Back as far as I can remember, at the Miller Christmas, my grandmother would pass around her Bible to one of the men in the family to read The Christmas Story from the book of Luke. All of the children were terribly impatient for him to finish because they knew that meant they could begin tearing into the presents. It was the longest 20 minutes of our lives.
Fast forward some 50 years plus and we still read The Christmas Story. My father now allows the grands to read. It seems a lifetime has passed while we wait on them to finish as they struggle with certain words such as Quirnius, lineage and Cyrenius. Even though the message has always been the same: Jesus came into the world to save sinners; it has greater meaning to me every year.
You can see one of the last times my dad read the story here. (I hadn’t noticed he was reading from a tablet!)
As years passed, my parents added to the anticipation of opening presents by going around the room and having each one of us tell what we were thankful for that particular year. Many families do that on Thanksgiving but we didn’t get that memo, so Christmas it is.
Tears flow as we recall the wonderful things God has either spared us from or brought us through and we rejoice with each family member as they share. It can be as simple as “I’m thankful for my parents and the ham in the oven” or “I’m thankful that God spared my life this year.” Whatever the sentiment or whoever the recipient, we all reflect and give thanks.
When I married The Sweetheart, I discovered every family had different traditions. My mother-in-law began a new one on my very first Elkins Christmas. This was after we had opened gifts and she was always trying to find a way to tame the chaos. She had a giant Christmas sock, biggest I had ever seen, and she had filled it with little gifts. It could have been a tube of Chapstick (an Elkins sibling WILL NOT be caught dead without one in their pocket) a pen and pencil set, fingernail clippers (another must-have jingle in the pocket of an Elkins) and of course candy or anything under $5. Then we would all gather around as she made a production of dumping the sock full of gifts on the floor. It was a literal free-for-all.
And you are wondering: why, in the name of all that is sacred, would grown adults scamper for fingernail clippers and Chapstick? Because Mamaw Tava had hidden money in one of the gifts, that’s why! And that first Christmas, the newbie, me, grabbed a blue change purse that said “Something good is going to happen” on the outside of it and on the inside? A five dollar bill! This was 1979 people, $5 bought a lot of gas!
Fast forward through the years and The Sock evolved. So did the monetary gifts. Mamaw Tava became more generous with this extra curricular activity on Christmas Eve. Now we gathered in the Dining Room around the table. Mamaw would draw names to see who would go first and then call those numbers only to draw again for your actual number to pick a present. I kid you not. All of the gifts were spread out on the table, wrapped of course, and you were not allowed to touch them. You chose a gift when your name was called and then waited until everyone had one and then she drew names or numbers again to see who opened their gift and when. There would be a variety of cd’s, books, alarm clocks, flashlights or new gadgets that had just made it to infomercials and As-Seen-on-TV. But inside one gift would be $20, another had $10 and one had $5. Some years she was even more generous and it was quite exciting.
Several years ago she was really feeling the Christmas spirit and she sang Jingle Bells as the family walked around the table and when she yelled stop, well, take a look for yourself at the mayhem that followed:
Times have changed, grandchildren or maybe the great grands will read the Christmas Story this year. New faces will be around the dinner table. The DIL’s are in charge of The Sock game; Mamaw Tava passed away almost five years ago. But, the bottom line is that we are family. We are children of the Most High God, gathered to celebrate His entrance into the world, His coming to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
And the older I get, the more I realize it was for me, it was for you. He loved me and He loved you, and would have died had we been the only ones that needed Him to. He loves us all that much.
You all have your own stories but for some, this Christmas is not a happy one. There is sorrow and sadness with empty chairs around the table. Jesus knows, Jesus is near. Love on those that need strength and comfort. Christmas is family with all their quirks and craziness and Christmas is Jesus.
While this might not have been your typical devotion, there are two key points I encourage you to focus on during this season. One of course is the true reason for the season. Second is that aside from reason number one, the most important thing is time we spend with family and friends. Making memories, and sharing experiences that will, like Mamaw Tava’s sock, last long after we are gone.
