I have decided that each week as I attend church, I will strive to be in tune to the Spirit to not just hear the messages that are given through talks, hymns, sharing time, and the Sunbeam lesson, but to hear a message that is specific to me, and then incorporate that message into my life. I'm going to call this weekly post, "My Focus For The Week".
Last Sunday as we were preparing for the Sacrament, singing Hymn 172, "In Humility Our Savior", the phrase "fill our hearts with sweet forgiving, teach us tolerance and love" especially touched me. I've thought about this all week long and have tried to implement forgiveness, tolerance and love into my life.
Every year, we could count on consistency--toys from Santa, clothes from Mrs. Santa and a hidden present (for all three kids to share) from Chris Mouse.
The first year in Arizona, I got a new scooter from Santa and I remember riding it around the neighborhood on Christmas Day in only a sweatshirt. I remember thinking, even at age 9, what a change it was from Utah Christmases.
Joseph's Memories:
I remember setting my alarm for the agreed upon time and coming upstairs to find that only the girls were ready. We then had to convince Dad that he wanted to get up. Of course, he had to shower and shave before going to see what Santa had brought.
The thing that Santa brought from which I think I got the most play time was the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Endless hours of saving Princess Zelda or Princess Toadstool.
Nicole's Memories:
As a lover of film, some of my favorite Christmas memories center around a few very special movies: A Christmas Carol (which terrified yet thrilled me as a child),It's A Wonderful Life (which to this day I can't watch without thinking of Dad crying), and White Christmas (from which a single line or scene or song can always make me smile).
I received my most memorable gift the Christmas I was nine. It was a certificate in my stocking that represented the beginning of my ballet classes, which I started with the new year. It was the first time I was more excited about a non-tangible gift than I was about any of the more tactile ones. With time, as I fell in love with ballet, I realized just how much more meaningful experiences are than things.
The Christmas I was in Kindergarten one of my presents was a little cupboard with two glass doors that opened at the top, two drawers for utensils, and two doors that opened at the bottom. My mom still has this little cupboard at her house for the great-grandchildren to play with...and they seem to like it as much as I did.
Whenever we were living close enough we went to the Christmas Eve party at the Waters cousins' house in Salt Lake City. It was a dress up party with dinner, a Pinata, singing of Christmas carols and always a visit from Santa. It was always hard to settle down and go to sleep after all that excitement.
The three years we spent living in Germany (1964 - 1967) my mom and dad always did great Christmas decorations outside our apartment....a group of carolers, a Santa in a sleigh with his reindeer and, of course, Christmas lights. In addition Mom always decorated the front door to our apartment so those that came to visit anyone in our stairwell knew the Lloyd family was in the Christmas spirit. When we got to be older, we got to help my aunt and uncle prepare the "Santa" stuff for their 11 children. First we had to round up all their stuff from the neighbor's houses and take the neighbor's stuff to them (too big of a risk hiding your own kids' "Santa" stuff). After getting all the toys assembled and put in their respective "spot" for the next morning, we took all the boxes and packaging out into the street with the neighbors and had a huge bonfire to get rid of the "evidence".
Until I was about a junior in high school, we had what is now referred to as "old world glass ornaments" on our tree. They are now a part of the Knight family Christmas tree decorations.
******* Nightfall is a double edged sword for me: the sun sets and the temperatures drop, however, the Christmas tree lights get turned on as does the gas fireplace.
******* We received our first Christmas card in the mail. Wahoo!!
******* Dave and I started watching "It's A Wonderful Life" last night about 9:00. Big mistake. About 1/3 of the way through the movie, after both of us of had fallen asleep on the couch, we gave up and went to bed. Maybe tonight will be better for movie watching. Popcorn will help, I'm sure.
******* Today I Am Very Much Looking Forward To: (1) packing for our trip on Saturday to Colorado (2) reading one of our Christmas "chapter books "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" (3) Putting together four "quick and easy" scrapbook entries.
(4) Making the Nativity handout for my Christmas lesson for the little ones in the nursery.
One of our family's Christmas traditions was to read a Christmas story each night before bedtime. It's surprising how easy it seemed to be when there were children around, and how difficult it is now without children around.
My resolve this Christmas season is to re-establish this tradition, if only for myself.
