I've chosen this carol as the "theme" of this page because everytime I hear it, I can picture my grandmother
sitting in her chair supervising as we wrapped gifts or decorated and this was one of the hymns she sang to us. Brings back many fond memories!
Christmas Eve was always a busy day for us when we were growing up. My father had bought the tree earlier - the good, old-fashioned "German kind" with widely spaced branches so when you lit the candles (not that we had any) the tree wouldn't catch fire -
but we didn't put it up until the afternoon of Christmas Eve. We'd usually get the lights on and SOME of the ornaments (We'd always get caught up in reminiscing about the history of each ornament.) before we ate a quick supper
and left for church. When we got back from the children's service we'd all gather around the creche my grandfather had made and read the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph would finally arrive in Bethlehem, Jesus would appear in the manger and the light was lit
that symbolized both the star and the light-of-the-world. After that, we'd lay out cookies for Santa (and sneak a few for ourselves) and trundle off to bed. My mother, who sang in the choir, would return to church for the late service.
If we thought we had had a busy day, the night ahead of Santa was frightful. And, as a child, I never once questioned how he could do it all! While we slept (of course) Santa would come to our house and finish decorating the tree and leave our presents underneath.
Around two or three in the morning, my father would walk through the house, ringing a bell and yelling "Santa was here. Get up and see what he left you!" My brothers and I would excitedly jump out of bed and run into the living room. I can still remember the excitement of seeing the tree fully
decorated and lit for the first time that season. After we'd opened our gifts, we'd hang up our stockings "in case Santa found he had a few little things lying in the bottom of his sack when he finished his rounds". Next morning, of course, we always discovered that he'd been back with a few extras!
Now, of course, I realize that when my mother got home from church a little after midnight, she had finished decorating the tree. (She was very particular about the tinsel. It had to go on one strand at a time! and I think she did it this way to protect it from
enthusiastic kids who would just throw it on.) My parents did get to sleep a bit later Christmas morning, because, although we were always up early and anxious to further explore our gifts, we didn't bother them since they'd already been opened.
After becoming a mother and trying this technique with my own children, I don't know how she managed!
We would always decorate the tree the third week of Advent because I just couldn't handle finishing it up later Christmas Eve. I was often so tired, I could bearly finish laying out the gifts! And when I tried ringing the bell, my kids would groan, roll over and go back to sleep!
We always had angels like this one hanging on the tree when I was a child. They were cut VERY carefully out of stiff paper and hung with a thin cord. My mother had them from when she was a child.
At last the day came, as it must, when my eldest daughter questioned the existence of Santa Claus. I hated to do it but I admitted
that no jolly old man in a red suit slid down the chimney. Mom and Dad gave her her gifts. I thought she took it pretty well. On Christmas Eve she called me to her room, excitedly exclaiming
she had just heard a noise on the roof and she was certain it was the reindeer prancing about up there while Santa was readying his bag of toys to leave for her!
Since she obviously wasn't ready to accept the truth, I didn't push it but it wasn't until two years later that she finally stopped insisting he was real! (I'm still not sure she isn't just humoring me!
Cheryl R. of Forest Hills, New York writes: My fondest memory of Christmas would have to be Christmas caroling for the
elderly and sick members of our church congregation. Standing outside in the
cold, singing my favorite Christmas songs with my family by my side, and most of
all running into the listener's house for hot chocolate and Christmas cookies.
Mrs. Frankie always had stories of the turn of the century and times far gone
(not to mention the best goodies!)
Cheryl R. of Forest Hills, New York writes: What could be better than Christmas presents! Every Christmas Eve my siblings
and I would try and stay up to wait for Santa. Of course we'd always fall asleep and wake our parents up at 5am eagerly awaiting our gifts.
My brother, Mark, writes: Some of my
memories of Christmas ... I remember advent calendars ... moving the wisemen
ever closer to the stable that my Opa made. I remember sitting in the chiorloft at the midnight service and my mother standing and singing a solo hymn (as any
kid I was embarssed but I was also proud too). I remember the lights being turned off in church
and then it being relit with light from everyone's candle as they sang. ... One memory I
have is when we lived at 10th street in Deer Park. ...It was late on Christmas eve. My
mother didn't drive and Dad wasn't available so we had to walk all that way to church for the midnight service. I still remember how cold it was and not looking forward to that walk at all. Mom took our minds off the cold and actually made it fun somehow.
She pointed out all the houses with lights and started singing Christmas carols.
At first we would be embarassed by her because she was not quiet while singing (to say the least) but by the time we got to church we were all singing at the top of our lungs and the cold was forgotten.
I'd love to include some of your memories on this page. Just e-mail me with your first name, last initial, town and state or country and your memory.
Please put "Christmas Memory" in the subject line.
