It Happened One Christmas

Traditions characterize Christmas. One year the Moxley family decided to grill steaks. It was a rainy afternoon as Mr. Moxley and I started an open pit fire. Mr. Moxley had filled the pit with hickory kindling.

I held an umbrella over us as he soaked the wet kindling with charcoal lighter fluid. It took a while, but we finally grilled the ribeye steaks. They sure made a great meal for
Christmas.

One Christmas momma cooked a special breakfast and invited my brother’s girlfriend’s family. His girlfriend’s dad was a pastor that rode songs. Country music artist Charley Pride recorded one. He and momma played guitars and we had a Christmas sing-a-long.

It was the first Christmas for my eldest son Andy. Being the first grandson, he received an abundance of gifts. His greatest joy was a large box that we used for the waste gift paper from the gifts. I put Andy over in the box and he was one happy boy playing in the paper. It was a wonder feeling seeing him enjoy the paper.

Another Christmas I made my daughter Angel a cradle for her baby doll. I had fun building and Angel was my helper. I told her that Santa wanted me to build it for a special little girl. He helped me and said she would like one too. I will never forget the joy on her face as she found her baby doll in the cradle under the tree that Christmas morning. I smile each time I remember seeing her in the cradle.

The Christmas morning that daddy found a “rabbit eared” twenty gauge shotgun under the tree was fun. He had wanted one for years. Momma found an electric guitar under the same tree. My sister Diane found a beauty salon hairdryer. My brother David found a cassette player and brother Glenn found him a guitar. I thanked God that I was able to make it a memorable Christmas.

For my first Christmas with my wife Lisa I had purchased an electric console fireplace. Part of the joy was watching her assembly it. She loves to assemble things. She loves to watch the fake burning logs especially during the Christmas holidays. She says that there is something romantic about a fireplace.

Another tradition for the Hopper family is Christmas sad. Dad usually experienced layoff. We called dad Scrooge because he did not like Christmas. Things from Christmas past tarnished the bright glow that the season brought. He said that Christmas was about Jesus and not all the hoopla that promoted buy, buy, buy.

Momma was a trooper at Christmas. She decorated a cedar tree like it was a Madison Avenue Douglas fir. She would buy Christmas on credit and spend the whole new year paying off the debt. The aroma of cooking a gigantic Christmas meal filled the air as did her singing.

Christmas sadness filled the air when layoff Scrooge collided with good housekeeping Belle. In the Hopper Christmas Carol, Scrooge and Belle married. There would many Christmas’s present where there were no presents. Dad would be Bob Cratchit at times, and the world of the Hopper family would be at peace.

Unfortunately, something would happen and the Grinch would tear up a washing machine, blow out a tire, burn out a dyer, break a washing machine belt. Grinch got one of my tires just the other day.

My heart goes out for the unfortunates of Christmas. Madison Avenue has created something that suffocates the real spirit of Christmas. I remember one time on the streets of Clanton, Alabama, a couple fighting over Christmas. They had run out of money. Their children were crying, people were staring, and my heart was breaking.

I thought about the times when our stocking were empty. Though empty when Christmas morning arrived our house celebrated love. Dad could not help his layoff and things tear up, but mom’s never give up attitude helped to make the season merry and bright. Because in the end is about Jesus/Love.

 

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:12-14