The Joy of Remembering Christmas Past

and making new memories now

I don’t know, but it’s this time of year when I reminisce about past Christmases with my family. Growing up in a home with parents and siblings, there is such great comfort in those memories, and they are memories that you don’t forget.

One Christmas, one of the memories of growing up was when my brother came home from college, and my father would make a fire in the fireplace. I was little then, but he took time out to spend time with me, and I will never forget that as long as I live, a small gesture that touched my heart.

My mother, who struggled with her health most of her life, always tried to make sure that we had a lovely Christmas despite her severe arthritis and other handicap issues. I remember her always leaving the door open for anyone wanting to join us and cooking all the cookies -pizzelles, sprinkle cookies, etc. and Italian dishes my sister Jill and I talk about.

Fast forward…..

My daughters sometimes bring up what my husband would do on Christmas morning. We would have waffle traditions every year, and the Christmas elf would fly through the house every night, and they just thought it was so magical. We were so busy trying to get the toys out and together, which was stressful because we needed them to go to bed, and they were so excited. Oh, and don’t forget the carrot for the reindeer and milk and cookies for Santa! I am sure you have memories of this, too!

My husband and I now see our daughters and sons-in-law, making traditions and memories with them. It is fun to see what we missed when our daughters were little—their innocent joy and wonder of the Christmas season.

Make Memories for Someone

Christmas is a time of making your unique family memories, or if it’s with friends, you could spark great joy in someone’s heart. Maybe you know someone alone, a widow, a friend, or someone who would appreciate a phone call or a text to say hello could be your tradition. Try finding a fun and unique way to surprise someone; talk about the smile you’ll get!

Be the light of Christ to someone who needs light in their life. We all need encouragement, love, and joy, don’t we?

But most of all…..

The immense joy is that Jesus came into the world to lay his life down for ours. As we focus on the joy and peace of our Savior and the great gift that he came to give us his own life, we know that we have hope in our lives ahead. We know we can leave a legacy behind us by caring for others as Jesus cares for us, putting our plan aside to bring Jesus' joy to a very broken world that needs hope.

Make a tradition and stir up some memories!

I pray that you have a wonderful Christmas and that the Lord will bless you in all you do.

What’s your family tradition? I would love to know!

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If you missed this story, I know you would love it from Dejah Edwards as she shares her emotional journey in this heartwarming story of forgiveness, shedding light on the stories of parents yearning to see their children again. (prodigal story)

Merry Christmas, everyone

Nancy