“Oh, We Need a Little Christmas.”

My mother loved Christmas. It was her favorite time of year and it rubbed off on both my brother and I. Now a song, a smell, an ornament, a cookie can bring tears of remembrance and an ache in my heart with her absence. Perhaps you miss a loved one too, especially during Christmas?

One hot July day, my brother and I were moping around. My mother went to her ‘magic’ closet and she brought out a surprise. I don’t even remember what it was, maybe a jump rope, bubbles for my brother… something. And as she handed it to us, she sang, “Oh, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute.” From then on, that became our family song during tough times. Whenever I hear this song, I will sing the first verse until I get to the chorus. Then I garble, “Oh, we need a little Christmas…” wiping away the moisture from my eyes.

One year, I gave my mom a trip to Paris for Christmas. She had always wanted to go. I traveled a lot for work and had many miles to share. Her ability to walk had diminished so I found an agency that would assist her with a wheelchair. She wanted to bring me back some presents and went to the famed antique flea market and found two silver serving spoons. They were a bit tarnished. I kept these in my kitchen drawer for several years, not thinking they could regain their shine. The day after this past Thanksgiving, we had some friends for dinner. I brought out some silver polish and with elbow grease worked on the spoons. Oh my, they were beautiful; they came out gleaming. All this time I could have enjoyed this gift but overlooked it. My mother had seen the hidden worth, that I had not.

It was as if my mom was giving them to me again, reminding me of her thoughtfulness. She knows I love to have people join us for dinners. It felt like a big hug.

Do we forget the many gifts that have been given to us? Can we celebrate the wonderful memories and let go the ones that we regret? My belief about heaven is once there we will know love, true love, which means understanding, compassion, and forgiveness which is from the grace of God and Jesus.

As we enter this Christmas with memories of joy and loss, may we be grateful for all we have, for all that is gone, and all that we have left?

“Oh, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute.”
Merry Christmas to you and yours.

PS sending this a little earlier than my normal schedule.