Every Christmas season my heart returns to the past, to the house where I grew up, and to the wonderful Christmases I spent with my parents, my brother, and the rest of my family. I can still picture my Aunt Bill unmolding gelatin salads on a tray and piling the carved turkey high on a platter. I still thrill with excitement when I remember my Aunt Johnny and Uncle Fred arriving from out of town with big smiles on their faces, hugs all around, and a car packed full of presents.
The scene often shifts to the Christmases my husband and I spent with our children when they were growing up and Santa Claus was real to them. I could barely contain my excitement on Christmas Eve as I laid out their toys and anticipated their reactions on Christmas morning. These are such happy memories, and I yearn to relive those times and see those precious faces again.
The Christmas season in recent years has changed for me and my family. My children, and even some of my grandchildren, are grown, and there are seven great grandchildren. Because there are so many of us, it is no longer feasible to gather the whole crowd at one time, so we are having several smaller Christmas celebrations. It is not the same, and I miss our traditions.
Christmas past and present can be bitter sweet, but the future holds only joy for those who will one day celebrate this holiday with its honoree, Jesus Christ. Jesus came that we might rejoice in the sweet memories of the past and in His constant presence with us in the present, but, most of all, so we can rejoice in the eternal future which He has lovingly prepared for each of His children. So there can be, and should be, joy even in the middle of our losses in the past and our problems in the present because of all that the future holds for us. Rejoice!
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