Merry Christmas to you and yours…
Merry Christmas! I am so happy to write to you on this very special day. Christmas means so many things to me but like most Christians, it certainly is the celebration of the greatest man that ever lived and His birth. It is the honoring of one whom God sent in the form of a baby to grow and be fulfilled as the Savior of the world.
As a little girl, we often went to Hampton, South Carolina to celebrate Christmas. My Dad’s family were Christians so we all had the same focus in celebrating. Our gathering was with the giving of gifts, a Christmas tradition but it was also in the reading of the Christmas story out of the book of Luke. There was a lot of noise and laughter and we had such fun together as we spent time enjoying our holiday.
My grandfather’s house was a very large shot-gun type house with 3 rooms on either side including a parlor on the front and a large wrap-around front porch. My memories of those Christmas times are of the cold South Carolina wind coming through the flooring of that big old house. I remember us, being from Florida taking oranges to Papa’s and sitting by the pot belly stove throwing peelings in the fire.The aroma from those orange peelings was strong and powerful as was the love around Papa’s room.
Being Christians, our conversations were clean and honorable. There was never a word of discouragement or harm. It was clean, upright and speaking in honor of God, who loved us enough to send His son.
Christmas is a sort of a mystery. How can a baby be born to a virgin, grow up a perfect life and be willing to die for the sins of the whole entire world. It’s a mystery and yet, it’s a truth so, Merry Christmas to you and yours.
