christmas Memories

Memories of Christmas from my friend Marie

My fondest memories of past Christmas has to be the programs at church. The play and words might change year to year and the actors got more lines to memorize as they got older, BUT, the play always ended with the Nativity - the birth of our Lord and Savior.  And someone always read the Christmas story from the Bible. Perhaps, that's where I got my love for the Nativity and collect them now.

The program always ended with the youngest member of the church wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and probably blowing a kiss to the audience.  The minister would say a prayer of thanksgiving and dismissal and the children would all rush to the back of the church because, they knew a bag of treats awaited them - an apple, an orange and a bag of hard candy.

A simple Christmas play, children acting out the greatest birth in history, a bag of treats and off to home.  Simple days, but my fondest memories.

Guest blogger Glenda Dunnaway

Pantyhose stockings…

When I was a little girl, we would nearly always spend Christmas Day with my Mom’s parents who lived at the beach. My Grandpa was as big of a kid as I was and one of his favorite things to do for our family was to give us pantyhose stockings in place of Christmas stockings. You see, Grandpa was a professional painter and he strained his paint with pantyhose. So there was always an abundance of them around.

Growing up I seriously assumed other families did this, but I am 35 now and have yet to meet another family who does crazy the same way we did. I really wish I had a picture to share with you because there was something extremely comical and jaw-dropping about seeing pantyhose loaded up with gifts.

To start, there was always an orange at the toes. After that was a knot. Then a present. Then another knot. Then a bunch of almonds or walnuts…knot…present…knot…present…knot…apple…repeat ad-nauseum.

My favorite gifts to open were cassette tapes. I got at least one Carpenters tape a year, which made me a very happy camper.

My Grandpa has been gone for 24 years now. I still miss him, especially at Christmas. My Grandma passed away a few years back and with her, the pantyhose tradition stopped. But I don’t think it died.  Let’s just call it a coma. As I write this, I realize that the tradition needs to be revived for my kiddos and for my parents, who also held the tradition dear as I was growing up.

As life progresses and changes, I realize that at times, we need to take a break from traditions to make them special again and to help us truly appreciate them when they’re re-introduced. Is it weird I’m already looking forward to Christmas 2017?

Merry Christmas to you and yours from me and mine!

My Christmas- I love it

There are so many memories of Christmas.  The one that comes to my mind is one that really taught our family what Christmas was really all about.  We had our house all decorated. Got all of our Christmas shopping done for everyone on our lists. Me and John had been doing our shopping for each other.  Our house was fill of secrets and things hidden away. We had been going to many Christmas parties getting lots of goodies.  It had been another fun month of enjoying Christmas.

I guess I think of this particular Christmas for a reason. Like this year, Christmas fell on Sunday.  We were all settled in bed, excited to find out what was under the tree. I had just gotten all the stockings put together. When we got a phone call. One of our parents from Sunday school was very upset.  We had gotten to know them and their children.  He had gone out to his shed to bring in all their presents to put under the tree. Someone had broken in and had stolen all of them!  John and I laid in bed feeling the man's pain.  As we laid there, each one of us thought of something we had
 that we could wrap up and give to one of them. We woke up our son and daughter and told them what had happen. We told them what we were doing.  They decided they had something they wanted to give the children.  We then called our pastor. We had told him earlier what had happen. To our excitement they were doing the same thing.  So we met and we drove out into the country and quietly delivered (as quietly as you can be at 1-2 am) the presents.

We were so blessed to give what we had. We were blessed when the children on their own wanted to give something of theirs to make another family have a joyous Christmas. That year,we had a short Sunday morning service.  The service had started and we were singing Carols. The door opened and in came this family.  The joy that was written all over the little girls face as she carried  in a doll almost as big as she was. Seeing how giving, loving and sharing is so easy when you give from your heart.

That is what Christmas is all about. A heavenly father who loved us so much that he gave his son to us, A son who gave his life for us. That we might be able to live forever with him. That we could share the gospel with others.

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Christmas Program Memories

By

Shirley Bowden

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year.  I love the closeness of family and

friends, the decorations, the Christmasy scent of candles, wonderful smells of baking goodies, the pine or

fir tree pitchy smell.... But mostly the wonderful Story of God's love clothed in the form of  baby Jesus.  Of course as a Sunday School teacher for many years the tradition of “THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM” was a huge part of the celebration of Christ's birth.  Oh, yes!  Memories of Christmas Programs.....When it was all done there was such a euphoric feeling of relief that it was over without too many glitches and that

 the wonderful story had been told again.

Memories....

Our Sunday School was booming.  Shortly before Christmas time, Dan and Janie had been canvassing and brought in quite a load of new students, including Johnnie.  He was about 5 years old.  Let's just say he was a challenge.... I had a feeling we were in trouble the night of the program as we put the belt of the angel costume on him and he struck a karate pose and yelled, “HAAJAAA!” (or however you spell that).  As the angels surrounded the manger scene all seemed to be going well....until Johnnie realized that the ramp leading up to the stage made a lovely hollow thumping noise when the shepherds walked up it.  He broke rank and ran down the ramp...thump, thump, thump...then back up the ramp...thump, thump, thump... several of us tried to catch him.  Back down the ramp and all the way back to the doorway.  Brother Ron made a grab and missed.  Back up the aisle with Bro Ron in hot pursuit, up the ramp...thump, thump, thump...and back down the aisle eluding Bro Ron again.  He made it back to the stage in time to exit with the other angels.  I'm sure the rest of the program was lovely; I just can't remember it.

The first year we made a video for the program, Paula and I had scoured the area looking for a donkey for Mindy to ride.  We did find a farmer willing to let us use his donkey.  But then he informed us it had never been ridden.  Mindy (Mary) rode Janie's horse. She and Jason (Joseph) emerged from the fog as she rode precariously bareback and sideways across the pasture to the Burton's barn.  The angels truly were singing “on high” as they stood in the loft of the barn over the manger where my 6 month old granddaughter portrayed baby Jesus.  It was COLD out, but there was something so special in reenacting this familiar scene. We all enjoyed watching the video with the audience during the program rather than performing it on stage.

Several years later we made another video for the program.  The shepherd scene was done on our property around a fire at night.  Again, it was cold, but the Shepherds were probably cold that night also!  However the most fun doing that video was filmed at a friends llama & donkey farm.  I don't think I have ever laughed harder than when Jon Mincks was “trying” to lead the llama (portraying a camel) as they “followed the star”.  The llama did not agree with the script.  Or maybe it objected to the Wise Man costume.  Jon was probably about 10 at that time.  There was definitely a battle of wills going on.

I don't think the llama spit on him, but it was getting close to that point.  Aileen did a great job editing and the video was great, but while filming it, there were several moments I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.  Again, it was a joy to watch the video with the audience rather than frantically trying to keep everything in order behind the scenes. 

There is a lot of work involved in making a Christmas Program, but it is worth it as God's Gift is proclaimed once again.  Many of the parents have memories of when they were children and performed in their Christmas Program.  Hopefully it touches their hearts.