Santa's sleigh rings too loudly with all the little bells for him to qualify for the No Bell Prize!

Welcome to Wednesday and we are still in the Christmas countdown mode on this mild 14th day of December in the year of 2011 (as we calculate days). I've thought about thinking about what my favorite Christmas memory is but I'm not sure I can come up with one that stands out so as to be my all time favorite. I do have many to choose from and I'm not bragging because good memories are a blessing and we know that any and all good things come from God, therefore, we thank Him for allowing us to have so many good recollections of our Christmas celebrations. But when in doubt, Google it. You do know what I mean. Right? Here's a sampling: My favorite Christmas was .....When I got my Atari. I almost cried. ~ My favorite Christmas was the year I got a BB gun from my dad. It was awesome! And, contrary to my mom’s fears, I didn’t shoot my eye out—or anyone else’s. ~ It was in 1943. My sister was a new baby. My family had been into the nearby town of Kennett, Missouri and were returning after dark. As my mom lit the old kerosene lamp, my dad built a fire in our wood cook stove. As we stood there in our kitchen around the stove, my mom and dad looked at each other, smiled and started singing, Silent Night. Our smiling, singing parents did more than the cook stove to warm us and to this day, tears come to my eyes when I hear Silent Night. ~

My favorite Christmas was ..... I was living with my folks in a beautiful log cabin in Montana, miles from town and we got a snowstorm. It was picturesque in so many ways. Mom was baking up a storm, dad and I worked on puzzles and kept the wood stove blazing and we were as cozy as could be. I don't even remember one gift I received, but I will never forget that Christmas. ~ All of the ones when my parents were alive, missing them like crazy during the holidays. ~ I woke up around 4 a.m. and found a "Suzy Smart" under the tree. She had a desk, blonde hair tied in a pony tail, and a cute little school-girl skirt and blouse. I took her and sat down to look at her and suddenly she started talking! It startled me, since the house was asleep and quiet...but once I knew how she worked, she talked to me until her battery ran out later in the day. ~ Always getting to open 1 present early on Christmas Eve day, simply because we nagged my parents so much they would give in. Then that night we would go over to my grandparents and my grandfather would do a scavenger hunt for one of our presents. ~ I was in my first year of college in a small town in Missouri. I was 7 hours away from home and missing the Christmas preparations with my family when some of my suitemates and I decided to volunteer and help take kids shopping at Walmart for their families. We each got a child and we had a money limit of what we could spend on each family member. It was the most amazing moment of my life. I will never forget that Christmas. Instead of thinking about what presents I wanted for Christmas I got to help a family have an amazing Christmas.~

Maybe I will share some more from the web with you before we end our time of remembering the birth of our Lord and the blessings that He brought to us. I know some of the ones I shared were sentimental. That's such an integral part of how our memories are made. I remember our baby sister's last Christmas before she made her journey to her heavenly home. She had written out what she wanted to say to every person there. I can tell you, the tears flowed freely on that special gathering. Our Kayla was such an inspiration to us all as she bravely dealt with Leukemia, one hand held by those who loved her, the other held by her Savior. That conjures up one special Christmas memory to me. I also remember when Marilyn and I were young parents and she was pregnant with our youngest. We were struggling to make ends meet but I had slipped around and bought her a new watch. She had not expected it and we traveled over to Louisiana where I slipped it into the pile of gifts at her family's gift giving party. She was handed the present and she didn't have a clue. None of us could have expected what would happen next. When she saw it she burst into tears and all the lady folks joined in with her. It wasn't a very expensive watch but she knew that it involved some sacrifice. That little gift exchange set the tone for one of the most memorable of our Christmas gatherings. Now don't get me started. And, you do know that old grandpa's tend to be emotional so I had better end this for now and wish you a wonderful and blessed day. See you next time where we might all be surprised at what finds its way onto the page.    ....More later.