Townhall...
Christmas
Cheer
by Jackie Gingrich Cushman
Dec 22, 2011
Christmas
memories fill our Christmas
tree. It stands in our living room, filled with white lights and
ornaments. Our
ornaments reflect the life of our family: varied and interesting, some
old,
some new, some precious and some common.
Some
of the ornaments are from my
childhood. Every Christmas, my parents used to give my sister Kathy and
me an
ornament. Our tree includes a flying angel, a Mrs. Claus on a rocker
and a
singing angel, to name a few. My mother gave me back these ornaments a
few
years ago, and as I pull them out each December, I remember the
Christmases of
my childhood.
My
early Christmas memories all
include trees that would barely stand up. I don’t know if it’s because
the
stands that we have now are better, or if we have straighter trees, but
all of
the Christmas trees from my childhood were secured by wires strung from
the
adjacent walls. It made stringing the lights a bit more difficult, but
at least
the tree remained standing. Except for the one year that my parents
gave my
sister and me kittens.
They
were under the tree when we woke
up: short-haired, black, white and gray kittens. I named mine Cutie Pie
(because, of course, she was cute), and my sister named hers Nosey
(yes, she
was a curious cat). A few days later, we added a third cat to our
household
when its owners went out of town. I am sure they must have realized
what they
were doing when they asked my parents to “watch” the kitten for a few
days.
We
called the third kitten White Paws,
(yes, she had white paws). They weren’t very imaginative names, but
they were
great fun for little girls.
That
was the year that the tree fell
over -- as the kittens crawled up the tree trunk.
Other
ornaments on our tree include an
angel that I made in first grade, and an ornament with my picture in it
from
later in grammar school. We have ornaments from places that my husband
and I
visited before we had children (Seattle) and ornaments from places that
we have
visited as a family, (Key Biscayne, Fla.).
We
also have ornaments that our
children have crafted -- balls and stars, sand dollars and snowmen.
These are
among my most treasured ornaments. Gifts from the heart, crafted by
hands with
love.
The
tree reminds me of life. It is not
perfect, it is not without challenges, drama or changes. However, life
is full
of tender moments: weddings, births, anniversaries and celebrations. As
many of
us pause this week to remember and celebrate the birth of Christ, we
will
remember the greatest gift that has ever been given. God’s only son. We
are
given God’s love, his forgiveness and, because of those gifts, our
redemption.
We
didn’t do anything to earn these
gifts, nor could we earn them if we tried. They are simply gifts from
God, by
his grace.
When
I look at our family’s tree, I
don’t see a hodgepodge of ornaments. Instead, I see a melange, a
mixture of
moments from our lives. I remember the memories of treasured family
time that
warm my heart and nourish my soul, as well as the anticipation of more
such
moments to come. As my gaze rests upon our tree, I am thankful for
God’s gift
of love, for his grace, and pray that it can be seen through me, by
others. The
greatest present of all, God’s love, redemption and grace.
Read
this and other columns at
Townhall
|