My eldest daughter goes all out decorating for Christmas.  Her house always looks like a Christmas magazine photo shoot.  See what I mean?

      This year is no exception.  A few days ago we were having a conversation and she dropped tiredly into a chair and said, “Why do I do it?  Go to all this work for Christmas?’  To which my husband replied, “You’re making memories.”

     Now that resonated with me, and apparently with her too, for much to my amazement, when we entered her house last evening, along with her usual “Martha Stewart” décor, in the butler’s pantry stood a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.  On it attached with paper clips were family Christmas photos from years past.  She was just getting started, but already had enough photos that her Dad and I spent half an hour looking and remembering.  It is in no way gorgeous like her other tree, or like her trees from years past, but let me tell you, we spent far more time looking at it than we have at any other.

     My suggestion, this Christmas take the effort to make some memories with your family.  It doesn’t have to cost a thing. One of my children’s favorite memories is when they were tiny I would bundle them up on Christmas Eve night and their Dad would take them outside to check the sky for Santa and the reindeers.  Even though they knew it was all pretend, they loved it!  (We never taught our children to believe in Santa or any of the make-believe things like Tooth Fairy, for we wanted them to know we would never lie to them about anything.  Nonetheless we always had fun pretending and it never lessened their joy on Christmas morning.)

     Another thing we ALWAYS did on Christmas Eve was to gather in the Living Room around the coffee table in front of the fireplace.  Then by candlelight my husband would read the account in Luke of the birth of the Christ Child.  I am happy to say we still do this and so do our four children in their homes.  I am so glad the tradition is still alive for my twelve grandchildren.  Although none of the grands are married yet, I have a feeling when they do and I visit in their homes on Christmas Eve, I will hear Luke’s account of the Greatest Story Ever Told.
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!