The Best Gift

Sorry for being late but things have been incredibly busy. I even helped decorate the Christmas tree after being promised a pot of soup beans for my time. I made one of my favorite drinks, which includes a little honey heated up in the microwave, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and about 5 ounces of white grape juice with lots of ice. I turned and looked at the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room that seemed to rise out of the floor just to see if it could touch the ceiling. This is one of those pre-lit trees that comes in four sections; just put it together, plug it in, turn it on and it's done - uh wrong! Oh well, now comes the ornaments. From time to time I would ask where this one or that one came from. Pam pulled out a little angel. "Remember this ornament, John made it when he was in nursery school." It made me think of him reaching as far as he could to hang ornaments on the Christmas tree when he was little. The one thing about decorating a Christmas tree, there is a job for everyone regardless of how short or how tall you are. There was one ornament that came with a warning, "Be careful with that one, it was a gift not long after I was born." Then, there is a motorcycle ornament that I received just after I got my first Harley, a Road King. We hung a few collector Santa ornaments. As the ornaments kept coming and the tree branches kept disappearing under glass, beads, and sparkling balls, each with its own memory, snap shots of time that just makes you smile. I started thinking about the Christmas tree being a testament of ones life, topped with an angel that reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas. A child is born and lays in a manger in Bethlehem, God's gift to us.

Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year!

My First Christmas

The first Christmas that I can remember was when I was four or five years old. On Christmas Eve day, my Dad brought home a huge tree for our little house. I heard them say that it was out of the top of a Pine tree because that was where the best ones came from. The decoration ceremony began with lights and ornaments; seemed to me like every color I could imagine was being used. There was laughter and fun, the smell of baking was coming from the oven; I think it might have been a cake or something, maybe cookies.

As the day gave way to night, the wait began for Santa Clause; talk of what could be coming, toys and such filled our conversation as the time passed ever so slowly. I can't remember when I've been more anxious. I suppose that Mom and Dad must have known that sleep would be a long time coming. My Dad said that he heard something, pulled the living room curtains back ever so slightly, and just barely peeking through he shouted, "It's Santa Clause, run and hide in the bathroom; if he sees you up he won't come in". Off we ran like frightened puppies, Dad right behind us slamming the door shut. He said, "Quiet so he doesn't hear you". The giggling and whispering was uncontrollable. After a short time we heard a knock on the door. Mom said, "He just left". We ran to see as fast or faster than we did to hide. There were only a handful of toys, but the toys aren't what I remember. It was the joy, laughter and love that I remember in our little house that night. For me, it will always be called Christmas.