Christmas Presence

My memories of Christmas are detailed and vivid. Christmas has always been a very special time of year and was filled with anticipation from year to year. Each one standing out because of the gifts that meant so much to me.

While I enjoy each and every season that the year brings, fall and winter have special meaning to me. Fond memories of climbing high in a pecan tree and swaying in the cool breeze while looking at the landscape, while watching the Blue Jays and other birds and animals including squirrels and rabbits, as they moved about are special memories. Even going into the house to warm up are special. There were always smells of great things cooking that greeted me as I entered the house.

Back in those days, Christmas music was not played before Thanksgiving. Christmas was a season by itself. One of the signs of the approaching season was to go down to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal building and watch the “Laughing Santa Claus”. There were these life sized manikins representing Mr. and Mrs Santa Claus, he would be reading the comic section of the paper and laughing. It was a moving display and he would sit there laughing and slapping his knee over and over again. It drew crowds to the building and was one of the signs of the season.

There were the pictures and billboards with Santa drinking a Coca-Cola with the bottle barley touching his lips. Of course when I did it, coke ended up all over me. Darn those advertising pictures.

Of course, there was the annual Christmas parade. We would stand in line as the floats, marching bands and equestrian units went by, all with anticipation of seeing the float with Santa on it. This of course was a bitter sweet event because it also signaled the end of an enjoyable event.

The season was in full bloom for me when my Dad and I would venture to my Grandmother’s farm and cut the perfect tree. The crisp air was punctuated with the perfume that was the essence of the tree itself. It always smelled so wonderful to me and sent my imagination into overdrive. I didn’t have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, but almost everything was coming into life up there.

The tree would be placed into a stand and made the house smell like Christmas. So fragrant was the smell of the tree, that it signaled the start of each morning and made itself known each time you entered the house. The anticipation of the event was building.

With nightfall so much earlier in the winter, it was always a special treat to turn on the tree lights. There were some lights that would bubble when they got warm and I would always watch with anticipation for them to start bubbling. Such small details would make for big memories of the season.

As a child, if left alone on a Saturday, I could sleep until noon, but Christmas was different. The anticipation had built so much that it was difficult to go to sleep and once sleep, it was difficult if not impossible to remain sleep until daybreak.

Often, I would wake up and listen to hear if anyone was still out there setting stuff up. Once assured that I was the only one awake, I would venture to the hall and peek to see if “the goodies” were in place. If they were not, I would slowly make my way back to bed for another short session of sleeping.

One particular Christmas, my Uncle and Aunt and cousins were with us on Christmas. I woke up and ventured out to the tree and there was nothing set up. I went back to bed. When I woke up again, the same ritual was followed and I slowly made my way to a vantage point where I could see the tree. Again, nothing was there. I don’t know how many times this ritual was carried out but when it started to get light outside and there was nothing there, I began to get really worried. Something was wrong, really bad wrong!

Had the reindeer gotten lost or hungry? I knew it was not because I had been bad, besides there was not a lump of coal under the tree. Something needed to be done, quickly!

My parents had let my Uncle and Aunt stay in their bedroom and they were sleeping in my other bed in the basement. It was almost time to go into full panic mode and make the notification that the jolly fat man had missed us this year. Nobody was moving in the house except me. What was wrong?

Just as I entered the basement to make the notification of the terrible oversight, it became visible. The fat man in the red suit had left the bounty of the season downstairs, not upstairs under the tree. There was the electric train that I had wanted so much and still have to this very day. There was a brand new bicycle that I had wanted so much and a pogo stick that I had wanted since seeing one on television. Excitement filled my body and I jumped on my bicycle which was on a stand and started peddling at 100 mph. This woke up my parents and set that year’s Christmas celebration into motion!

I was not a high maintenance child but my parents went all out on this special day. I can recall the years by the gifts that I got. Tricycles when I was real young including one that had a chain drive just like a big kids bicycle. My first bicycle, my first typewriter, a succession of watches including the Hopalong Cassidy or my first grown up Bulova.

The articles that I got for Christmas are long gone, but the memories are not. As a kid, the articles are the things that were important, but as I have aged, it is the thought of the love that went into the selection that lingers.

My first two wheel bicycle purchased from Montgomery Ward is long gone, but the memories of my Dad teaching me to ride are vivid and precious to me. The Mr. and Mrs Potato Head that I wanted so much is many years in the past, but my parents went all the way to Charlotte looking for one so I could have that special Christmas. At the time, it did not mean a lot to me, but now, the love that they had to have to go to the trouble of finding a simple toy are strong memories of the love that they had for me.

