Christmas Memories ( the story I wrote for our newspaper in 2005 )

 I wrote this story in 2005 to participate in a writing contest for our local newspaper  "The Carillon".  I did not win a prize but I did get "honorable mention" so I was pretty happy about that.

Here is the link to my other Christmas story- it is fiction, also  written for the newspaper:
 http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/12/new-beginnings-christmas-story-of-hope.html


The following is a true story from my growing up years.

My Christmas Story written in 2005

Christmas Memories from the 1970's

Even from my childhood, Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. Back then, there were no lights or decorations, just the excitement of a little farm girl looking forward to Christmas! It was the one and only time of the year when there would be presents. I was the youngest of six girls in the family.
Preparing for Christmas began early in December, when in Sundayschool I would get my poem which I was required to memorize. It was not easy to memorize a poem of High German words and verses. I would set my heart to memorizing it as soon as I could. Then my mother would begin to sew new Christmas dresses for my sisters and me. Usually they would all be the same pattern, though not the same fabric. To my mother, the most important thing was that the dress would be long enough to cover my knees.
Soon it would be time for the school Christmas party. I really looked forward to this. Here we would all share a special lunch. Some children were required to bring sandwiches while others brought cookies or cupcakes. Our desks would be placed in a circle around the outer part of the classroom. We would share the lunch and to top it off we were treated to a bottle of pop.
After lunch recess, it would be time for the gift exchange, at which time we would present a gift to the child whose name we had picked several weeks earlier. Then it was time for the parents to come to school to see the children put on the play of the Birth of Christ. The part of an angel would be mine.
After many days of waiting, Christmas Eve would finally arrive. Not only was Christmas finally here but it was also my birthday. Though my birthday was not celebrated,  I would be reminded that I was a Christmas gift to my parents the year that I was born. But now we would celebrate the birth of Jesus! Supper and chores would be early on Christmas Eve, as it was time to get ready for the Sundayschool Christmas program. What excitement as my sisters and I could wear our new Christmas dresses for the first time. We would pack all eight of us into the family car and head off to church, which was five miles away. Here we would sing our favorite German Christmas carols. My favorite was "Leisse Rieselt der Schnee" which talked of snow falling down lazily as we await the coming of the Christ Child. Then each child was called up individually to come to the microphone to recite the verse that he or she had memorized. This made me so nervous and yet it was very exciting! Then the treat bags were handed out to the children and also a gift which was either a Catechism or a Bible. Soon our happy family was ready to go back home.
Once back at home, my Dad would read the Bible. After that was done, we ( my sisters and I ) would each get out a mixing bowl. We would put our name on a small piece of paper and place it in the mixing bowl. Then the mixing bowl was set out on the couch or on a chair. After all the children were asleep, my parents would put some candy, chocolate snowballs and peanuts in the bowl as well as an unwrapped gift or two. What excitement on Christmas morning when I would hurry downstairs to see what was in my bowl! My favorite gift I remember was a mother doll that was about five inches tall with a baby doll in a small pink carriage.
Then it would be time for breakfast, chores and then off to church for the Christmas Day service. After church on Christmas Day and also on Boxing Day ( known to me then as the Second Holiday of Christmas ) , we would have a quick and simple lunch and then head off to our grandparent's house. On Christmas Day we would go to my dad's family's home, while on the Second Holiday of Christmas we would go to my mom's family's home. Both family gatherings were more than an hour's drive away and with eight of us in the car, that seemed like a long ride. Here we were expected to recite our Sundayschool verses. After this we were given a treat bag and a small gift such as a handkerchief or a small toy. The day would be spent visiting and playing with cousins and of course enjoying a scrumptious meal prepared by my grandmother. Grandmother would make so much extra we were all glad to get a jar of Plumi Moos and her special cake with bananas and whipped cream on it home to enjoy later. The next several days and weeks would be spent playing with our new toys and munching on the treats of Christmas!
These are the memories of the Christmas of my childhood which I will always treasure. What a joy it is to remember the people and places of Christmases past as we make memories for the future!

To read more about my parents, please check out the following links-
http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/my-dad-man-of-god.html
http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/my-moma-woman-of-faith.html

To read more about my Grandparents please check out the following links -
http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/06/grandpa-peter-and-grandma-g.html

http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/05/grandpa-hermana-gentleman.html
http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/06/grandma-anna-precious-memories.html

For the recipe for Plumi Moos please check my recipe blog - link to recipe here: http://bakeandtasterecipes.blogspot.ca/2012/11/pluma-moos-moms-recipe.html

The Boy and his little Boat...

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Today I am thinking back to my Sundayschool days and I remember a story about a Boy and his boat. Before preaching to the congregation in the sanctuary,  the preacher came downstairs to the Sundayschool area to tell this story. You may have heard it told before as it is an analogy of Salvation.

The Boy and his Little Boat                                               
There once was a boy who made his own little toy wooden boat. Day in and day out he worked on it carefully and lovingly carving it to be just the little boat he had imagined. He painted it a beautiful brown taking extra care with the various colors for trimming, and set it on the window sill to dry. The next day the little boy took his little boat out to sail in on the river. He admired it, how beautiful it was!,  and he watched it floating on the water. The boat began to drift further and further away from shore and soon it was out of his reach. His precious boat was gone and this made him very sad. Would he ever see the little boat again? The little boat was always on his mind. Every day, he wondered if this would be the day he would find his little boat on the shore. He knew he would do whatever it would take to get it back home again.   One day while walking down the street, to his delight, he noticed his  little boat in the storeshop window. He went in to ask the storekeeper about the boat. Though the little boy had made the boat, the storekeeper insisted he would have to pay the full price for the boat if he wanted to take it home. The boy realized it would take everything he had, his every last penny. Was he willing to pay the price? Yes! The boy ran home and got all his money, every last cent, and paid the storekeeper the full price for the boat. The boy was overjoyed and said to his little boat - "You are mine, twice over. - First I made you and now I bought you though it cost me everything I had. You are forever mine."
The End.

We can plainly see that in this story, you and I are the little brown boat. God created each of us with his own special care - just the way He wanted us to be.
We set sail in our journey called life, and each of us have drifted through sin and have become lost from our Creator - our loving Heavenly Father. Each of us need to be saved and that is what Jesus did on the cross. He gave up His all - His everything to buy us back ( that is to redeem us ) to Himself. Now we are His "Twice Over" if we accept Him into our heart as Savior and Lord.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Prayer to receive Christ as Saviour:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, ( lost just like the little boat). Thank-you that you gave yourself to redeem me back to the Father in Heaven. I believe you died for my sins on the cross and rose from the dead. I repent of my sin, I turn from it. Cleanse me from sin. I ask You to come into my heart and my life and be my Saviour and Lord of my life. Thank- you Jesus for saving me. Amen