A Childhood of Priceless Christmas Memories

Christmas has been and continues to be my favorite time of the year. The glittery tinsel, sparkling Christmas lights, warm Yule fires, freshly baked cookies, and chorus of joyful laughter seem to transform everything around us. Where once we saw hate and ignorance around us, we now feel love and kindness for our fellow man. Dark, dirty city streets are reborn with jolly Christmas tunes and breathtaking light displays. Gone are the feelings of hopelessness, replaced by the type of anticipation and hope which only a season of giving and the prospect of a new year can bring.

There is something about Christmas that allows us to reach back into our childhood and rediscover innocence and optimism . . . something that brings us back in touch with the most basic--yet most important-- things in life. Christmas embodies the best this world can offer: love, joy, thankfulness, hope, contentment, and togetherness. That is why even the leanest of Christmases can be the richest, if only approached with a childlike heart.

Growing up, my family never had a lot of money. My parents were selfless givers, who wanted their children to have the world, but there simply wasn't a lot of material possessions to go around. Sure, it wasn't always easy watching other children receive the expensive gifts that I longed to find under the tree Christmas morning. However, now that I am grown and have children of my own, I realize that I gained much more receiving less than I ever would have getting everything on my Christmas list.

Probably the most invaluable lesson my childhood Christmases taught me is Christmas--and life--is filled with amazing and unexpected gifts that far outshine anything that could be wrapped and topped with a bow. When I think back to Christmases past I don't remember the clothes or the toys or the Christmas cards sent with cash. Rather, I remember the laughter and joy I shared with my loved ones as we exchanged gifts and as we sat to eat a delicious Christmas dinner together. I remember the handmade Christmas cards I used to surprise my parents with every year and the misshapen, overly sprinkled Christmas cookies we baked to hand out to family and friends. Most of all, I remember the Christmas carols we happily sang together, our voices joined together in merry, though not-so-perfect, harmony. And even though some of those voices have been taken away from us over the years, it all comes flooding back each and every Christmas as cheerful carols fill the air.