Monday, December 28, 2020

Last of our Christmas Memories

 


From Linda:   


It is difficult to decide on one memory so I will tell you of one that happened soon after I was married.   My husband and I and our friends, Janice and Denise, planned on spending Christmas with friends who had recently moved to Vancouver.  This couple had been our neighbours when we lived in Edmonton and they had a young daughter and an infant son.Travelling was out of the question for them so we travelled to Vancouver to spend the holidays with them.

Our friend Chris was cooking the dinner and, being busy with her young family, she didn’t like a lot of mess. So to our horror after dinner was over she took all of the leftovers, and put them in a black garbage bag and threw them in the trash.

Like the good guest we were we said nothing, and our hosts went to bed early as they would need to get up early with their children.  After about an hour we decided it was time for the after dinner turkey and stuffing sandwich.  So the four of us snuck out to the trash to get the fixings for our snack.  Of course we woke our hosts who were horrified to find us going through the trash to find turkey fixings.  We all had a good laugh, but were never invited for Christmas dinner again.


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From me:

Like others have mentioned, Christmas in our house was full of laughter and music and an abundance of relatives. It is hard to pick just one particular memory from the large picture. Instead, I've found myself remembering a recurring theme -- Christmas Eve. 
After we came home from church, our service was at 7:00 pm, we'd settle around the Christmas tree and savour the peace. That time seemed holy to me. The frenzy of preparation was over, the pandemonium of Christmas morning not yet begun. In a way, this was the true time of Advent, the quiet anticipation of great joy, a moment to kneel at the manger.
Often we had only the tree for light. We might sing a carol or two. Mom would read the Christmas story from Luke in the King James Version. Most of us could recite the words with her, they were so familiar and so precious. 
As my generation grew older and left home, we cherished even more that time on Christmas Eve, when we gathered together as a family again.
Covid 19 robbed us of our usual Christmas celebrations in 2020, but in an odd way, it gave me back that golden time on Christmas Eve. I miss my extended family, but memory is rich with their beloved faces and the telephone is easily within reach. 
As Christmas season draws to a close, may you all know the joy of that moment by the manger.  
                                               

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