I repost this old article as a reminder to enjoy Christmas with family and loved ones as long as time and opportunity permit you to do so. Though death has taken the wife and daughter mentioned here from me, I hope to relive some of the magic that children bring to Christmas morning by watching my three-year-old grandson, Jackson, open his presents. I pray that each of you will have a blessed and memorable Christmas, and may God bless you all!
On Christmas Day 1994 I made the following list of our most memorable Christmases–and what made them so.
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1967. Our first Christmas as a married couple. We have a 50-cent tree, but no money for ornaments. So we make our own: a star, a cat, a duck, and an angel pieced together from a plastic spoon and a tattered dishrag.
1969. We are in Texas, out of college and really “own our own” for the first time.
1970. Our first Christmas in Helena (Ark.) after taking a new job and leaving Texas.
1972. Our most difficult Christmas so far. I bring Mary home on Christmas morning to a house all prepared for a new baby, but there is no baby. We leave our newborn daughter, Jenny, in the hospital, suffering from seizures caused by extensive brain damage.
1973. Our first Christmas to have Jenny with us. We take her to Bearhouse Creek for the Christmas program, traveling in the wee hours of the morning.
1976. We are two again. Jenny has moved to the Conway Human Development Center. But we do try to have Christmas with her to the extent possible. She is still our baby.
1980. Our first Christmas with our new son, Barrett. He is so full of life and joy!
1982. Barrett loves everything about Christmas, especially climbing up into the loft (normally off limits) to help retrieve the tree and decorations.
1994. We don’t put up our tree as usual, but Barrett still climbs to the loft. He wants to use it as a shooting range for his BB gun! Plus, he likes to dive off the ladder onto the bed. Jenny attends the Christmas program at church with us. After the holidays, she should be able to start coming home every week.
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Were I to rewrite list today, I’d have to insert 1984.
Knowing that we exchanged small surprises in our Christmas stockings, Barrett found a secret time to slip something into each of ours.
Though barely able to write, he meticulously penned three little notes, each with a simple heart drawn in the center. To the left of each heart was the word “I,” and to the right was a name. He was saying, “I love Dad” and “I love Mom” in the most intimate way he could.
But the most touching note was for Jenny. He didn’t know how to spell her name–and didn’t dare ask–so he wrote it as a four-year-old would say it: “Iny.” Blind to all her extreme physical afflictions and limitations, he loved Jenny with unashamed devotion.
A few pencil scratches put “I love Iny” onto paper–and into our hearts. It was our most special Christmas ever.
Copyright 2001 James McAlister
Hope you and yours have a very safe and merry Christmas. I do read everything you send out – Your writings are a blessing to me. Again, seasons greeting to you.
Funny how the seemingly simplest, smallest of things are the biggest EVER! Priceless work of he-art, from your son!!
i only wish that everyone would cling to those simple times instead of allt he material things. such as remebering the christmaes that they ONLY got this or that. your children were truly amazing gifts to you. i too have a special needs child at 23 yrs. old. she is my heartbeat and her brother who is gifted at 20 yrs. old adores her.
Thanks, James, for pointing back to memories. As we approached this Christmas with hope and anticipation, there came news of difficulties ahead in one of our daughter’s families. This was accompanied by the questions and frustrations we all know too well. But, that had already put me to thinking back on my favorite memories with that daughter. Happier, more innocent days.
Isn’t it great how God uses those memories to illumine our darker days?
This was wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
Saturday night we had our family Christmas together. We always have a little family “program” before we open gifts. We knew it would be difficult this year because of my sister’s death last January, so we just reviewed VCR tapes of happier Christmases during the last twenty years. We laughed at the babies (now in upper teens) and shed tears at other times. We do remember that Jesus is the reason for the season, and though we were a bit lonely, we know we are very, very blessed.
Enjoy your Christmas memories and enjoy making new ones with your son’s family!
It’s not nice to make me cry at work!
This is very touching. I, too, have some very special Christmas memories and yours led me to began a list of my own for future reference. Paul and I each have children from previous marriages, so it is very special when we can see each of them sometime during Christmas celebrations. Our lists of special memories include those from previous marriages when our children were small as well as those special ones since we married. Thank you for the inspiration to record them.
very moving. thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for including me on the email containing this article. This one brought tears to my eyes, but I still enjoyed reading it. I enjoy all of your articles.
As I get older, gifts are less and less important to me Memories of family are what matters more and more.
I hope 2010 is a really good year for you James.