Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Christmas Past

What makes you nostalgic during the Christmas season? I think of merry times with my family laughing and singing. I have so few relatives left on my father's side of the family and many of them are serving the Lord in Europe and South Korea. I remember being 9 or 10 and we had so much fun visiting, sharing our Christmas meal and playing Christmas music we opened gifts at 8pm as we were about to leave my aunt's house. I wanted gifts when I was a child, but that was not the biggest part of Christmas.

I look back at the doll buggy, the Chrissy Doll, the various Barbies and their accessories (anyone else remember when Barbie's dorm room, kitchen, and house were made of cardboard?) clothes, games, Creepy Crawlers and books, it was all fun, but I remember running into the arms of family members who were in town for Christmas. I remember my Uncle Bob sitting on the couch in his mod clothes smoking a cigarette looking at the children as if we were Martians. He was not into kids, he did however become one of my best friends when I was in my mid twenties, he died of complications from AIDS in 1994, I still miss his dry humour.

Bing Crosby singing Do You Hear What I Hear and White Christmas send me down memory lane as do children's choirs. I think of all the music I belted out at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church and School and Westbury United Methodist Church - let's just say I made a joyful noise! (Real joyful)

My maternal grandmother lived to be 87, she gave us Lifesaver Books each year. I traded my cousin Wayne all my Butter Rum rolls for His Wintergreen and Peppermint rolls. When they quit selling Lifesaver books Grandma moved on to giant cans of Popcorn. I think she bought them in July.

I know Christmases past were not perfect, but I never saw the problems, the imperfections. When we confess and repent, God no longer sees our imperfections. His love is complete and whole. His Word says:

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

5 comments:

luvmy4sons said...

You blesed me with this post! I had a Chrissy doll too! Oh...the memories. Thank you for the trip down memory lane! RYC: And yes, I do pray for my future daughter's in law! Most especially the one my son is seeing right now! LOL!

Karen said...

I loved my Chrissy doll! My grandmother made her an entire wardrobe, including nightgown and bathrobe. It made me feel so special.

I eventually plan on doing a post about memory lane. (before Christmas!) I enjoyed traveling with you down yours. (I hated butter rum but my brother wouldn't trade.)

Wendy said...

Well I loved butter rum. That was my favourite! Do you remember humbugs? Ummmmm - delicious.

I remember singing christmas carols around our tree on christmas eve with my mother and little sisters. My brothers and father did not join in, but that was o.k.

I don't remember Chrissy dolls. I just had baby dolls. Did not like Barbies. I loved to play with my baby dolls. Bath them, put them in a cradle, and dress them up again.

Mom and I and my sisters always did lots of baking at Christmas too.

Abba's Girl said...

Wendy,

Chrissy dolls had hair that "grew", you punched a button on their stomach and yanked hair out of the middle of their head, there was a knob on the back to roll it back up in their heads. She arrived in a mod, orange dress w/ lace sleeves.

Sonya Lee Thompson said...

This was a great post! I'm so glad I stopped by today.

Sonya