Memorable Christmases

Isn't it odd how we remember the things that went wrong or turned out to be funny better than those things that went well? The same is true for the the Christmases I remember most.

I especially remember the first Christmas after I was married. My husband and and I were spending Christmas with my parents. When I picked up the package he had put under the tree for me, he said, "Don't shake that toaster." I tried to ignore his slip, so I wouldn't make it worse, but the third time he called it a toaster I burst into laughter. I couldn't ignore it any longer. It became a joke in the family for a long time.

Another Christmas that stands out is the one where we threw away our money. My mother often added some cash in her gifts to us. After all the presents had been unwrapped and we'd cleaned up the mess, I went to get the envelope with the money, and it wasn't there. We looked everywhere. Finally, in desperation, we went to the dumpster near our house where we'd thrown the garbage bags of wrapping paper and trash. Sure enough, after sorting through more than we wanted to, we

found it.

Yesterday, I wrote of being in the Philippines until right before Christmas in 2001. What I didn't tell you is how cold it was when I arrived in Charlotte and had to leave the airport, and I didn't have warm clothing or a coat, since I didn't need those for the semester I'd spent in Davao. A wonderful surprise, however, was that both my children were there to meet me. My son had driven from

Tennessee just to do so. Their smiling faces were an extra-special Christmas present.

What are your Christmas memories?

________________________________________