This day before Christmas

This day before Christmas this writer thought you might enjoy a previous article that I wrote December of 2013.
So much, I am thinking about this special night.
Gentle are the joys that fill this wonderful season of Christmas- the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. “He who is mighty has done great things” -Luke 1:49. We meet up with and embrace the warmth of His spirit and everything is aglow, just as it as that night so long ago, in Bethlehem, when God’s only begotten son was born to this earth to Joseph and Mary. When I think about the greatest story ever told the nativity is before me. I hear the resonating sound of the angel’s
trumpets herald the birth of the new born king. The clarity and the beauty of the vision that I encounter is a gift that keeps giving. Like the lambs ,the joy is gentle.
Now do not think for a minute that I do not love the magical moments that fat fellow Santa Claus, who calls the North Pole home brings to children and oldsters, including me! I love digging out Christmas decorations, and by design, locate them through-out the little blue house at the end of the road for all to enjoy. In fact, so many of my Christmas treasures remind me of my heritage and Christmas times, simple seasonal pleasures that I once knew.
A while back, a friend sent me a list of oxymoron, pointless foolish phrases. One struck me as funny, though true. “Christmas - what other time of the year would we sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of socks?” Personally, I do not do that anymore.
There were times in my past that I looked forward to that pleasure. During the forties, time of my earliest recall and, including the early fifties , we, my brother and sister and I hang-up our dad’s work socks on long nails on both sides of the archway between the living room and the only bedroom of our three room house. The brown and white cotton work socks ,the kind favored by monkey doll makers, could hold a hefty amount of whatever and whichever Mom could think to add to them. Nuts, of a mixed variety were a favorite of us and classified high on our list as must haves. Naval oranges were higher, succulent, sweet and seedless. Hard as a rock candies held up well, the colorful sweet and tart ribbons and pillows filled out the thrice darned white heels of the socks.
I think of the stocking stuffers each time I grate the zest from the peels of the oranges that I purchase today.
My desire for the treats back then never waned. Anticipation grew greatly at Christmas time, although; the same stocking stuffers were available throughout the year.
Our old house was usually cold as a creek rock on Christmas morning. Our fires in the coal stoves could run us out of the house on a cold wintry day.
The two stoves in the house were usually slow to warm on Christmas morning. The work horses always reached a comfortable , warm as toast temperature before gift giving would begin, thanks to the pretty stoker. Santa had two terrific helpers looking after us!
In our opinion, we had the best dead tree in our living room during those early seasons that an ax could cut down and homemade ornaments could adorn. Those treats in the old saggy socks still linger in my mind.
Have yourselves a very Merry Christmas tomorrow and best wishes to all of you.
I can be reached by phone at 317-286-7352 or drop me a line to 649 south Grant Street, Brownsburg, IN, 46112.