Don’t Let Christmas Be About “Stuff”

Christmas is just five days away and it is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of the season. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t remember a lot of the “I had to have it” gifts growing up. The ones that do stand out was my Barbie Dream House with a string that pulled the elevator up and down and a sit and spin.

Christmas Memories at Grandma's

I didn’t grow up in a house with a lot but what we did have were memories. I do remember going to bed with the excitement of waking up knowing that Santa came and brought something.

My brother Hank and my sister Samantha would eagerly awake with joy to see what we got that year. Then the sadness came when we had to leave it all to go to my Grandma’s house since it was also her birthday.

We then got to talk to all our cousins and swap stories about what we each got. I sometimes thought, “Wow, they got a lot compared to me,” but the joy of Christmas remained.

The butternut cake and chicken & dumplings my Grandma always made were some of my favorites. After lunch, Grandma would throw a sheet over the table and if you got hungry later, you just helped yourself.

She also had an aluminum Christmas tree that had a revolving light that shined on it that changed the color. I can see that little tree with presents piled around it. I don’t really remember the gifts as much as that sparkling tree though. My Grandma had ten children and thirty plus grandchildren, so the pile was high!

More Christmas Memories at Granny's House

After Grandma’s house, we went to my Granny’s house. Granny made Christmas the very best in that she always wanted help in the kitchen. I remember standing in a chair beside her as we rolled out dumpling dough and cut them in tiny strips to add to the chicken cooking on the stove.

Her famous tea cakes that sat in her tea cake tin never seemed to be empty despite the number of cookies I ate out of it. She would let me roll out the cookie dough and cut the shapes out and sample them as soon as they were out of the oven.

I remember sitting with her cutting out squares to make quilts too. She was always so patient, and I cherish our talks while we quilted.

Legacies and Holiday Traditions

Both of my grandmothers aren’t with us anymore but the legacy and traditions they left in my heart live on. The memories made with them are what Christmas is about to me.

Now, my own family is making memories. I will always hold on to my Christmas memories that I had as a child and pray that my children will remember the fun times, we had in celebrating the birth of our Savior and the joy of the Christmas spirit.

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.”

Let Us Help You Have a Merry Christmas

This Christmas focus on what matters, not the stuff. Faith and family. If you're struggling to make ends meet this holiday season, contact one of our offices today to see if bankruptcy is an option for you. Merry Christmas from all of us in the Bond & Botes family!