Holiday Memories

At The EastTexas Christian Writers' meeting this Tuesday, five ladies spoke about a story they had written for Christmas.  Here are the brief outlines for two of them.

Linda Burklin spoke about an experience she had in South Africa (missionary kid) while helping some friends at their chicken farm around Christmas.  Anyone who has dealt with chickens was right there with her smelling the smells, feeling the muck, hearing the noise.  She also spoke about how it brought home the reality of Jesus, God Incarnate, coming down to the muck and mire of earth to become man and free us.  Very poignant.  

Patty Wiseman spoke of an aunt that felt like she was ‘lost in the shuffle’ her whole life.  One Christmas her siblings received new bicycles (the brothers-red; the sister-blue) and she got a stuffed toy because her parents couldn’t afford four new bikes.  She received a hand me down bike that didn’t have a seat.  Her father was supposed to fix it.  It never got fixed and she never got a new bike.  Her life went pretty much like that until after her kids were grown and she married a kind, thoughtful man.  One Christmas she came downstairs and there stood her husband by the tree with a brand new red bike.  Tissue anyone?

Everyone has memories of the holiday season.  Some good; some not so good.  How we handle them determines how our holidays go.  I know it is not always easy to let go of things (see last week’s blog, Regret).  Still, it is a choice.  Do we let them pull us down or do we remember the good stuff?

I know people who look forward to Christmas all year and those who do their best to make themselves and everyone around them miserable from October through the New Year.  Having dealt with both, I know what it is like to swing from “Oh pu-lease” (the chirpiness does sometimes get to you) to fighting to keep from becoming ‘bah humbug’ myself. 

The challenge:

If your memories are not good ones or if the last few years have gone south, determine today to stop dwelling on that and begin creating new memories.  Families are not just blood.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  Be open and allow family to gather round you this holiday season.

My prayer for you:

May the peace of God still your soul and fill your heart and house in the coming year.