I'll Be Home For Christmas
Christmas! What a beautiful holiday! Some say it's gotten too commercialized, bah, humbug! To me, Christmas is what you make it. It's a holiday that comes from the heart; as should all good celebrations of it.
So, if you miss the Christmases of your childhood, because things are not the same, try approaching this wonderful holiday with a childlike mind.
Some celebrate it as a religious holiday, some don't. To me, it doesn't matter when Christ was born; what matters is that He was!
When I discovered that December 25th wasn't the day He was born on, I also discovered that no one knows what His birthdate is.
Then I pondered...If I were an orphan, dropped off at a door, no one would know my actual birthdate. Would I want it not to be celebrated; or would I want someone to pick a date, any date. So, I celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Christ. I'm sure He wouldn't mind.
Most of the magic for me is in the giving. Whether it's a small gift, a plate of homemade goodies, or a cheery, "Merry Christmas!" accompanied by a smile, it can make not only my day, but hopefully someone elses.
Make enough of those "days" and you have made the whole holiday season consist of smiles and warm fuzzy feelings!
And if you come across the occasional, "Bah, humbug!", remember that person in your prayers!
My memories of my childhood Christmas' are very strong. Part of the reason for that may be that I was a nervous kid and for years I got sick every Christmas. I guess that the antipicipation was too much for me! :-) Mom and Dad finally either got tired of dealing with a sick kid on Christmas, took pity on me, or both, but when I was about 9 years old we started opening our presents on Christmas Eve.
But I really feel that the main reason I remember so well is that it is such a wonderful holiday, filled with surprises, laughter, and of course, goodies.
The church that we went to during my childhood always had their Christmas program on Christmas Eve. (Something that I have missed greatly since becoming an adult.) It was a very special feeling to get all gussied up and head for the church on that holy of eves, and sing and be in the plays for everyone to enjoy. Every year my younger sister and I would be assigned the task of each saying a little verse, then both singing "Away In The Manger". My sister was 4 years younger than I was and usually said her verse ok, but when we started singing the song her voice would soften till I was singing alone. The year that I turned 12 and was old enough to be in the adult choir I was so happy! Then the choir director stuck me with a solo of "Silent Night". Sometimes you can't win!
Sometimes it's hard to all get together for Christmas Day as we have all grown up and have our own families and in-laws. So we have developed many traditions over the years: especially where Christmas Eve is concerned. As a large family we exchange names, limiting the gifts to about $10.00 apiece. (Enough to have fun with, but not enough to break anybody!) One year we had a progressive dinner. What is that? Well, you go to a different house for each course of the meal, and sing Christmas carols along the way! The person who lived at each home got to open the exchange gift bought for them! We had appetizers at Mom's house, then the salad course was at my younger sister, Denise's house, the main meal was at my house, (Everyone looked askance at the green bread I served for the sandwiches), the final course was dessert at my older sister, Carol's house. (She had almost every goodie that you could think of from candies & cookies to cakes!)
Early in the 90's we started getting together for every Christmas Eve. The first year we had the party at Godfather's, but that really wasn't the most comfortable thing, so after that we went to my older sister's house. Again, the first year we ordered pizza, and it was ok, but still not what we were looking for in a get together. Finally we set different food themes for different years. I think the best year was when we declared a soup year. Mom made ham & beans, my younger sister made chili, and I made homemade chicken & noodles. My older sister provided the breads, crackers, & such, while my brother's wife provided desserts. It was wonderful!
My older sister moved to Alabama a couple of years ago and we now have our Christmas Eve party at my brother, Ken's, house.
I do love to bake during the holidays. Mainly cookies, of course. But it is only at Christmas time that I really get going on it. There have been a few years, due to ill health, that I have slacked off, but I am looking forward to getting busy this year. I told my daughters and my son's fiance that I want to have a baking party. Everybody brings their favorite recipes and all help with the baking!
As for Christmas day itself, we like to take it kinda easy. We used to have a huge meal, almost like at Thanksgiving, but we've simplified it and enjoyed ourselves a lot more.
I have made a page for the holidays that is RAOK inspired! Click on the tree & come & see!
I will be including a photo album that goes with this page soon!
These will take you to my
Winter Page - Home Page - New Years Page
This Is Where I Got These Beautiful Graphics