Once Upon a Christmastime
Everyone has their own unique Christmas memory box, tucked away somewhere in the back of their minds. Some of the memories are happy, some sad, others downright painful and better left alone. Yet, there they are and every once in a while they pop out and make us smile. Or laugh. Or cry.
May I share with you one of my most memorable Christmases? I was only seven so that was almost sixty years ago. Of course, as a child such a Christmas would revolve around the gifts received!
It was a few weeks before the Big Day and I had been given the opportunity to see, AND HOLD the latest doll on the market! It was a life size baby doll, and as a little girl I did love dolls. From that moment it was all I talked about, all I wanted to find Christmas morning! I knew chances were slim, because of the astronomical cost (I believe the price was $3.98), but a kid can dream, right?
One day after school, just a few days before Christmas, I was doing my home chores which happened to include carrying in wood from the woodpile outside. It would then be placed in a cradle-shaped box behind the cook stove in the kitchen. As I was lowering my armful of wood into the box, I realized the box was missing. I said something to this effect to Mom and she replied, ‘I needed the wood box for something else so just put it on the floor.’
Christmas Eve finally arrived and after our church service we went home and put our bowls and boxes on the dining table, each one at his own place. Since my oldest sister was already married and had a few children she had come to our house with the little ones to spend the night. My brother-in - law would join us in the morning after farm chores were completed. Don’t ask me where we all slept that night! I vaguely remember being laid out across the bed with my niece and nephews. How resourceful and plenty of room for four small kids.
I guess we eventually fell asleep because before you could say ‘Saint Nick’ we were headed downstairs to check our loot!
And there before my eyes was the one and only thing I REALLY wanted; a life size baby doll, all beautifully dressed in a dress, and sweater/ bootie/ hat set that I knew instantly my mom had sewn!
She was sleeping under a lovely hand made blanket (that I still have) with her head resting on a tiny baby size pillow. The cradle? A new and improved, re-purposed wood box, a fresh coat of paint and lined with wall paper.
I was beyond excited and SO very thankful! Then my older sister, already a teen, showed me what she had made for me; a play kitchen cupboard, manufactured out of cardboard boxes painted white. On the counter stood the cutest little canister set made of different sized containers and decorated to look the same! Talk about recycling and re-purposing. There was no child ever more excited, and no ‘Tiny Chef Kitchen’ that could hold a candle to the one made with such love and sacrifice.
The gift from my oldest sister was a beautiful dress that she had sewn and a real, honest to goodness heart-shaped locket that opened up to reveal space for a tiny picture! Again I was over the moon and we played house the entire day. I sometimes wander if that was the big influence in my life. You see, all I ever wanted to do as a grown-up was to be a wife, mother and homemaker. I have always been blessed to be able to do that and fulfill my God-given desires.
For many years I had the joy of caring for real babies, the cuddly kind, and spending hours a day in a large as life kitchen, loving the creative process of feeding people and pouring love into their lives!
I wonder if that’s how God feels about His sacrificial gift of Love on that very first Christmas.
Yes, love and sacrifice are what Christmas is really all about. As an adult I understand this, but I believe the foundation was laid in seeing it acted out before the eyes of an impressionable child.
Let’s keep it real this Christmas, and let the love of God flow all around us as we head towards the party!
May I share with you one of my most memorable Christmases? I was only seven so that was almost sixty years ago. Of course, as a child such a Christmas would revolve around the gifts received!
It was a few weeks before the Big Day and I had been given the opportunity to see, AND HOLD the latest doll on the market! It was a life size baby doll, and as a little girl I did love dolls. From that moment it was all I talked about, all I wanted to find Christmas morning! I knew chances were slim, because of the astronomical cost (I believe the price was $3.98), but a kid can dream, right?
One day after school, just a few days before Christmas, I was doing my home chores which happened to include carrying in wood from the woodpile outside. It would then be placed in a cradle-shaped box behind the cook stove in the kitchen. As I was lowering my armful of wood into the box, I realized the box was missing. I said something to this effect to Mom and she replied, ‘I needed the wood box for something else so just put it on the floor.’
Christmas Eve finally arrived and after our church service we went home and put our bowls and boxes on the dining table, each one at his own place. Since my oldest sister was already married and had a few children she had come to our house with the little ones to spend the night. My brother-in - law would join us in the morning after farm chores were completed. Don’t ask me where we all slept that night! I vaguely remember being laid out across the bed with my niece and nephews. How resourceful and plenty of room for four small kids.
I guess we eventually fell asleep because before you could say ‘Saint Nick’ we were headed downstairs to check our loot!
And there before my eyes was the one and only thing I REALLY wanted; a life size baby doll, all beautifully dressed in a dress, and sweater/ bootie/ hat set that I knew instantly my mom had sewn!
She was sleeping under a lovely hand made blanket (that I still have) with her head resting on a tiny baby size pillow. The cradle? A new and improved, re-purposed wood box, a fresh coat of paint and lined with wall paper.
I was beyond excited and SO very thankful! Then my older sister, already a teen, showed me what she had made for me; a play kitchen cupboard, manufactured out of cardboard boxes painted white. On the counter stood the cutest little canister set made of different sized containers and decorated to look the same! Talk about recycling and re-purposing. There was no child ever more excited, and no ‘Tiny Chef Kitchen’ that could hold a candle to the one made with such love and sacrifice.
The gift from my oldest sister was a beautiful dress that she had sewn and a real, honest to goodness heart-shaped locket that opened up to reveal space for a tiny picture! Again I was over the moon and we played house the entire day. I sometimes wander if that was the big influence in my life. You see, all I ever wanted to do as a grown-up was to be a wife, mother and homemaker. I have always been blessed to be able to do that and fulfill my God-given desires.
For many years I had the joy of caring for real babies, the cuddly kind, and spending hours a day in a large as life kitchen, loving the creative process of feeding people and pouring love into their lives!
I wonder if that’s how God feels about His sacrificial gift of Love on that very first Christmas.
Yes, love and sacrifice are what Christmas is really all about. As an adult I understand this, but I believe the foundation was laid in seeing it acted out before the eyes of an impressionable child.
Let’s keep it real this Christmas, and let the love of God flow all around us as we head towards the party!
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