When you think about Christmas, there are some years that just stand out. I don’t actually have a memory of the Christmas that I got my pedal fire engine and Indian war bonnet, but I sure do look happy in the picture!
I vividly remember the Christmas when I got my new 10 speed bike. It was memorable for a lot of reasons, not just for the bike. Just after my sister and I were sent to bed, my dad got a phone call from a couple in the congregation where he served. They had a big argument over a missing wheel for a wagon… the woman thought her husband should go out at 9 pm on Christmas eve to find one…. Things got so heated that he took an axe…. No he didn’t kill her… but he did a job on her piano, which was her prized possession. Mom went with Dad as reinforcements and left my Uncle, Aunt and Grandmother there at the house. My poor Uncle Bob had to put my bike together and he was not happy about it. I’m not sure what Mom and Dad did or said, but the couple stayed together, and my parents returned to the house about 6 am. (Judy and I had been awake, wanting to come out into the living room since about 5 am. To say that we were wound up would be a HUGE understatement! I rode that bike almost to death! Years later, I gave it to two brothers who didn’t have a bike!
More than the presents I received and gave, mostly I remember the wonderful feeling of sitting in the living room with family. It was always so peaceful… no, peaceful isn’t the right word. It just felt “right.”
I know that some families just tear into their packages all at once, but that’s not what we did. An “elf” or two (youngest family members) would pass out the presents and then we would begin opening presents, one at a time, youngest to oldest. We savor Christmas presents… well, maybe not the socks and underwear, but the fun stuff!
One thing that I came to appreciate more as I got older was how we read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2. Some years, we read it that morning, other years, we read it on Christmas eve. But It’s been read in the Walton house as long as I can remember, and I hope that Walton households will continue to read it every Christmas, long after I am dead and buried.
No matter how you “do Christmas,” be sure you make time for Jesus! After all, it IS HIS BIRTHDAY we are celebrating!
Enjoying the festivities with you all,
John
