Saturday, December 5, 2020

Christmas Customs 12/5/2020

 Good Morning,

It is quiet in our home and the fireplace is glowing sending some heat right to the den where I am sitting. My mug is filled with Door County Spicy Nutcracker Coffee and now it is time to write.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday and forever. 

The year 2020 is just about over and it has been one for the memory banks or as some have said, "one to forget". It seems as if Covid 19 will put the damper on Christmas with social distancing, stay at home orders, masks, and all the arguing of whether to vaccinate or not to vaccinate. 


So I looked back at my blogs for the last few weeks and I decided that there was way too much of my time spent writing about the doom and gloom and not enough on joy, peace, hope and love. Today I seek to remedy that. I was talking with our daughter yesterday and she was telling me what she is doing for a Christmas gift for her son. I can't tell you what it is, because he reads this blog now and then and I will not spoil the surprise. The effort she is putting into this gift is huge. But you can tell that her gift comes from the heart. It inspired me to not cut short on traditions that Rene and I grew up with and have carried on for many years. Although our gathering will be just the two of us we will celebrate, put up a tree, read the Christmas story from our Bible, if allowed, we will attend church on Christmas Eve and then feast together on just what we used to eat when I was a boy. Christmas morning, I will be out with our two dogs and a shotgun. I will hunt for a couple of hours and then come home and prepare a Christmas brunch with hot baked ham. 

The Christmas Eve feast will be later in the evening and my thoughts will turn to memories of being a kid and watching, my parents and my aunt and uncle get ready for both days. We lived next door to each other and one would host Christmas Eve and the other would host Christmas day. My grandparents from that side of the family would always be there . My favorite was Christmas Eve when we would have the nice spicy Italian Sausages, potato salad, and relishes with everything from radishes to pickled pork hocks. Of course there were cookies that were piled up high, much to the delight of this cookie monster. 

I don't know about you and what you are thinking right now, but my hope was to cause you to go back and have a fond memory. As I write I am smiling and my eyes are wet, recalling those old days. My goal this year is to find the happy place in my heart and cherish the old and deal with everything some how in a positive way celebrating what we have and not whining about what it isn't. Oh yes, I foresee a small bottle of pickled pork hocks making it's way to our house. You see friends, all though the world dynamics have changed, the Christmas story of Jesus hasn't. I won't let us forget why we celebrate December 25th!!

God bless, Christmas is coming, it is all a state of mind and heart. We can do this!

Marty

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