CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT

CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT:  Three little words that carried a lot of meaning in my childhood.  From my earliest memories I can see Momma busying herself preparing breakfast as she anxiously waits to hear the phone ring. All of us knew that if that phone rang, no one was to answer it but Momma!  Sometimes it would ring early, sometimes it would ring when you'd least expect it; but regardless of when it rang, Momma would run to the phone and hurriedly exclaim, "Christmas Eve Gift" and we could hear Grandpa hollering the same and then they'd both laugh and chuckle and try to say how they'd beaten the other to the saying, and then they'd joyfully wish each other a Merry Christmas! The warmth of those calls would keep the conversation going and going around our breakfast tables. 

Precious memories are heart warming like the one of my Daddy going around with one of those long peppermint sticks held sideways of his mouth with a half sided grin and twinkle in his eye that led us to know he was thinking of something mischievous to pull on one of us. Momma would be singing or humming in her kitchen preparing her famous coconut and chocolate pies, her 4 layer homemade fudge cakes, and the smell of Christmas would fill the air letting us know Christmas was here. The freshly cut tree by Daddy and the boys now decorated with extra hand fulls of tinsel tossed here and there added an extra charm to our joy filled home. 

I could go on and on with a treasure of memories warming my heart today of those precious Christmas Eve gifts God has blessed me with! I look forward to gathering with my family this year, so I can hopefully build more warm hearted memories we can cherish each year. Loving family and friends are precious gifts from heaven above meant to bring joy into our life; so as you cherish your gifts be sure to make your own lifelong memories!

May each of you enjoy a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, because God loves you and so do I~~~