Thursday; December 24

What are some of your most special holiday memories? While I do remember a few gifts, some of my most important memories involve more of who I was with than what I got. Our family often lived quite a ways away from the rest of the family, but periodically, we would travel back to South Florida for Christmas. (Even to this day, my thought a White Christmas is more about sand than snow.) We would spend Christmas Eve with my Mom’s family and Christmas Day with my Dad’s parents. More often than not, the Christmas Day dinner involved traditional fare, but Christmas Eve was highlighted by fresh fish and oysters. There were Christmas cookies and holiday cakes at the Schurmann gatherings and egg nog (made with ice cream) at the Whartons. There were a lot of people (and a bunch of kids) at one place and often it was just our family at my other grandparent’s house. Fifty years later, I can still remember waiting our turn to unwrap the presents that sat under the metallic tree at one place and the fresh orange juice we were served at the other.


In all honesty, I doubt that your Christmas remembrances are anything like mine with the exception of recalling the mood and people more than the gifts. As I look back, I wonder if we have sacrificed too much of the quality of the mood of the season for the quantity of gifts? I am thankful that we are able to purchase as much stuff as we can today, but are we making the same amount of effort in making memories as we are in providing presents?

I hope you get (and give) everything you want for Christmas, but don’t forget to spread a little cheer. Toys break and clothes wear out; but memories will never fade.

Think About It!

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