It can be challenging for me to get in the Christmas Spirit. Not because of anything nefarious or some jaded sentiments. As I transitioned to adulthood, Christmas felt like a pale imitation of what it once was. Now, my growing family’s infectious love of the holiday has reignited my Christmas Spirit in a way I was unprepared for. My cherished memories rise to the surface as they experience Christmas morning, Santa, family gatherings, and so much more for the first time.
Christmas parties at my paternal grandparents’ house come to mind. They always happened well before Christmas to accommodate out-of-town relatives, serving as a precursor to holiday festivities. I also remember when my dad bought a HUGE big screen tv—the old box projector kind. It was too heavy to carry upstairs, and I spilled caramel dip on the carpet of the room we temporarily left it in. We watched Lord of the Rings on it that day and went to the theater to see the third movie.
I asked other staff members about their Christmas memories and what sparks their Christmas spirit.
-Hunter
I always think of my oldest son’s first Christmas. We were visiting with his fraternal grandfather and great-grandmother. There is a picture that was taken in front of the Christmas tree of the four firstborns of four generations.
What really puts me in the Christmas spirit now is attending the late service at my church on Christmas Eve. The service is beautiful, and when we leave the church, the world is quiet – “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright.” I enter that thin place of Christmas and feel that moment is just for me.
-Sis
My favorite holiday memory is when my brother, who was 2 years younger than me, and I got matching 10-speed bikes! I learned later that my parents had hidden them in our neighbor’s basement. Mine was pink, his was blue, and they were identical in make. We rode everywhere in our neighborhood to show them off that Christmas morning!
I think of the many Christmas programs my kids and I participated in throughout the years when I think of Christmas Spirit. Christmas music brings so much joy!
Dana
My favorite Holiday Memory has to be “The furry vest debacle Christmas 2018”. My twin granddaughters were a year old and experiencing the first Christmas they could open their own gifts and express excitement or disdain. My daughter bought them these outfits she thought were just the cutest she had ever seen. They were black and maroon-colored floral print bell bottom pants, a maroon-colored velvet top, and a furry black vest tied with a satin bow.
The older twin is opening the gifts and is completely uninterested in this outfit. She immediately drops it out of her hand. She proceeds to open another gift, her sister’s outfit, and remains unimpressed. I periodically watch the video of the “furry vest debacle Christmas 2018” whenever I want a good laugh.
The Adopt a Table event at the Foundry for the Men’s program encompasses the spirit of Christmas, where love and giving are well displayed.
Donna
