Christmas Stories…

“In every conceivable manner, the family is the link to our past, bridge to our future.”                                                                                                                                        Alex Haley

I often tell my clients that it is helpful to write out our “story”. We each have a unique story, all of which have great merit. That story is good for each of us to recall and record, not only for us but for those who come after us. For many millennia, stories have been passed down by oral tradition. The problem with oral traditions is that they get slightly altered over the generations.

Written stories carry the accuracy of the writer so far as their own memory allows. Indeed, our memories are colored perhaps more than we are aware. We add or subtract or slightly alter the details based upon our perceptions at the time. Still, we can get a better picture of the situations as we record them in writing.  

All this to say that I have been recalling some past Christmases- even back to when I was maybe six years old. Like when my uncle Bob was Santa Claus. I think somehow, I knew it was uncle Bob, but I didn’t want to ruin the illusion for either of us. I wanted to believe, and I am sure he wanted me to believe!

Then there were those Christmases where Santa just always happened to show up on Christmas Eve when I was taking a bath. Just missed him!

There were those wonderful Christmas Days when I was an adult and my parents were still alive. We had a houseful of people, gathered around a table laden with food. Friends and relatives crammed into our little house on Mayfair Ave. in Cheviot, Ohio (a small Cincinnati suburb). The spirit of love was in the air.

Well, there were so many other Christmas memories. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve when I sang in the choir and we sang those wonderful Christmas carols and hymns. The little nook in the living room where we set up the live tree. The ancient manger set handmade by my grandfather (or maybe his grandfather, I was never sure).

Finally, there were those more recent Christmases where my wife and kids and grandkids all went to the late-night service at church where we gathered with hundreds of others and sang Silent Night in candlelight to end the service.

So, my friends, recall your great Christmas memories, and consider writing them down. It is an enjoyable mental trip…