FAMILY LOVE

There were four of us, three girls and one boy. We were five years apart, so Santa came for a long time at our house. When I was a teenager, I still had to pretend Santa brought me those gifts that showed up under the tree.

I didn’t mind because having younger siblings kept the anticipation high and made for more fun on that early Christmas morning. We all had to get up so very early when the youngest two would wake us all up before the crack of dawn to see what was under the tree. We all played along. We were still “little” in our own sort of way.

Today, I think about all the hours of preparation my mother and dad gave to making that morning magical for us, and they did it over and over for many years. I never heard a word of complaint, but I now realize how tired they must have been from all the heart and soul they put into those days.

The older I get, the more I appreciate the hours of labor looking for just the right gifts that the budget would allow, the laborious hours in the kitchen making all those delicious dishes and the sewing of angel and shepherd costumes to be worn at the church Christmas programs.

The decorated hand-made cookies were not only delicious but beautifully decorated with love and care. My mother always made homemade Christmas-shaped cookies for our school parties. I remember one particular year my mother brought these decorated cookies to the school party only to be told that bad weather was coming and school was letting out early so the cookies could not be given out. My mother told the teacher that the kids would get on the bus with one of her cookies; they would take one home. They not only got the cookies, but got a goodie bag to go with it.

Our family always went to church every Sunday and Wednesday night, and we most certainly went to the church Christmas program with special Christmas music accompanied by the Christmas story of Jesus’ birth. The church was always decorated beautifully. I can still hear the organ as it rang out with those memorable Christmas carols. As a teenager, I had the opportunity to not only sing those carols but to play the piano and the organ for our church choir.

All through December, we would hear about the reason for Christmas. We would read about God sending His most precious gift, Jesus Christ. Our church family celebrated His birth.

And my own family was a giftgiving family. Gifts were given to neighbors, shut-ins, relatives, the preacher, and homemade baked goodies were shared with all and kind deeds were done. That’s a great memory in itself.

Did I mention our Christmas trees? We always had a beautiful Christmas tree. My dad would get out the tractor and hook up a trailer on the back. We kids would jump in, and away we would go searching for the most beautiful tree on the land that surrounded my home. The ride was bumpy, but it didn’t matter. We sang Christmas carols as we bounced over the rough grounds in the woods. After I was married, we went to those same woods to find the perfect tree for our home until the artificial tree took over.

My husband and I tried to pass on the good Christmas childhood memories we had to our two daughters. And the traditions are continuing as they, too, are passing on Christmas memories to their children.

I really don’t remember what the presents were that my mother so lovingly picked out. But I do remember the heart and love that was put into making my Christmas childhood memories good ones. They were memories that made me want to pass on good memories to my children and grandchildren.

I doubt my own children remember what they got at each of their Christmases while growing up, but I surely hope they remember the love that was put into them.

You might not take your children to cut down a Christmas tree, but you can give them other things to remember as they get older. You might consider:

Reading or letting your children read the Christmas story from the Bible.

Placing nativity pieces in place as you tell the Christmas story.

Letting each child open one gift on Christmas Eve; give clues to find the hidden gift.

Always preparing a child’s favorite dish and serving it, year after year, at the Christmas meal.

Helping them find a shut-in or someone in a nursing home to visit and take a gift to.

Asking them to share the love of Christmas by helping to pick out a toy for a child who may not get much for Christmas.

Memories are precious for they are what create our lives.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dianne Glasgow is a family and child specialist at the LSU AgCenter in Caddo Parish.

She can be reached at [email protected], 226-6805 or 464-2552.