If you are a friend of mine on Facebook you would know that I love the following things; the Lord, my family, Disney, photography and Christmas. Depending on the order I can truthfully say the bottom three (Disney, photography, and Christmas) change places in the order of importance. My Lord and my family are always one and two on the list. When I can incorporate all three of them I am estatic. Finally, I am about to get to the subject of my title. I cannot pinpoint the time and place that Christmas became an obsession with me but I knew it was early.
With every holiday there were/are traditions that make it special. For me it was going to my aunt and uncle's house on Christmas Eve. For as long as my Uncle Pete was around we trekked in the car and headed to Illiopolis, Illinois for our holiday tradition. There was of course, grandparents at least until 1981 and a white flocked tree (that my Uncle would flock) and a cute stuffed Santa Claus sitting somewhere in the house. The food was good and it got better when we (my brothers and I) aged but it was unlike what mom made. It was "fancy" food not "home" food. Personally I preferred "home" food, still do. However, it was gourmet caliber.
As we got older Christmas traditions changed. My brother John and his family kind of dictated what we would do for Christmas because he had the magical ingrediant for it all, he had babies, which later turned into toddlers, and you know the rest. They had to travel for Christmas so whenever they could make it to Decatur we would have Christmas. Whether or not that fell on December 25 or not. My mom always made you feel guilty if you couldn't make it on December 25 but, she trully understood.
One summer time event I remember that may have contributed to my obsession was tiny at the time but the memory of it strikes me as funny. We had moved to a new home the previous year and one day I decided to listen to music on the big console stereo. I plugged in the huge headphones and I slipped the LP out of it's sleeve and proceeded to play the Andy Williams Christmas album. To this day Christmas is not complete without "Happy Holidays" and "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" playing on my iPod as I walk in the mall.
Santa, of course, was a big part of my early memories of Christmas. He used to show up at Brettwood Village shopping area by helicopter on the day after Thanksgiving and have a little gingerbread looking house where he would greet you along with a candy cane (one Christmas "tradition" I could do without...). I can remember I was petrified of him. It took me a long time to get over the fear. I am over that fear now, and have actually got the chance to play Santa at our school and have seen the same fear from little ones as they have sat on my lap. Today, of course, Santa shows up at malls across the nation as early as November 1 and this week in particular will be busy taking orders from pint-sized kids.
Speaking of kids, I have worked in the education field since 1991 when I began subbing at my old high-school. I then began working at a day-care facility and it was during a summer at a day-care in Normal, Illinois that I began my infamous countdown to Christmas on the fence slats of the playground when some school age students and I did a math problem to figure out how many more days it was until Christmas. We ended up marking each day with sidewalk chalk on the slats and I have used the strategy ever since. Today I mark it on Facebook and on my board at school.
My kids of course love Christmas, my oldest one Nick, was born on December, 21, 1998. My youngest boy, Wyatt has a brain disorder and he cannot say many things BUT he knows "Anta Caw" ho ho ho! My daughter loves to bake and ride in the car and look at lights at night in her PJs. I love that radio stations play continuous holiday favorites from Thanksgiving on, actually on my XM radio it started on November 11 this year.
Movies are a big part of my holiday cheer. I have must watches which include Holiday Inn, The Santa Clause trilogy, and White Christmas. My wife MUST watch It's a Wonderful Life or the holiday is not complete. However, the thing is I like these movies year round and with my iTunes and Apple TV it is easy to do. On the same subject telvision shows are important also. Two of them in particular, Rudolph and a Charlie Brown Christmas. I like the latter more now then I did when I was a kid because it reminds us through the lips of Linus the true meaning of Christmas.
This leads me to the real reason for the season. Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior was born and it is celebrated during this time of year. Hence the name "Christ"mas! I am aware that the chances of Him being born in December are not good. However, we cannot deny the angels shouting to the shepherds about a baby born in Bethlehem. The truth is He was BORN and he did die for us BUT He lives today because He defeated death's hold on us and we too can reap His sacrifice as our reward by accepting His grace into our heart.
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