us. My parents always liked to surprise people with gifts...summertime we delivered a load of watermelon in a friends' driveway so they would have the surprise of waking up to the gift of fresh watermelon. At Christmas time I remember one trip where we traveled late into Christmas Eve dropping off surprise gifts on doors and leaving without them seeing us. It was a fun and exciting time as a kid. Later they had to have some packages shipped to surprise those we couldn't drop off personally. 

Now as an adult I enjoy decorating for Christmas: it's the excitement, the remembering of family time and also the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. I still enjoy the colorful displays with lights and decorations that bring joy to the heart. It's not the decorations themselves; it's the reminder of what we celebrate this time of year. It's so important for us not only at Christmas time but throughout the year to keep that spirit in our hearts and the gift of giving to those we know and those we are only encountering for a few seconds of our day.   

Prayer: Father in Heaven, thank you for your love and the blessings of each day.  Help us to hold that spirit every day of the year and to extend your love to others. Forgive us for those times we forget all that you have given us and taken for granted. Remind us to give of ourselves in all the ways you have taught us to brighten the world not only at Christmas but throughout the year. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Lori Hood