Christmas and What It Means To Me

When I think back on my life and I think about Christmas, I think about how it used to be, when everyone I knew and loved was still alive and my parents were still together. So in other words I am going back to my first Christmas where I actually got to spend some quality time with my Grandfather Buford and Grandmother Sue. Most of you might remember me talking about my grandmother who died 7 years ago, but I sometimes forget to mention my Grandfather.

On Monday at my church here in Bartlett, TN, I got to enjoy the Bartlett Flute Choir and the Bartlett Sunday Brass Choir. They did a Christmas program, where they played some of my favorite Christmas Hymns and Carols, like The First Noel, O Come All Ye Faithful, White Christmas and a few other secular songs that I like when it comes Christmas time. I sat next to my grandfather taping, but I could not help, but go back in time and just remember, all of the good times I had with him and my grandmother, sitting in there log house with a fire going, petting there dogs Sandy and Trucker and enjoying being with them for Christmas. Even now as I type it brings tears to my eyes.

Christmas for me always had two very important meanings. Celebrating the birth of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and getting to spend it with my Grandparents. Ever since I have become older and I lost my grandma, I don't spend as much time with my grandpa as I should, so seeing him at the concert really made me happy. We got to share in beautiful music and go to fellowship even more as Grandfather and Grandson. To me, that meant the world. He just turned 75 years of age, and I tell you what, I am sorry I haven't spent more time with him.

Christmas brings around one of my favorite times of the year and that's winter and the cold weather...now yes I will admit when it's cold, but I love the smell of the chimney smoke that is in the air. I love the site of snow when it falls. I haven't had a white christmas in quite a long time, but if I get one this year, it will make me very happy. I sit here and wonder why people think Christmas is about getting the best deals at a retail store. My church does a Live Nativity, we call it the Christmas Odyssey, and I will be the first the tell you, it is a lot of hard work to put it together. I think in all I logged about 40 + hrs in the three days that we did it. I was hoping that it would put me in the Christmas mood, but I really wasn't feeling it afterwards, but when I got to listen to the concert the other night, that jump started me!

On Tuesday nights I usually watch a show called NCIS, and this week, it was a new episode, so I of course didn't go out and made sure I was home to watch, and it was there first "Christmas" episode. It was a touching episode in the way only this show can give. Abby the spunky "goth" Forensic Scientist and her innoncence when it comes to the holiday. It was about a Navy Petty Office who supposedly murdered two people. Well it turns out that he was actually hired by the murdered couple to decorate there house for the holidays, a way to give back to those less fortunate. Well the metro cops, think they have there man, but the NCIS Team Leader/Supervisor Leroy Jethro Gibbs (the protagonist) and his team made of street smart former Baltimore Detective turned Senior Special Agent Tony Dinozzo, Mossad Liason Office Ziva David, Field Agent Timothy McGee investigate the claims, and find out that he in fact did not kill him...but the kicker was that the navy Petty Officer was believed to be dead and had a family. The daughter wanted to know her father, while his ex wife wanted nothing to do with him. In the end, the Petty Officer is taken to his daughters house by Gibbs, and Gibbs tells the gentleman, if there is something that he would give anything for and that would be to hold his daughter (who was murdered)...but that will never happen, but he had a chance to know his daughter and grandson. And it shows the man hugging his grandson and daughter and it shows Gibbs calling his dad to wish him a Merry Christmas.

It's moments like that are etched in TV memories and help bring around one of the two reasons for this season...the birth of Christ and family.

Thanks for reading and I am sorry it's a little long...I hope you have a great Christmas season and a Happy Hanukah. With Love.

The Big Guy