Christmas Spirit

I was lying in bed early this morning, stretching,

 and relishing the fact that I had plenty of time to simply lie there

 and

enjoy the warm coziness

for a change

and my thoughts ran to Christmas.

Now, generally, when my thoughts run to any upcoming event

I'm barraged by my mental

"to-do" list

and have a rush of panic at 

how much there is still to be accomplished.

There is the accompanying guilt

of 

"why didn't you start earlier",

and the feeling of being slightly overwhelmed

followed by the big

"why am I perpetually in this cycle"

etc.

For many,

Christmas can be a big guilt inducer . . . 

when you consider that bloggers all around the world are bombarding

us with the beautiful gifts and decorations they've made from scratch

and the stories of how they're helping to save the world

by 

living the ultimate

"green lifestyle"

and how all their gifts are made from

100% recycled trash

thereby saving the planet

while stunning their friends and families with their

 ingenuity 

creativity

and 

time management.

But this morning I simply shooed away that demon

and 

thought about the Christmas memories

that stood out from my 

childhood.

I recalled fragrances:

real evergreens 

cookies baking

spices

hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks

clove studded orange pomanders

popcorn being strung

ham baking

ripe pears

nuts toasting

hot waffles

I recalled being surrounded by family . . . 

(there were five generations of family when I was small).

Grands and great grands and great great grands!

There were aunts and uncles and greats to boot.

There was a plethora of cousins,

and neighborhood friends took up where the cousins left off.

There were Christmas trees - 

one in each home

of all these relatives and neighbors,

and the grandaddy Christmas tree of them all:

the tree in our little church.

I believe it must have been 25 foot high,

(but then I'm sure it only seemed that way).

Lights and ornaments were unique on each tree, 

so every one was a small miracle

and delight!

Our neighbor had a molded, white plastic tree

whose branches looked somewhat like combs . . . 

the most wonderful and "modern" tree . . .

it was always decorated in a single color,

and I seem to remember one year especially

when the tree was all in blue!

Ahhhh . . . 

so much more sophisticated than our hodge-podge family tree,

brimming with the handmade ornaments and paper chains

and the eggshell collages my mother lovingly crafted!

We had some family heirloom ornaments

and the precious ones my mother made

and the 

school paste and macaroni and glitter ones,

and out tree was breathtaking!

We literally held our breath while the light cord was plugged in.

The final touch was my mother painstakingly adding the silvery tinsel . . . 

one single strand at a time

in perfect symmetry.

I remember my mother using specific gift wrap for the gifts from family

and then, secretly, after we children were asleep, 

wrapping the 

Santa gifts

 in a unique paper - so it would be obvious that he

had brought certain presents

 from his workshop at the North Pole!

When I was old enough to know what was going on,

 I was privileged to stay up late and help her wrap those Santa gifts

for my younger siblings.

My first role was to lend my finger to hold the knot securely in the ribbon while she tied a bow.

We finished special baking details, and sometimes prepared the turkey stuffing.

I was a entrusted with tearing bread into cubes and crumbling cornbread.

It was a right of passage I'll always treasure!

Every year our church had a Christmas pageant.

It was traditionally the story of Jesus' birth

in the manger in Bethlehem.

There were speaking roles and non speaking roles

and members of all ages took parts appropriate to their age, size and ability.

I was often a part of the pageant, 

and loved the rehearsals, the costuming, the music, the lighting

and all the adrenaline rush of the production.

It felt so real, and so holy and I was filled with awe!

Luke's recounting of the nativity event

came alive

and it seemed we were whisked across the world to that very sight

on that

 very important silent night.

I treasure so many wonderful memories

of Christmas!

The best are the feelings of being loved

and the wonder of so many relatives and friends gathered together,

and the abundance of delicious treats on the table,

and 

the wonder of Jesus being born

in the city of Bethlehem,

beneath that shining star!