Unwrap Christmas Memories – Lay Aside Every Weight

Go ahead, former procrastinators… Sneak in and unwrap some Christmas memories!

I’ve moved so quickly through recent holiday seasons that it’s as if I’ve delayed enjoying sweet memories. How can I cherish memories if I don’t review them?  Unwrap yours, share them with others, and ask about their treasures.

If you have some sad memories, ask the Lord to help you unwrap as He prompts. Ask him to give you His perspective and help you see the gift of His hand on your life – that in spite of pain, there is love.  That can lighten the weight of a sad memory.

For other memories, let’s lay aside the demands on us now, look back, and review the sweet impressions we still recall.

As a child I was fascinated by my distorted image when I gazed into a shiny round ornament. Mother sewed red and white striped flannel pj’s for Daddy, my brothers, and a nightgown for me – great in family movies. Every year we children had to wait behind the door for Daddy to set up his 8 mm camera; then we’d burst into the living room. (It was fun to run those movies backward!) 

One year Daddy insisted I paint Santa Claus stuck in our chimney. I painted a figure he then cut out of plywood and mounted on the chimney, complete with spotlight. I was mortified; Santa was out of proportion.  Daddy only showed pleasure. Mother baked cookies with our help and mailed many to relatives.   She kept her fruitcake on the cold back porch, carefully wrapped in towels. 

At five, our son asked to put up outdoor lights.  He relished the job and changed the design every day.  When I struggled with assembling brass angels, he took the screwdriver. “Let me, Mom.”  Another job he had from age five on.  I remember his hopeful face (and her delighted one) when he gave his sister a new bike – a surprise to us all.

I remember our daughter cradling a baby doll nearly as big as she was, and her happy grin years later when she received a doll she’d hoped for someday. I remember her singing alone, tiny behind a mic, and with other children. What beautiful strains of praise, her heart shining in her face.  Her carols on the piano, to this day are distinctively hers and make me cry. 

We didn’t always get to celebrate on Christmas Day due to work requirements.  One Christmas night Daddy and I talked on the phone.  He was alone at his house and I was alone at ours several states away.  That night my precious Daddy accepted Jesus as his Savior.  He received The Greatest Gift – and gave me the greatest memory.

What Christmas memory do you cherish?