I think back to family Christmas gatherings when I was a child and remember the big family gatherings we had at my grandmother “Mimi”s house next door to ours. Mimi’a house seemed so big to me back then, yet when we walked through it after Katrina (when it was just a shell) I saw it wasn’t as big as I remembered. All our family gathered at Christmas and it seemed normal for her to have a shiny silver tree with a rotating light of changing colors making the tree change colors too. Before that I remember her having real old fashioned lights on her trees with oil bubbling up and down in the ornaments. What a fire hazard, but we knew no better and loved it. I remember every year shaving a real nutmeg to get tiny sprinkles in the cups. I didn’t know it came in a can already shaved and I love the memory of the real stuff. Some of the adult’s egg nog tasted different than what us kids got to drink and I didn’t know why until I was much older. I don’t think egg nog came in a carton back then either, it was homemade and served in a crystal bowl.
When I met Roy and got invited to the Chauvin Christmas gatherings a whole new world opened for me. Gumbo, homemade fruit cake, lots of different cookies and candies, eggplant casserole, stuffed merlitons and more! Boy they sure knew how to lay out a spread!! I always looked forward to seeing and tasting all that good Cajun cooking his mama did! Their living room was small and I’ll always remember the floor being full of wrapping after all the children and adults opened their presents.
Our little home is decorated inside and out for Christmas. Might not be as much as we previously decorated in our sticks and bricks home but since we added our tiny Christmas tree I think it’s perfect!
We had our family Christmas yesterday with Chip, Kimberly, Madisyn, Braxton and Bentley. I baked a turkey, sweet potato casserole, green beans and artichoke casserole and rolls. I found a Christmas king cake at Berrytown filled with bavarian cream. Delicious!! Everyone enjoyed opening their presents and Madisyn was especially pleased with the mini tablet we bought her. She’s a whiz with the computer at age 4! Braxton and Bentley already like their activity cube and will probably enjoy it more as they get older. Madisyn also enjoyed putting on PawPaws big boot and it covered her whole leg! Roy and I enjoyed having them over in our little Christmas home on wheels!
Another important aspect of our Christmas season is always the Adult Choir’s cantata at our home church, Trinity Baptist Church. This year’s, Bethlehem Morning, was extra special for me because of the new choir members that sang. When Teddy Forrest, Mark Traylor and his sons Jonah Kyle and Mark Everett Traylor came out with the choir my heart was so happy. These are special men to me and seeing them all singing in the choir just put something right in the world! As always the choir did a beautiful job, sounding very strong, clear and every word well sung.
This morning was Christmas Sunday and before the sermon we were treated to a beautiful solo by Barbara Davis. Her voice is my favorite mostly because her love for Christ comes out so clearly whatever she sings plus she sings like an angel. The Christmas message was exceptional. What a difficult concept it is to understand or grasp that Jesus came to earth as a human, leaving his perfect home on high to do this. That little boy who would grow up to be the Savior of mankind is overwhelming and true. I hope you will join us in keeping Christmas about the birth of Christ and not just the presents and things we receive.
Merry Christmas everyone, and ya’ll come back now, ya’ hear!
BECAUSE HE LIVES 