Christmas Memories…

Christmas and I have a love-not-so-much-love relationship. I don’t have a lot of childhood memories of Christmas. I remember one year I got a bicycle. Lots of years it was new underwear. Twenty years ago or so, around the Christmas season, my mom took her life. I don’t think that causes me too much residual angst, but it does sort of cloud the seasonal experience.

I joke that there are two times of year that I am "broke." The day before Christmas, and the day I leave on vacation! For many years now, the Wear family tradition has been a gathering at my father’s house. A few years ago my son took over the hosting duties. Yesterday we got together. We ate together. The children played together. We exchanged gifts. We teased each other. Played games together. There was plenty of warmth and love in the room.

Each of us come to these family gatherings with the blessings and the trials of our daily lives. The trials always seem to be with us every year, relationship or work heartaches, illness in friends or family, struggles with finances or decisions about the kids seem to fade a little as we open some presents and share our lives. For me, the financial strain of Christmas fades in the muted hues of family love.

My daughter likes to watch the TV series Modern Family. I haven’t become a regular fan. I told her, "I don’t need to watch Modern Family, I am living it!" She laughed because my son told her almost the same thing!

Earlier in the day my youngest son and I were waiting in the car outside of Starbucks while my wife went in to get a coffee. As we sat there a man walked up to the trash can, looked around and started digging around. He pulled out a paper sack, fished out a discarded cup and drank its contents, there was left-over sandwich and he ate it. He looked over and saw me sitting in my car. I caught his eye and motioned him over to the window and handed him a few bucks. "God bless you," I said. I opened up my Kindle to Matthew 25 and read to Ben about the sheep and goats. I asked him if he understood what Jesus was trying to say. He said, "We should be nice to strangers." That seems like a good idea doesn’t it.

And for that matter, we should be nice to our wives, children and extended family members. Angels sang about it, didn’t they? Announcing Jesus’ birth to shepherds, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will to all mankind." I’ll make that my prayer for this Christmas: Father, bring us peace and good will every day of this coming year. Thank you for the gifts you bring us every day. Thank you for Jesus. Amen"