Can't we talk about Christmas for while?

[Argent 88]

All this bad other stuff will still be around in January. Christmas won't.

[powderman]

We are watching the battle of the Christmas lights held every year. Lot's of beautiful lights and displays. Have NOT seen even one nativity scene or any reference to Jesus. All by folks with money to waste and be thankful for. As of yet nobody has thanked the Lord for anything, seems to be all about ME ME ME ME.
Christmas is my favorite time of the year. There's an even more spcl feeling this time of year when we walk in those Church doors.
Sadly it is the time of year for the worst spouse abuse, etc. Too many folks think it's all about gifts and get depressed when they have no money to buy nice things for their family. I know that feeling all too well. The best gift a man could give is to take his family to Church every week, and lead them to Jesus Christ, then all the bad stuff will go away. CHARLIE.

[Argent 88]

We are watching the battle of the Christmas lights held every year. Lot's of beautiful lights and displays. Have NOT seen even one nativity scene or any reference to Jesus. All by folks with money to waste and be thankful for. As of yet nobody has thanked the Lord for anything, seems to be all about ME ME ME ME.
Christmas is my favorite time of the year. There's an even more spcl feeling this time of year when we walk in those Church doors.
Sadly it is the time of year for the worst spouse abuse, etc. Too many folks think it's all about gifts and get depressed when they have no money to buy nice things for their family. I know that feeling all too well. The best gift a man could give is to take his family to Church every week, and lead them to Jesus Christ, then all the bad stuff will go away. CHARLIE.

I understand, here also. But not in our church last year.  Prayers, rejoicing, and good music.
It was the beauty of the whole thing that was the gift. And the ladys  brought some food lol.

[Argent 88]

https://youtu.be/E3GqXdarBPo

[Argent 88]

It doesn't always have to be about something political PM. That will wait.

[powderman]

I was wrong, the 4th or 5th group was proud of their beautiful manger scene.

When I was a pup Mom took me Christmas Eve with her to give Uncle Charlie and Aunt Minnie their gifts. Uncle Charlie never married, he lived his life caring for his Sister Minnie, she was pretty well blind, thickest glasses I ever saw. Gifts were the same every year and they looked forward to them. Uncle Charlie would get a big box of King Edward cigars, Aunt Minnie would get a big tin packed with Moms home made candy. I can still see her big smile and saying OH MY as she got her gift.

One year Mom got the not so bright an idea to give Uncle Charlie something besides those nasty cigars. He made it very plain that he was not happy. My Dad got him his usual and he was happy. Mom never did that again.

I have nothing but great Christmas memories. Even the Church plays and school Christmas plays were fun.
Never many gifts, but lots of love. Back then in a small town in Ill I only knew of one family with only 1 parent and their Dad was killed in a hunting accident. Pretty well all of my classmates went to one Church or another.
Unlike many, if not most kids today, we had God in our lives.

I'm up again because I have gout in my feet, left the worst one and I hurt. Supposed to get meds tomorrow or Wed. I took xtra Tylenol, going to try for bed again, good night Sir.

[Argent 88]

I used to like to go to, or be an altar boy in the Midnight Mass. It was very beautiful back then.
But that was in the old days, early 60s. The way the church is now things are simply not the
same. Especially with Francis in charge, he just pushed me even farther away. 

[goodshot]

   Good thing for us all our Lord and Savior is still the same yesterday, today and forever.


 My favorite as well, I have the Santa laugh down where moms AND the kids will turn around with eyes wide and mouths open, and of course singing and enjoying these beautiful songs of the season builds us up and keeps our minds "stayed on Him" as we are instructed.
blessings

[powderman]

When my daughter was young in ILL she wanted to go wherever I went. We went to cut a cedar for our Christmas tree. Across a field and through the woods, 4-5 in of snow on the ground. She picked the tree and I cut it. I carried it on my should with her behind. The top would bounce up and down as I walked. It was cute watching her  jumping up and down trying to grab it, until she did. Down I went with both of us having a good laugh. I had to cut 2 ft off just to get it in the door. It turned out to be a  very nice tree. CHARLIE. 

