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Christmas is my favorite holiday. A time of celebration and enjoying family time together.
There was a time when my birthday was my favorite holiday. I enjoyed celebrating my birthday with presents and that amazing birthday cake that The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage always made.
That is, when I reached 50 years on my birthday, it ended. Every day on my birthday, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage would say, “Today you are one year older.” Then she would laugh.
Now Christmas is my favorite holiday, and I enjoy just about every aspect of it. It’s great to have my family together around the Christmas tree and sharing Christmas presents.
I don’t have any problem with gathering together and eating a marvelous Christmas dinner. The issue I have concerns the gifts. When it comes to gifts, I am not gifted.
Unlike The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, I really don’t know how the shop. I don’t know what gifts to buy for anybody in my family. Sometimes I give cash.
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage starts her Christmas shopping right after the 4th of July. All summer long, she will be shopping for and storing those Christmas gifts in her craft room. But she can figure out every gift every individual in our family deserves.
I can’t sit down and name all of the family members, let alone know what they would like for Christmas. I’m not even sure what I got for Christmas last year.
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I celebrate our 55th Christmas this year. She can sit around the Christmas tree and recall every gift we have ever received or given and to whom.
One of the greatest disappointments in Christmas gifts is that I don’t know who wants what.
Another problem I have with Christmas gifts is that I can’t think of anything I would want anybody in my family to buy me for Christmas. They always bring me things that surprise me, and I appreciate it. But if I had to make a list of what I wanted for Christmas, that list would be blank even today.
My other big problem with Christmas gifts is for The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. I would never know what Christmas gift she would like from me. What does she need for Christmas? After all, she has me, so what else does she need?
Oh boy, if I didn’t have her, I wouldn’t be able to celebrate Christmas as I do today.
In her craft room, she has a special place, I don’t know where it is, where she stores all of her Christmas gifts for the coming year. She knows what she has and who it’s for. I sometimes wonder whether Santa Claus might be part of their family heritage.
I’m looking forward to a wonderful Christmas. It is amazing to me to see the gifts people give each other. I can only assume that they get that trait from The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage.
Celebrating Christmas around the Christmas tree is a wonderful time to be with family. Thinking along this line, a scripture came to mind. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Christmas is a great time to gather and give God the glory for all He has done for us. A time to remember all God has done for us during the year and looking forward to the New Year.
Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Telephone 1-352-2163025, e-mail jamessnyder51@gmail. com, website www.jamessnyderministries. com.
