"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7)
Last year I wrote a blog post on Christmas Day. I'm not sure if this will become a tradition or not, but I decided to once again write a piece on Christmas Day - specifically Christmas morning. I admit through the years I've had a big ego when it comes to my writing. I still want to write that piece which is read by tens of thousands of people. Alas, many of my writings never get read by more than thirty! I suppose a piece about personal Christmas memories could be like watching a slide presentation of somebody's trip to Disney World or a slide presentation featuring their little kids learning to swim on Cape Cod. Those who show that stuff are bursting with excitement and glee, while the viewers would honestly rather watch paint dry as long as they could do so while eating a delicious pizza! But if you're one of the thirty (or will it be twenty?) who reads this, I hope it will somehow be meaningful!
Through the decades, I've been emotionally and spiritually "all over the place" when it comes to Christmas. Some years, I've loved it. Some years, I've hated it. This year, as with many, I'm just kind of "in the middle" about it. I did open this piece with a verse from the beautiful account of Jesus' birth found in Luke's gospel. But the Bible actually never tells us to celebrate Christmas. As far as I can tell, Christians in the first century did not celebrate Christmas. Much of our celebration comes from pagan roots. And it's the financial stress and pressure over the years that caused me to hate the holiday at times. However, lest I bring you down, there are aspects of Christmas I truly enjoy. I love Christmas Carols. And I love the Dickens story, A Christmas Carol. I do like Christmas trees - real trees whenever possible. Along with so many others, I appreciate a good Christmas dinner - not only the food, but the fellowship with family and friends, too. I know the title is about memories. Here I want to share some Christmas memories of mine:
Christmas 1962: That year was a very difficult one financially for my parents. That's a very long story, but we got a lot fewer gifts from Santa than usual in 1962 Don't get me wrong, I think my brother, sister and I received at least three gifts apiece from Mr. Claus, but it was definitely a scaled down holiday. Nevertheless, we started Christmas morning going to mass at St. John's Church in Canton as we always did, and as he usually did, my father took home movies of us opening our presents. Yes, it was a difficult year for my folks, but they focused as much as possible on their kids being happy and having a great Christmas morning.
Christmas 1968: 1968 was the year of the Hong Kong flu. The only member of the Baril household who did not get it was my mother. I guess my father wasn't feeling well, but he never said anything. During the mass at St. John's, he fainted! I remember an usher assisting us. My mother started driving cars when she was almost forty, and it's a good thing she did have her license because she was able to drive us home!
Christmas 1981: I had only been dating Mary Ann for a couple months at the time. She lived in an apartment with a woman who had a couple of kids. They had me over for breakfast. I remember that one kid (I think his name was Jay) had gotten a Rubik's Cube as a present. He feverishly worked that Rubik's Cube - his hands covered in bacon grease! My mother wasn't real happy I wanted to spend Christmas early morning with my new girlfriend, but the times they were a changing for me at that point.
Christmas 1983: My mother was a mess that year; well, each of my parents were a mess. My brother Eddie had died that summer and our first child Jonathan was born that summer. It was little baby Jon who kept Christmas 1983 from being a total disaster. My mother couldn't remain in despair as she held this new little baby!
Christmas 1986: My father had suffered a stroke a week earlier and was hospitalized. Mary Ann and I were in the process of moving from Walpole to Framingham over the holidays so we didn't have a tree or any decorations at our Walpole apartment. That was definitely a scaled down holiday, but a good memory is Mary Ann and me and our three very little kids spending Christmas Eve at my father-in-law's boat docked at Boston's Seaport District.
Christmas 1998: We had very little financially that year, and my elderly parents were in poor health. Yet '98 is remembered by me as one of the best Christmasses! On Christmas Eve a stranger driving an old Chevrolet sedan and wearing a Santa Claus outfit showed up at our Framingham home with a bag of gifts for us! As President Biden would say, "No joke!"
In the words of the author of the Book of Hebrews (in chapter 11 verse 32) "the time would fail me" if I presented all the memories that I have about past Christmasses, but I'll share one more;
Christmas 2020: Mary Ann and my daughter Rachel were out in Missouri visiting my other daughter Amy and her family. I spent Christmas with my son Jon at his apartment in Framingham. He gave me a very special Christmas present: An online video message from actor Terry O'Quinn to me personally in which he encouraged me that although I can be a lot like John Locke, the character he played in ABC's drama Lost, I will succeed as I move ahead because I have a son and others who love me. I'm almost getting choked up as I write this. Later in the day, Jon and I went to the movies and saw the Tom Hanks film, News of the World. I had a great time!
I'm hoping you're all still alive - that I haven't bored you to death! "And so I'm offering this simple phrase, to kids from one to ninety-two, although it's been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you!"
