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Community Corner

The Best Part of Christmas

I confess I am like a kid at Christmas

I do not know who said this: “Every person is a kid at Christmas.” The quote speaks to the excitement seen in the faces of little children at Christmas. Each of us can remember those days when it would seem like Christmas would never arrive and then, all of a sudden, it was gone. At my age, it seems like the years fly by and Christmas comes around faster than it ever did when I was a child. Today, children will have awakened early, long before parents, to make sure Santa did not miss them this year and that they received exactly what was on their list.

I confess I am like a kid at Christmas. I am a softy when it comes to gathering with the family for Christmas lunch and then having the family in the great room to open gifts. I enjoy waiting until the grandchildren have opened their gifts, my wife her gift, and then I open my gift. Over the years, I am a hard person to surprise with gifts, except at Christmas. I want to be surprised. I never try to guess what is in the package under the tree. I don’t want to know what I have been given until that moment when I rip the paper off and begin to open the box. I will spend time the day before Christmas making sure I identify each of the other gifts that are under the tree. I want to be able to watch the surprised look on the faces of our family members when they open their gift.

When our grandchildren were younger, I took the role of giving out the gifts under the tree. Each of the four grandchildren has taken their turn in giving out the gifts as the years have gone by. For the last several years, our youngest grandchild (she will always be the baby girl) has taken over that role and she does her job with great passion and I must say, does it quickly. It seems almost before we know it, all of the gifts are open and the floor is filled with Christmas gift wrap and empty boxes that once held gifts.

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There is almost sadness in the air when all the gifts are opened and the day is over all too quickly. As soon as the day nears the end, I begin thinking about next year and what a great time it will be for the family to be together and enjoy celebrating once more the giving of gifts to each other.

The best part of the day is when we read the reason for the celebration of Christmas from Luke 2. From where I stand the greatest gift of all was given to each of us on that night when the angels announced to the men attending the sheep that Jesus was born, and that His desire was to bring peace on earth and goodwill toward all people.  Merry Christmas.

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Follow Ray Newman on Twitter @RayNewmanSr

 

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