Yes, ’tis the season to be jolly—for children to be in school Christmas programs singing “Up on the Housetop” and “Away in a Manger,” for tree lightings and Christmas walks through town, for Christmas Eve services where people joyously sing the “Hallelujah Chorus,” for raucous family gatherings of parents, siblings, and dozens of cousins. But … [Read more…]
My mother loved Christmas, but she especially loved Santa Claus. She told us of her delight as a child at getting an orange and a dime in her stocking, and I think she wanted us to have that same kind of delight. So here’s an account that I wrote in 2005. A true story! “I’m … [Read more…]
Of course Christmas was as wonderful as I expected. And it started early in December when we went to a Christmas production starring our two oldest grandchildren, Kinley and Knox. The night before Christmas, the three oldest grandchildren led our annual reading of the Luke 2 story of Jesus’ birth. Even Finn, the first grader, took … [Read more…]
My mother’s house always seemed to be the best Christmas house ever. I never lived there because she and my father built it after I’d been married seven years. He lived to enjoy it only 12 years, but she lived there 37 years and relished every moment. Her house seemed perfect for Christmas because the … [Read more…]
The Scrooge is dead. Long live the Scrooge! The Scrooge I refer to is my precious husband. He has always said he dislikes Christmas, but I believe it was just the preparations he disliked. Once Christmas arrived, he participated as joyfully as anyone else. He’s never minded spending money on people. In fact, he is … [Read more…]
My grandfather, Luther David Ralph, was quite a storyteller. Between chewing his tobacco and spitting it into the spittoon when Grandmama was watching and into the fireplace when she was not, this is a story he’d tell. In the year I became old enough to vote, I took off for points west. I ended up … [Read more…]