There are times when it has taken me many years to value the gift that was given. I was greatly disappointed with my first typewriter. I did not know how to type and it would be many years before I took a course in it, but that turned out to be one of the skills that has served me more than many others. Now, I really look fondly on that gift that I would have traded for almost any toy that you can think of in the instant that I got it.

As a child, it was always the receipt of the gift that was so important. The story of the 3 wise men is a story of Christmas, but one that has changed for me as I have matured.  Sure it is a story of giving gifts, but my view was shallow as a kid. That has all changed today.

My updated view of the 3 wise men. The sign in the sky is recognized by these 3 wise men and they come to the place of birth bearing gifts. Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. I do not see the baby Jesus looking up from his crib in a manger with  only the animals to provide warmth saying to wise man number one, “Ah, wise man number 1 you have brought gold, currently selling for $1,252.00 per ounce, right on wise man number 1 (as he gives him a thumbs up).

Ah, ha wise man number 2, you have brought frankincense probably from North Africa, possibly from Somalia.  Wonderful gift, not only for its aromatic appeal, but from the great curative properties that are so diverse and useful for external and internal use. Right on wise man number 2 (as he gives him a thumbs up).

Ok, wise man number 3. I see you have also brought a very valuable gift from North Africa. It also has many curative properties like the frankincense brought by wise man number 2. Myrrh is often more valuable than gold. It is also used for aromatic appeal. Wise man number 3, you have outdone yourself (as he gives him a thumbs up).

While the story is a great one and shows the wise men paying tribute to the baby Jesus, to me, it has a meaning that is seldom discussed and that is in the joy of giving. The baby Jesus did not have the immediate joy of the gifts, but the wise men did!

Learn the joy of giving. Giving with no expectation of getting something back. Learn to receive gifts not with an eye on size, color or cost, but the giving heart and love behind it.

As I look back on the Christmases in my life, the presents that I received were precious, the memories vivid, but the real joy of Christmas was many years in reaching its full glory. That joy came when I reflect on the joy that must have come from my parents when they saw me open my presents.

I now know years after my dear parents have departed the joy that they must have gotten from things that I gave them during their life. Things that I had long ago forgotten, but they were treasured by them. It was a touching moment for me to make this discovery.

Likewise, the lingering memories from my new found view of Christmas come when I see my wife, my children and the people that play an important role in my life open the presents that I give them. These are only physical signs of the deep love that I have for them and it brings me great joy.

Sure, it may not have been what they wanted, it may have been the wrong size, the wrong color or just plain ugly or useless, but I hope that with time, they realize the love that is behind the gift.

The toys from my youth are long gone, but the memories are strong. Ah, the memories of Christmas are captured in the sights, sounds and smells from those wonderful days.

There is nothing like the twinkle in the eye of the child receiving a gift. This is the time to let the inner child in you shine through. Let your eyes twinkle when you receive a gift, knowing that the person giving it thought enough of you to give it. If you want to see what Christmas is all about, give something from your heart to a really needy person and watch the joy in not only in their heart, but yours as well, come alive with the flame that is the human spirit.

My parents always bought bushels of fresh fruit, but Christmas was special! The smell of citrus fruit, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit and my favorite, kumquats were like perfume. Apples were especially fragrant as was the many nuts that I enjoyed so much, the pecans, filberts, walnuts, peanuts and Brazil nuts added much pleasure to the season.

The smell of hams, turkeys and other goodies cooking complete the picture. Pies baking like the hard to find treat of today like mincemeat were so special. Nonalcoholic versions of eggnog were high on the list although in later years I went through a phase of adding a splash of brandy and rum.

I started a tradition of having fried oysters on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day for breakfast. There is another sign to me that it is truly Christmas and that sign is cluster raisins. Raisins that are still on the stem in a bunch. In the original form, they even had seeds in them and were oh, so good! Today, most of the cluster raisins are of the seedless varieties, but they are still a wonderful sign to me that the season is upon us. I have just placed my order and they were delivered on Friday. The season is now officially open!

These personal traditions are just something I wanted to do. Start your own tradition and pass it on, it is something done with love and paints a memory of happier days forever.

My wish for you this and every Christmas is that you do not lose the joy of receiving gifts, but you develop or enhance your joy of giving. This my friends is the true essence of the season. Give until your heart smiles!

Merry Christmas to all and to all and a profound, prosperous and memorable New Year!

John C Abercrombie