CHRISTMAS. While this Christian holiday is celebrated in
honor of the birth of Jesus Christ, it is perhaps unique insofar as it is also
celebrated by people of many faiths; even those of no faith.
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| Norman Rockwell |
Over the centuries, celebration of Christmas has
evolved to include religious observance, the giving of gifts, decoration of
trees and homes and city streets, the erection of Nativity scenes, an endless
creation of heartwarming stories, joyous songs, caroling, parades and gathering with family and
friends.
The religious observance is for the purpose of
honoring the birth of the Savior; the giving of gifts symbolizes the gifts
brought to the Christ-child by the Three Wise Men and gathering with family and
friends is for the purpose of sharing fellowship and love with those who are
most important to us. (The parades and decorations and so forth are,
well, just for fun!)
All of these things serve to create fond and
everlasting memories for young and old, alike. No matter where you are in the world, you are invited to share
your most memorable Christmas moments with us, here. Click on the
"comments" link, below to do so. You may post anonymously, if you
wish. And please tell us where you are writing from and share with your social media.
OK, I'll bite! I remember as a kid, going to my grandparent's house on Christmas Day. We opened presents, ate glorious meals prepared in part by all the mothers, listening to Gene Autry on the phonograph and, on the rare occasions there was snow, sledding on the hill behind the house! It was so much fun to be with all the cousins! From somewhere in Middlesex County.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was about 6 years old, Mom took me to the Sat. matinee just before Christmas. After a typical movie experience at that time,
ReplyDeletea double feature, news coverage, previews, cartoon, & serial short, all for $.25, we walked to the bus stop. It was a cold winter late
afternoon, so we went into the toy store at the bus stop. In the window was a beautiful doll house & I fell in love with it. I asked
Mom for it, and she explained it was too expensive. I was so disappointed & nothing in the toy store now was of interest to me. All I could think of was the doll house. Mom tried to interest me in smaller toys but I couldn't get the doll house out of my mind. Mom
finally picked out a black plastic telephone and after she paid for it, we began to walk away from the sales counter. The clerk stopped
Mom & put the doll house on the sales desk. The clerk said this was hers. Mom explained no it wasn't. There was a mistake. The sales
clerk said this was for the little girl. Mom explained again that there was a mistake, she didn't buy it. The clerk explained that a gentleman in the store heard the little girl ask for the doll house & he told the clerk to be sure that little girl got the doll house before she leaves the store. The clerk said he paid for the doll house & left the store. Mom ran outside to try to find the gentleman, but there was no sign of him...I was one happy little girl....I was
so happy to be getting the doll house, but didn't really understand the depth of this gift.
As the years passed, the understanding of this generosity became deeper with each passing year. I still have this doll house and the furniture I ended up getting that Christmas morning. I never found out who this generous gentleman was....but I cherish this doll
house still.
What a beautiful story, above!
ReplyDeleteLast year, having no plans for the day, I volunteered to help in the kitchen at a local church's community dinner. It was such a wonderful experience!
ReplyDeleteVolunteering in soup kitchens is a wonderful idea. Perhaps a list of places can be posted here for anyone who would like to help.
ReplyDeletePlease see the article about the Community Christmas Dinner for one suggestion, in the Middletown area. Perhaps others around the state, country and world (we have an international readership) can contribute to your request.
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