Today’s guest post was written by my mom, Lorraine Strohbehn. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading these Christmas memories as much as I did!

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What do you remember from your childhood years that relates to the wonderful celebration of Christmas? Was the Christ of Christmas always included?

In the church in which I grew up, Christmas was a time when people seemed to sing with more excitement than other times of the year. I am not certain of my age at the time, but as you will see, I was obviously not reading from the hymnal very well. I recall singing along enthusiastically with the familiar carol, “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” I thought the words of the chorus were: “O come, little Sadoryahan, O come, little Sadoryahan, O come, little Sadoryahan….” Because I loved learning fancy new words, I belted it out with great vigor as the older folks sang the proper words. I did not yet grasp the meaning, but I certainly grasped the joy of the season!

Going to my grandparents’ homes was a special part of Christmas and created many special memories. My mother’s parents hosted a big Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. When the meal was ended and the clean-up was complete, the double glass doors leading into the parlor were opened, and we went into the parlor for a time of celebration around the Christmas tree. I believe we sang a few Christmas carols, but I do not remember the Word of God being opened to renew or introduce our hearts to the Christ of Christmas. Candles were lit on the live tree, and there were red ball-shaped bags made of net for everyone. As we opened them, we were always excited about what Grandma had in them for us. We also enjoyed opening a few presents under the tree, and then the candles were blown out, the parlor doors were closed, and we went back to the living area of the house to visit or have lefsa (a Norwegian flatbread that is still a family favorite) and coffee.

On Christmas day, we always went to my dad’s parents. There were lots of cousins, gifts for all the youngsters from an aunt and uncle, and a grab-bag gift for the adults. It was such a fun time with all the hustle and bustle of lots of kids and wonderful food. However, we did not share the Christ of Christmas there either.

Another fun Christmas memory for me is more recent than the childhood memories I just shared. One of my favorite Christmas dinners was about 15 years ago. On Christmas day, our daughter, my husband, and I were returning from meeting our son at the airport—which was quite a distance away. My husband and I planned to treat the two of them with a nice holiday dinner at a favorite restaurant. We drove up in front of the restaurant, but it was not open. We tried various other places and found nothing open. As we traveled back to our daughter’s home, we stopped at a filling station/convenience store. By then, we were pretty hungry. They had foot-long hot dogs and also carbonated beverages at less than a dollar for any size you chose. We each had a foot-long hot dog and a huge beverage as we drove on to our daughter’s home. It is one day I will always remember, because we laughed all the way as we enjoyed “Christmas dinner” in the car!

But what I remember most is that those many years ago when I came to know the Christ of Christmas as my Savior, the joy of Christmas was extended to a depth I had not known before. I finally experienced the true meaning of Luke 2:1-14—the birth of Christ, the star announcing His birth, the adoration of the shepherds, and the gifts of the kings—with the heartfelt thankfulness of a sinner saved by grace.

Christmas can’t just be the fun; it can’t just be the singing; it can’t just be the gifts; it can’t just be the food. The only unchanging meaning of Christmas is the Christ who came as a baby, lived on earth, and grew to become our Savior. What a joy it is (and will) be when we spend Christmas with Him—both here and for eternity!

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