When I was a child growing up, I remember how every year we would decorate the lounge/dining room of our home with Christmas decorations and the Christmas tree always stood in the corner of the front room where my mum did her sewing. We all put pillow cases out on Christmas Eve and when we woke in the morning there were no presents under the tree for handing out....they were all neatly packed into each of our cases, so we just pulled them out and opened them up.
With our own family, I don't know how it came about, I guess it just kind of happened, but presents were all randomly put out under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning there was always excited anticipation from three little faces waiting for 'Santa Daddy' to hand them a present with their name on it.
As a family of believers in the birth of Christ, we brought our children up knowing that Christmas is a time for celebration, but at the same time recognizing the fantasy of Father Christmas and the North Pole. Presents are given to family and friends to show our love and caring for others and buying or making them is so exciting. I remember how the boys would pore over the catalogues that arrived with the Sunday paper, circling things that they hoped to get for Christmas with a million circles...and just in case we missed the circles, they would asterix them too AND write their name next to it so that we knew who was looking at it. The children have grown up now but I still have that exciting feeling every year. Christmas is a time for happiness and joy...of unexpected anticipation...of reaching out and connecting with friends, family and strangers...a time to remember all the good things that have happened throughout the year and look forward to an even greater new year,
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