Home And Family Make The Holiday Bright
There is certain magic that happens at Christmastime all across America. The season is filled with expectations. Children thinking about toys and parents thinking about kids. Oh, come all ye stressful parents and find the magic again.
I strained a bit loading the double stroller, crib, and baby bath toys into the eddie bauer convertible. The kids are coming home for the holiday. Our youngest daughter is a Mom now and we are preparing from bath to bedroom to have our granddaughter with us for her first Christmas.
My wife and I spread the tubs of decorations out in the family room. I stacked firewood outside and put a couple 3-hour burning store logs by the hearth. As night arrived early I put the outside lights on to twinkle and chase. Soon the sounds of car doors and kids were heard and we met them at the door.
From New York City apartments to ranches in Montana families were gathering for Christmas. It is the blending of sounds from the conversations dipped in laughter to the glad voices of kids that are the holiday soundtrack. Folks decorating trees with favored ornaments both new and the ones that tells stories about a family.
I love the sound of the whipped cream hitting the top of hot holiday drinks. The smell of cinnamon and nutmeg accompanies the tree trimming tunes. As I get older every holiday becomes more precious to my wife and me. Holding my newest granddaughter against my chest and taking it all in was like breathing the spirit of Christmas.
The next day was Christmas Eve and the kids all opened one gift after supper. The turkey was in the oven and we were off to midnight services to worship with our family. The grandchildren saw their parents and grandparents modeling their faith. Holding my daughter’s baby made me think about that baby born so long ago.
The spirit of Christmas is a time of generosity, forgiveness, and of hope. The presents would not be as grand as past years because of the hard economic times. I know this had caused some worry in the family but my wife had spread the word that we were to focus on the little children
Our gift exchange was to be funny, made by hand, or a gift of something each of us already possessed. These ground rules would make the holiday more interesting and require some time and effort. It would also underscore the value of home and family instead of how you furnish your home.
I wrote into the family Christmas memory book that it was the best holiday celebration ever. Each gift trumped the next for creative humor, a holly jolly memory, and some touched the heart in a way that triggered tears. Like many homes all over the country we were a family that could not recall who was wearing a sweater, shirt, dress or pants at the end of that day. But we will all remember being wrapped in the spirit of Christmas.