More than any other holiday, Christmas is the time most often set aside for family in my life.  Growing up in East Texas back in the 1950s and 1960s, we nearly always traveled to Ben Wheeler to be with Mother's family and our cousins on her side and, likewise, we traveled just a few miles north of Murchison to be with Daddy's kinfolks.

At both gatherings there would be feasting that left everyone groaning with pleasure.  The children would visit some but mostly we would listen to the adults laugh and tell stories throughout the occasion.  Some older cousins would bring their nervous dates to meet the clan, an uncle or two would get into their cups more than others, and many an aunt would squeeze and pinch you as you tried not to be embarrassed by this attention.

On Mother's side, the usual rule about gifts was to exchange names.  More often than not, I got a pair of sox.  On Daddy's side, Aunt Dinks and Aunt Maxie played Santa for all of their nieces and nephews plus they got gifts for their siblings and in-laws as well as Mama and Pape, our grandparents.  They made a well-planned trip to the stores in Houston to get all their presents for us.  Again, I usually got a pair of sox.

So, one of the joys of Christmas Past for me were all those holiday reunions at my grandparents' homes.  The real gifts were not the ones under the tree but the living ones surrounding us in family spirit and love.

Merry Christmas!

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Since we had no relatives in Texas to share Christmas with it was just family friends, we always did our gift opening on Christmas  Eve and then Santa brought our big stuff during the night, it was never wrapped, so all the gifts from Mom and Dad were wrapped and opened that night usually after we went to Candlelight service at Trinity Lutheran, then our neighbors the Harveys came over and watched us open our gifts, they had 5 kids, all younger than me, we exchanged with them too, that was the only time of the year that liquor came out, and Mom made eggnog and they adults were always pretty funny, after we got up very early on Christmas morning and saw our Santa stuff and did our stockings we would go over to the Harveys and watch them get there stuff, all of there gifts were from Santa and everything was wrapped, and with 5 kids the mess was huge, it wasn't family but it was the best thing to it....through the years I have had the oportunity to get with them a couple times, they always let me know where it is and we try to get there to see most of them and there BIG family....I am sure before we moved to Tx in 1954 I probably was with Grandparents or Aunts or Uncles and cousin but don't remember it...So you can see why friends are so improtant to me, they have always been apart of my life and continue to be daily, Merry Christmas to all my Lion Friends, I love ya

... my favorite Christmas memories are of those days in the 50's and early 60's when my Nana and Pop (Daddy's parents) were still living - I was the oldest grandchild and loved when the entire Stephenson clan gathered on Christmas eve in their house on Bow Street - the adults drew names but the kids got presents from everyone - Nana was a great cook and Aunt Shirlene always played the piano and sang Silent Night - I would love to have that experience just once more ...

One of my favorite Christmas memories was Christmas Eve with my Grandmother, Mamboo's party with Mama and her brothers and families.  We would gather around 6:00 and have snacks and sweets.....I remember Mamboo's pimento cheese.....she put a little ketchup in it.  She bought for all of us grandchildren and small gifts from Perry Bro. for her children.  She lived on East Erwin and would walk down to "the flat" to Perry Bros to shop.  She never had a drivers license or drove a car.  I remember my Uncle Gene and Uncle Lonnie (Leon) were always sneaking away to hit the whiskey bottle that was in a paper sack.  I remember one Christmas in the 50's when my older cousin Jim Davidson, who is now deceased brought Elvis's 45 record.....Hound Dog, that i had never heard, and he played it on a record player back in the bedroom.  We had that gathering until a few years before Mamboo died at 103. 

I have been giving thought as to what to say about Christmas memories. Certainly I remember the scrawny Douglas fir trees we had at home. Dad working long, cold hours at the Optimist Christmas Tree Lot on Broadway; the plastic gum drop tree; the old timey ornaments that I wish I had now. I remember the lights shorting out and a bit of a fire one year in the tree. Childhood memories abound but what I am going to say next in no way is meant to dismiss those Christmas memories, but …

Wishing the JTHS Pride a very Merry Christmas with lots of Peace and Goodwill.

Lion love and roars to everyone!