What are your favorite Christmas memories? The anticipation of mom and dad getting up and letting you open your gifts? Putting up and decorating the tree with the family while listening to Christmas music? Wrapping up that perfect gift for dad (typically a bottle of Hai Karate aftershave which blazed the trail for modern day Axe® body spray).
Well for me there are five that stand out and I believe should be experienced by every child in America. These are memories that are burned into my mind and bring a smile to my face even as I tell you about them.
Santa Claus and all that comes with him. Include writing him letters, visiting him at the mall, leaving him milk and cookies, and eventually discovering that Santa is in fact your parents. I remember my first letter written to Santa with my list of demands, my insistence that I had in fact been good (even if he had heard differently). After mailing that letter to the North Pole, my parents took me to the Dayton Mall (evidently Santa was making a campaign stop there that weekend), to tell him personally what a good boy I had been and reiterate my demands. In most cases, on Christmas morning my brother and I were not disappointed… Santa was a man of his word. The life lesson I learned from Santa was that joy (Ho Ho Ho) comes from giving to others.
Watching “A Christmas Story”. If you haven’t seen it, go rent it (it’s now colorized). A Christmas classic about a little boy (Ralphie) and his dream of getting a BB gun for Christmas. All the adults (his mom, teacher, even the department store Santa tell him not a good idea), yet as any little kids will… he can dream. I saw it first on a cold day when my brother and I came in after playing in the snow (we were soaked and freezing). Some hot chocolate, and dry clothes and sat on the floor and watched this incredible movie for the first time. We, like Ralphie dealt with bullies, occasionally said the bad word, and dreamed of getting a BB gun. Believe it or not my brother looked just like Ralphie (glasses and all). By the way, Ralphie came close to putting out an eye when a BB he shot ricocheted and broke his glasses. The life lesson learned from this movie… in most cases, whether you like the advice or not (you will put out your eye), sometimes the counsel others give is worth considering.
Christmas Caroling. I was in middle school, it was with a church group, it was cold (Ohio in December), and there was the promise of cookies and hot chocolate afterwords. We were given a printed booklet of Christmas songs and paired with a partner, we walked from house to house someone knocked on the door and if they answered we sang (at least that’s what we called it). It wasn’t complicated, fancy or vocally good (understatement), it required nothing other than the voices of some kids, but the smiles we saw from folks were genuine. They seemed to light up when maybe for the first time in years someone was caroling on their sidewalk (I lived in the city, few front yards). Since then I have gone caroling another half dozen times, yet I have never returned from caroling, be it at a retirement home or in front of a Wal-Mart without a fresh batch of Christmas cheer to share with others in my life. The life lesson… in spreading Christmas joy to others, we seem to get far more joy from the experience than we give.
Decorating the Christmas tree. My most memorable tree was a retro silver tinsel one (it was in the 70’s) with the multicolored rotating light that shone on it. It was so cool to look at with the lights out. One of the best ways to get in the Christmas spirit is put on some holiday music, bake some Christmas cookies (or ask your wife to bake some), and have the family around putting the tree up and decorating it together. Now if you are one who believes there is a right way to decorate the tree (guilty), you (I) will probably need to take a chill pill because the purpose is everyone participates, not to have it decorated properly or by your standards. It should be a holiday tradition, one that your kids will do with their families one day. The lesson learned… Christmas is a lot more fun when your not stuck doing all the work yourself.
Reading the real Christmas story on December 25th. Christmas morning, the oldest child at home is tasked with reading the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-20. I was a teenager before we started this tradition, and it now is one that my kids look forward to doing every Christmas. It reminds us that we give gifts because God first gave to us, and unlike Santa, God gives to those who have been naughty (all of us) and He loves us all anyway. I recommend you choose a Bible version that uses language that is current (The Message, NIV, New King James). This practice helps add significance to a holiday that has become so much about gifts, presents, toys and stuff that in most cases will be broken in a couple months.
Spread a little Christmas joy this year and begin some traditions that will last a lifetime. Merry Christmas!