Snowy Sunday

We are getting a little snow today. Not supposed to amount to very much today, but maybe more tomorrow. The picture was taken from our kitchen window. There were a male and female cardinal, but just as I snapped it the female flew off.

I was reading some Christmas memories in a magazine. Got me to thinking about Christmas when I was young. In my early years we always had Christmas Eve at the farm. Grandma Hazel was always there, and sometimes my Grandma and Grandpa Youngquist. They lived in Longmont, Colorado, so did not come every year. Christmas day was usually at Grandma Hazel's or at one of the Votapkas (Uncle Guy in Oberlin or Aunt Grace in Norton). I will leave that at that!

Christmas at the farm always seemed to be a festive occasion. Mom would have all the decorations up, and the tree was loaded with lights (real bubble lights) that usually burned at a temperature of at least 1000 degrees! It is a wonder there were not more fires. After supper Dad and us kids would take some gifts to a neighbors house. Guess what? Santa would always come while we were at the neighbors! The coincidence of it all. He always came early to our house because we would be Grandma's house the next day and he wanted to bring some things to the farm. Oh well it worked for a couple of years.

In later years Mom would always have a decorating party earlier in December. She would have a soup supper. After supper there was plenty of punch (leaded and unleaded). Most of the family would decorate, but my brother and I made sure the punch bowl didn't stay too full or get too empty. They usually didn't let us too close to the tree. Fun-fun-fun till daddy took the punchbowl away. (He didn't really. Just a play on the Beach Boys and it sounded like it should be here). There are other fun things that happened, but will not put them down here. Most of the time it involved things that I don't do any more. I'm sure everyone has memories of childhood Christmases . It is nice to put them on paper. Pass them along to others. Doesn't necessarily have to be family. It is just fun to go back.

I heard a song this morning on the radio. I didn't catch the name of it, but the idea was that nails did not put Christ on the cross. Love did! John 3:16 tells it all. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son......." Love is such an important thing in all of our lives. We can show our love for our loved ones and neighbors in many ways. Just being there is sometimes the most important. Doesn't take much. The Love I referred to from John 3:16 is agape love. The supreme sacrifice. Giving your life for the love you feel for your fellow man. Big time love.

Merry Christmas and leave the Christ in Christmas.----johnnyb