Christmas Means Family
My mom and dad
were all about
making memories,
and Christmas was
no exception. As I
think back to our
yearly festivities, so
many pictures flood
my mind. We always
set aside an evening early in December to
decorate the tree, with Christmas music
blaring and special candles burning, while
we took time to reminisce about each ornament. Silver tinsel, and lots of it, found its
way onto the tree limbs (and probably
everywhere else in the house too!). Once
the tree was decorated, I knew to expect
extra company at home and extra visits to
other people’s homes. Cookies and other
t reats always seemed to be waiting.
S omewhere in the midst of December,
t here was usually a Christmas pageant at
c hurch. I never felt more proud than the
y ear I was asked to play Mary. Each
C hristmas Eve was spent quietly taking in
t he sights, smells, and sounds of the season
w hile we enjoyed our traditional dinner of
. . . pizza!
All of my childhood Christmas memories are good and cozy, even when the situations m ay or may not have been ideal. For
many years, my dad worked at the local
hospital. Oftentimes, his shift would fall on
Christmas Day. That meant he had to be
out of the house by 5:00 a.m. Did that
hinder our Christmas morning celebration?
Not in the slightest! My sister and I hardly
noticed that the clock read 4:00 a.m. as we
ripped open the glittery packages under the
tree! Christmas was about family, good
friends, and the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
With so many wonderful childhood
memories, I work hard now to be sure my
children will enjoy similar warm and cozy
memories when they’re old enough to look
back. It’s a joy pointing them toward Jesus
in the midst of colored lights and cookies.
– Cynthia West
Product Reviewer
and E-Book Project Manager
www.homeschoolblogger.com/westward
