Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

I come from a poor family.  We didn’t have much.  But the Laaaaawd’s been good to me.  Now those are lyrics from a song, but they really are my testimony.  As I sit and think about Christmas from over 30 years ago, I can see how much the good Lord has blessed me and my family.

Back in those days, we had some steadfast traditions that revolved around food.  You should know by now that I have a billion food related memories.  Christmas baking holds a special place in my heart.  My great-grandmother would be on a roll.  She would bake and bake.  The top of the deep freezer would be lined with sweet treats.  But the food did not stop there.

Every winter, there would be a glass bowl on the coffee table in the living room.  In it would be apples, oranges, and nuts.  Not shelled nuts either.  The nuts that you would need to use a metal nutcracker to eat.  The nutcracker would be displayed on the table as well.  Of course, the food was not there for show.  It was there for eating.  I wanted nuts all the time because I wanted to use the nutcracker.

We would all gather together in my great-grandmother’s house.  Her living room was not that big.  Please keep in mind that my family is big in body and size.  And yet somehow, we would all fit in that house on Christmas day.  I really wish that I had footage of us from those years.  I still do not understand how we all packed in there at the same time.  I never felt crowded.  It all felt just right.

We would exchange gifts.  We would laugh.  And let’s be real.  We ate!  My life was simple.  My life was full.  I had more than I could have ever imagined.  I was so content.  I was more than content actually.  I was happy and thankful for the time that I spent with my family.  The joy that I felt every Christmas easily made Christmas my favorite time of the year.

If I am honest, as time has passed, Christmas lost some of that razzle dazzle for me.  Except this year has truly been different.  I have more excitement.  I have more deep-down joy.  The material gifts pale in comparison to the gifts that the good Lord has blessed me with in 2020.  Especially when I think back over thirty years ago and picture my family squished together in a small living room having the time of our lives.  Christmas will look different.  This year we will be squished in our individual boxes on a Zoom.  But I am so thankful that we will be able to even have that.  I come from a poor family.  We did not have much.  But the Lord has been good to us.  #wepreach