Home For Christmas
Special Post 4
The little girl was 6 years old and just brimming over with excitement ! Christmastime had come again and it was snowing heavily. A thick sparkling blanket of snow was upon everything outside. It was Christmas Eve 1960 and Santa was going to make his annual appearance that very night.
All was in readiness. Mom was baking cookies and was nearly finished. Dad was doing "dad" things. He always tape recorded Christmas morning on the "latest" in technology tape recorder so he could enjoy hearing everyone in all their Christmas excitement later on when all the chaos was over and he could relax and just enjoy his family. He was also preparing because he was going to record a talk he planned to have with Santa that evening for his 6-year-old. Her two brothers were being very secretive about something as well as her sister and everyone was feeling Christmas in the air. She did not know it but her two brothers had saved for weeks to buy their baby sister a giant stuffed animal dog with their paper route money and had sneaked it into the house, feeling very sly, without her knowing. Of course, her big sister was "in" on it.
Christmas carolers had stopped by earlier in the evening and it was such a magical sight. It was just like a scene right from the little 6-year-old's favorite Christmas movie, A Christmas Carol !! The little 6-year-old was sure this was what heaven was like as she stood holding her mother's hand listening to the joyous songs of Savior's birth as the snow continued transforming everything with its soft, sparkling Christmassy glow. Soon it was time for her to go to bed so that Santa could arrive !!
Her two big brothers and big sister tucked her into bed which had extra blankets given the chilly temperatures. The small fireplace in the bedroom seemed to have a special kind of Christmas warmth that night it didn't usually have. When the little girl was settled in and was comfy her big brothers and sister began to softly sing to her....the same familiar carols she had heard every Christmas but she loved hearing them. This was a ritual every Christmas for her siblings to tuck her in and then sing carols to her. She was far too excited to sleep and she loved being with her siblings.
Hark The Herald Angels Sing rang through the bedroom and down into the kitchen. Mom and dad even joined in briefly as they went about their Christmas chores. The togetherness of the family that night was more magical than any other time in the year...
Silent night, holy night began to fill the room and the lttle girl finally dropped off to dream of Santa and his reindeer, of angels and a town called Bethlehem and of a doll she hoped Santa would bring her called Suzy Smart....
Years later the little 6-year-old girl is now grown. She still remembers those magical Christmases with her dear brothers and sister singing carols. Though her family are mostly gone now except for her sister, she still feels them in her heart and remembers the precious gift Christmas and family gave to her and still gives her.
The little 6-year-old girl has a new family now. They are a group of people who love Christmas as much as she does. She is part of the group where she is always welcome like Christmas itself. Though there are many diversities among this group their souls are intertwined with good cheer and hope for the future, their families and the world and their hearts beat as one at Christmas. There are times when she feels 6 years old again when visiting with this group and when she closes her eyes she can still see the gently glowing fireplace, the beautiful tree and see the gently falling snow and hear the gentleness and peacefulness of Silent Night being sung once more.......
Merry Christmas, my dear Christmas family. I love you all.
