The Joy of Christmas

 

                It’s time for the Christmas Joy Blog Hop! I’m excited to be hosting today and I would like to thank those of you who shared my sign-up post on your pages! I would also like to thank the participants, it wouldn’t be a blog hop without all of you and I look forward to reading your posts :)

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                Christmas was a very special time when I was a kid. I would get so excited about opening presents on Christmas Eve at home and then waking up early the next morning to drive two hours to Grandma’s house to open more presents. I did not realize the true value of those moments until after my grandma died. My mom, dad, brother, and I moved to Oklahoma about a year after Grandma passed away and the next few Christmases seemed very sad and lonely with just the four of us. I have longed for another big family Christmas since then. I cannot believe that this Christmas will mark 20 years since the last time my mother’s side of the family all gathered together at Grandma’s house. Over the years, I have realized that the presents were only a small part of the joy of spending the holiday with family, and my small family has started our own traditions to celebrate each year. We started using stockings at some point when I was in high school, we had a few Christmas dinners with friends from the church, my brother and I have taken care of Christmas dinner for the past couple years, and my dad likes to read the story of Christ’s birth from the Bible on Christmas day. Christmas has become special for me again, and it has nothing to do with what I receive. I enjoy seeing someone’s face light up when I finally find the right gift for him/her. I enjoy hearing about how God sent His son to the earth as a little baby in Bethlehem and all the beautiful songs about Him, like this one:
 

 

                Christmas, especially this year in light of recent world events, reminds me that we still have hope in Christ. When life looks bleak, I think of the genuine, innocent joy of a child watching Christmas lights. In the midst of bad news, I am grateful to find stories of good Samaritans who help the poor, weary, wounded, and brave. As the Bible says in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for mourning and sorrow, but there is also a time for joy and laughter. I find joy in Christmas when I seek time to fellowship with family and friends throughout the month of December.

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And now, here is a quick list of a few of my favorite things:

Christmas food: decorated sugar cookies

Beverage: Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks

Decoration: My snow globe collection

Songs: O Come, O Come Emmanuel and What Child is This?

Tradition: driving or walking through Christmas light displays

Party: my church’s young adult Christmas party is usually the most fun

TV Episode: Garfield's Christmas Special

Movie: White Christmas

Speaking of a white Christmas, I also really enjoy seeing snow on the ground on Christmas day and I hope to see some this year.
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!



 

I will be taking a break from posting for the rest of the month, so I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! If you would like some more Christmas cheer, please visit the other participants below. The sign-up will remain open until 11:59pm CST if anyone else wants to join in!
 

Christmas Joy Blog Hop Participants:

 

1. Liz's Random Ponderings

2. A Bench with a View

3. Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh

4. Pile of Smiles

5. Writing in Wonderland

6. Susan Says

7. Tamara Narayan

8. Writing Off the Edge

9. Star Trek Sci Fi Blog

10. Birgit

11. Abba's Lap

12. My Holiday Decorating

13. Getting Back the Meaning of Christmas

14. Stacey @ a little bit of me

 

A Life Worth Remembering

            This has been on my mind since my church’s ladies’ retreat back in September. The theme was “A Legacy to Remember” and each of us was asked to name someone who left a legacy in our lives. Almost half of the women present, myself included, named our grandmothers. With Christmas just around the corner, I can think of no better time to celebrate the life of my mother’s mom and remember all those childhood Christmases I spent at Grandma’s house. I was only 12 years old when she died, so I was too young to notice some of her character traits. But, looking back, I can see some of those qualities that make me wish I still had her here today.

Louise Swoboda was a devoted wife. Granddaddy had a stroke before I was born, and it got to the point that Grandma could not handle taking care of him by herself, so she put him in a nursing home. Whenever I came to stay a few weeks over the summer with Grandma, she would go to the nursing home to visit Granddaddy at lunchtime, every single day. I would sit in the floor and play with Polly Pockets or explore the corridors with the nurses. Sometimes she would bake cookies for him and his roommate. I remember one time that my cousin, Susan, and I got into an argument over who would give the cookies to Granddaddy and who got stuck with the stranger. When it came to Thanksgiving or Christmas, Grandma would take Granddaddy home to celebrate with the family. I remember he slept in his old chair most of the day, but now I know that those were probably some of their favorite days, spending time at home together. Granddaddy died in July of 1996, and Grandma died a few months later. She was so devoted to her husband that she didn’t want to live without him.

Louise Swoboda cared about people. She was very giving, not only with gifts, but with her time. I got an extra aunt because my Grandma took her in as an “adopted” daughter. Mary loved Grandma as her own mother because of the care and time that she gave Mary’s family. I have almost as many memories with my “adopted” aunt as I do with my real aunt. I asked my mom about my grandma, and I found out Mary wasn’t the first. Grandma had a heart for teens and young women. She would invite them in her home and provide them with a meal and Godly counsel. I remember getting to know the small town of Globe, Arizona pretty well. Whenever I stayed with her, she would always be visiting someone. She liked to play dominoes with some ladies her age, she visited the homes of her pastor and his wife and their grown children, and she would even visit with and get to know some of the other residents in the nursing home. At home, she kept herself busy with phone calls, writing letters, baking, and caring for grandchildren. And she didn’t keep these traits to herself; she passed them on to those she came in contact with. She taught me and Susan how to decorate Christmas cookies, and more importantly, how to share with others and that giving is much better than receiving.

Louise Swoboda was a faithful servant, and her life is an example of her love for others. She was truly the matriarch who held our family together. Maybe she didn’t do everything perfect, but her love for God allowed her to become a great woman, at least in the eyes of those whose lives she touched. This will be my 15^th Christmas without her, but I hope that her legacy will live on in my life.

With love to Grandma Louise (Ryan) Swoboda, you are and shall continue to be greatly missed. One day we will meet again in Heaven. Thanks for the treasured memories here on Earth.