[pastorp]

I dug up a 5’ cedar tree on the back side of the ranch and planted it in my front yard. We decorated it with lights for a few years until it got too tall to decorate it any more. Must be 15’ tall now about 6 years later. I used cow manure to feed it when I planted it and with no other trees to compete with it went tall and wide. It’s a real joy every time I look at it.

I also dug up a wild orange tree and planted it 7 years ago. We picked our first fruit off it last year. And it’s loaded again this year. The fruit should be ready by Christmas.

Christmas has always been a special time of year as we celebrate the birth of our lord.

[goodshot]

   Wonderful memories to hear, thank you friends, I guess I never thought of a "wild" orange tree.
 Where in Illinois, Charlie?

[powderman]

Around Effingham, Watson to be precise. As I look back on things, I guess we lived in MAYBERRY. No theft or breakins, no murders. All that has changed. CHARLIE. 

[northwoodneil]

I miss old time Christmas. I also grew up in Mayberry. We had locks on our doors but no keys, didn't need 'em. We celebrated Christmas on Christmas eve, I was told it is an old nordic custom. We would head off for church services while dad was still in the barn milking and when we got home Santa had been there and dad never noticed his arrival. I still to this day can't picture my old man leaving the barn to put out gifts and eat the cookies and milk we left. We'd have to do our Christmas pageant parts for him before we opened gifts because he missed them. A lot of times there wasn't a lot under the tree but there was always an abundance of Christmas spirit around the tree.

[Ranger99]

just me- we no longer celebrate a traditional gift giving type Christmas.
too many have forgotten what Christmas is all about.
what family i have left gets together and shares a meal and visits
and enjoys each other's company like we should while we're here.


it'll be kinda grim for some of my relatives. a relative on my mother's
side just passed this last week very suddenly out of the blue.
it'll be tough for them to deal with the passing at this time of year
when everyone is supposed to be happy and celebrating, but there's
still a few of us for them to fall back on for moral support.
i think they're strong enough to move forward and not let it drag
them down into a dark place like so many get to be.
i told them they would be remembered in our thoughts and prayers
and to call if anything is needed.

[powderman]

After opening gifts my Dad and I went rabbit hunting Christmas morning. I'll never forget all of those wonderful smells coming from Moms kitchen as we walked in the door. Unless it was on a Sunday we didn't have a Church service.
The Uncle Charlie I spoke of pretty well taught my Dad all the things he needed to know to stay alive in WW11. Pops Dad died of cancer just after he was born, he was Pops mothers brother. They lived right beside the old Baptist Church, gone now.
Our little Church always had a really nice Christmas program. Lots of singing, great testimonies, and preaching. Our school did too. Jesus was the focus in both places. Like I said before, most folks in town went to one of the 3 Churches we had. I doubt if Jesus could even be mentioned in a school play today.
 I was hoping more people would jump in here with their own Christmas memories from different regions around America, or wherever they remember. CHARLIE. 

[powderman]

When my bro was young he and his best friend would go camping every Christmas eve, this was in ctrl Ill. I must have been about 16 cause I could drive.
Snowing and the temp dropped and Mom got worried. She asked me to go chk on them, anything for Mom. I knew basicly where their camp usually was so I drove dwn an old road and got out to head where I thought they might be. I was really getting cold, there was a big barn the farmer stored hay, etc in. I heard something and saw a faint glow in the loft. They had built a cozy shelter out of hay bales, as  I'm sure several of us have done. They were OK, snug as bugs in a rug. CHARLIE. 

[powderman]

Mom used to take me to visit sick, inj, often. 
Dona Marie was a teen with polio, she was bedridden. They had a big farm but most of their money was spent caring  for her. The RR was real close to them. She enjoyed reading books, mags, newspapers, etc. when she could get them. Somehow, a train crew learned about her and the family and their hardship. They would scoop coal off to both sides of the tracks for them to pick up and burn. They collected newspapers and mags all up and down their route and bundled them up and tossed them off for her and the family.
Dona was a real pretty girl and stayed in good spirits. Her family were solid Christians and never lost faith.
Not sure if this was around Christmas or not, but that was 55-60 years ago. CHARLIE.