Sparks from the Fire

If you missed the first part of this series, go to The Spirit of Christmas – Part 1

Christmas Eve
As a Sunday School teacher for some 25 years, I used to tell my kids, “Thanksgiving is not about eating turkey, Easter is not about the Easter bunny and Christmas is not about Santa Claus.”  As hard as those lessons were to get across to a young boy, my parents, Dolly and Lyman, worked constantly to instill the proper concepts in both my brother and me.

I think, remembering back, that they were both pretty smart about it.  In the build of anticipation towards Christmas morning, they kept Christmas Eve as the sacred occasion.  It was not a night of opening presents, usually just one and that one a boring one like socks from Nana or underwear from Uncle Dick.  There was always last minute wrapping involved, but always, the greater portion of the evening was spent discussing or exploring the true meanings of Christmas.

The birth of Jesus was not forgotten.  It was my mom who made sure of this.  We were not allowed to go out to parties and out with our friends.  This was a family night and a night for only family.  I never minded this.  It was just the way it was done.  Besides, I loved being with my family.  My brother was my hero, my mom was always my best friend and my dad was, well… Dad.  They were always enough.

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If you missed the first part of this series, go to The Spirit of Christmas – Part 1

Blue Ribbon Christmas
I grew up in an upper-middle class family in Kirkwood, Missouri living in a beautiful stone house with a green tile roof a half a block from Greenbriar Hills Country Club.  Our back yard, beyond our lilac bushes, was the 11th fairway of the golf course where in the summer, we played baseball till it was so dark that the ball was lost the minute you hit it into the outfield.  In the fall the golf course became the perfect football field and in winter the snow on the golf course hills made the tobogganing wild and wooly.

Most of the homes in Greenbriar were situated on the golf course and the community was close, friendly and laid back.  I prided myself in knowing the family names of the people in every house in Greenbriar.

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