The annual family football game in the front yard on Christmas morning…. The smell of a real live Christmas tree….. Listening to the Christmas story by the fire…. What are your memories of Christmas as a child?
“Just after World War II when I was four, my father was unemployed and we were moving from Alabama to Texas,” said June Scobee Rodgers. “We spent the holidays with my grandparents and four uncles who had returned from the war. Everything was very simple. We had big socks for stockings. Mine was filled with oranges, nuts, a small Army hymnal and various other things. At our Christmas dinner my grandfather said the prayer. Instead of closing my eyes, I was watching him. As he thanked God for bringing his sons home from the war and for his daughter there were big tears streaming down his face. I will never forget that. The food wasn’t as memorable as the conversation, laughter and teasing that went on around that table.”
In an informal survey asking people about their favorite Christmas memory, not one mentioned gifts. It was all about spending time with people they love. That’s not to say the gifts aren’t important, but maybe they aren’t as important as we think.
“I have lots of great Christmas memories,” said David Carroll, New Anchor at WRCB Channel 3. “One of my most touching memories is hanging out at my parent’s store in rural Alabama. I remember my dad giving candy to kids at Christmas time. It wasn’t a big gesture, but every so often I have grown men and women come up to me and say, ‘Your dad used to give me candy at Christmas.’ It reminds me that small gestures often have more of a lasting impact than the big gifts we purchase.”
“Don’t ask me to pick one great memory,” said Warren Logan, President of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. “While my parents worked hard to make sure we had what we needed, they were constantly reminding us that there are many people out there less fortunate than us. My mother used to tell us, ‘Your daddy would give someone the shirt off his back if he thought they needed it.’ They were great role models and instilled in us the importance of giving to others. We were often asked to find things in our room that we could pass on to others.”
“Playing tackle football in the snow has to be one of my favorite Christmas memories,” said Russ Huesman, UTC Head Football Coach. “Our backyard was a big hill. There was nothing better that catching the football at the edge of the hill, being tackled and then sliding all the way to the bottom of the hill.”
As you gather with family to celebrate Christmas, instead of focusing on the gifts you couldn’t find, what would have made the day better or the relative that won’t behave, consider asking every person to share their favorite Christmas memory. In doing so, you are sharing the past with your children and grandchildren. Plus, memories have a way of making you smile, laugh and remember the true meaning of this season. Merry Christmas!
Copyright ©2010 First Things First
