Wednesday, December 9, 2009


Have you ever wanted to go back? Go back to a time where it was magic? No matter how hard I look, I can't recapture that feeling of Christmas as a child. The church I grew up in is no more. It started changing in the 60's..like everything else. Now, looking back, I don't think much changed for the good.
I went to Lutheran school. We began our day with prayer,the pledge to the Flag and memory work. My first Bible verse was "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Our studies began with the Blue Bible Story Book. How I loved the paintings in that book... religious paintings of creation, Abraham, the Flood, the crucifiction..resurrection..etc. When we got older, say past 3rd grade, we got a new... Red Bible story book that went into greater detail about the Bible.
We prayed before lunch and before going home.Every year the school put on a nativity pageant on Christmas Eve. The little kids were always angels. We wore white gowns with gold garland wraped around our heads like halos...and we had golden clip on wings. The upper grades were shepards and Kings and the lucky kids got to be The Angel and Mary and Joseph (Jesus was a doll).
It was a big deal. The angels were also the choir. We practiced and practiced until it was perfect.We also had Advent services every Thursday night in December to get us ready for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we arrived at church early to put on our costumes...the church basement was all a buzz with excitement. Back them moms and dads and grandparents and aunts and uncles got dressed up for church.
Everyone looked so special. The church put up real 12ft trees...decorated with giant glass ornaments and real tinsel and lights. It was magical. Being part of the heavenly choir is one of my life's greatest experiences of the heart. When we filled the church aisles our breath was taken away by the huge Christmas trees. The organist was playing the songs on full throtle. The nativity became so real to us kids. It really touched us being part of the telling of the story. After the service we all went back down to the church basement to change our clothes and to pick up our gift from the church ladies...a brown paper bag filled with Braches chocolate stars. Candy was a treat for us back then...so this got our sails opened for the gifts we knew would be waiting for us back home.
When I was in eighth grade we got a new kind of teacher who introduced new kind of music and he wrote a nativity play. I got to play Eve and Mary. He brought in the promise of the Savior from Genesis. But I have to tell you..it was more like a play to me with his words and music...beautiful as they were. I liked the simple story read straight out of the Bible. But it was the 60's and everybody thought they had better ideas. They didn't.
One Christmas Eve,when I was small, my dad dropped us off at church. I don't remember why my parents weren't at church. But after church he told us to walk down to the corner and to wait for him to pick us up. My brother, Larry, and I were little...we were so excited as we walked to the corner with our bags of loot..all bundled up in our coats and hats and gloves. I remember it was a very cold clear night. We were 18 months apart in age...but miles apart in our thinking. That night we both scoured the sky. He for Santa's sleigh...me for the Star of Bethlehem.
We both saw what we were looking for.
Magic I tell you...magic.

11 comments:

  1. I hope you are keeping copies of all you dear, sweet memories of your childhood and the holidays. You children and grandkids will love reading them in years to come! Your descriptions are wonderful and I can just picture it all happening...your "magic."

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  2. PS: The weather! Oh my. I have been thinking about you and your family and the storm that came to you from California!!!! Stay warm, safe!

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  3. IT IS SO WINDY OUTSIDE...My Poor Handsome..haven't seen him for two days...and it's so cold...and tomorrow maybe 4 degrees! Your snow looked so beautiful...I could imagine that magical silence...I love it..the silence of snow...

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  4. Beautiful post. So thoughtful. Have a peaceful, wonderful Thursday.

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  5. Thanks for sharing your wonderful Christmas memories, Suz. I like the way you write.

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  6. Thanks Jenny..I enjoyed your post about being your own best friend
    Goldenbird...I was almost not going to share it...thought too personal..boring to someone else.
    but sometimes we just have to risk being boring...we never know who will be touched or moved by what we say...thanks..ANd sometimes it is only ourselves that we touch..and that is a miracle

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  7. Suz, what a precious story. does it amaze you how His Spirit was so vividly at work in you as a child? for a little girl to look for the Star of Bethlehem....priceless.

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  8. Yes it is amazing...but I did see the Star I was so filled with the story of Christmas...and it was Christmas (we Lutherans tended to celebrate on Christmas Eve)....

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  9. It's the music of Christmas that most takes me back. I do love that organ on full throttle.

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  10. Oh the organ music of my youth!
    Lutherans loved music in church...
    I'm happy just thinking of it

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