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Thursday, December 24, 2020

Reflections on Christmases Past


There were so many good articles online about topics related one way or another that it was difficult to choose from among them. I finally chose four—one about Christmas traditions, one about the empty chair at Christmas, one for those who miss church, and one about the real Christmas Carol. The only thing that ties them together is Christmas.

If someone asked me what was my most memorable Christmas, I would be hard put to answer their question. I remember one Christmas Eve when my mother, grandmother, older brother, and I crossed a snow-covered common to attend a Christmas Eve service at our village church. I remember the snowy blanket that hid the common from sight, the cold, and the bright light that streamed out of the doorway when the church door was opened. That is all that I remember.

On another occasion we went to the village hall for the village’s annual Christmas party. Father Christmas made an appearance with a bag of gifts for the children and mine was a Little Grey Rabbit book. We also watched a Punch and Judy show. Punch murdered Judy and then the policeman who came to arrest him. When the devil came to drag Punch to hell, Punch gave him sound drubbing with the policeman’s truncheon.

We lived in a cottage at the edge of the common and the cottage had an old-fashioned parlor. My grandmother and my mother set up a Christmas tree in the parlor with my grandfather’s help. My older brother and I were not allowed in the parlor until Christmas morning. Our contribution to the festivities was to make paper chains, cutting strips of colored paper and pasting them together as links in the chain. We hung those around the rooms.

When my older brother and I fell asleep on Christmas Eve, Mum would leave at the foot of our beds one of her stockings stuffed with nuts, oranges, liquorice all-sorts, chocolate, pink sugar-mice, pencil boxes, colored pencils, and other sweets and small gifts. The stocking and the Christmas  parcel that my aunt who lived in the United States sent us were the only gifts that I remember.

My grandmother and my mother always made a Christmas cake, a fruit cake topped with marzipan and icing and decorated with silver balls and that sort of thing. We also pulled Christmas crackers and wore the paper crowns inside. Four other seasonal treats that we had beside the Christmas cake were a Christmas pudding, mincemeat pies, sausage rolls, and a trifle. My grandfather sometimes made vinegar toffee.

Our Christmas Day celebration were rather modest celebrations. They were fairly English. All that changed after my family emigrated to the United States and I do not believe that it changed for the better.

In later years the two things that I came to appreciate the most were the late-night Christmas Eve service and Christmas dinner with my mother and my aunt. Both my mother and my aunt have passed away. The members of the church where I was preaching had other commitments on Christmas Eve. Last year I attended the Christmas Eve services of two different churches. This year I am staying home on Christmas Eve due to the pandemic. Here are the links to the four articles I chose for Christmas Eve.

9 Things You Should Know About Christmas Traditions
Christmas comfort for families with an empty chair

A Word of Hope for Those Missing Church
The Real Christmas Carol

A very merry Christmas to all my readers. May this Christmas be for you filled with the grace, joy and peace that God alone can give. 

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