The Story of the First Christmas

And there went out a decree that all the world should be taxed.

Joseph went up with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child.

There was no room for them in the inn.

And she brought forth her firstborn son . . . and laid him in a manger. . .

There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field. . .

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them . . .

And the angel said, Fear not: I bring you good tidings of great joy.

For unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And the shepherds said, Let us go now even unto Bethlehem.

And they found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God.

Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.

We have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled.

He demanded of them where Christ should be born.

And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea.

And he said, Go and search diligently for the young child. . .

When they heard the king, they departed.

The star came nd stood over where the young child was.

They saw the young child, and fell down, and worshipped him.

They presented unto him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

[Conclusion on Day 24:]

Shepherds in the fields nearby

And wise men from afar

Came to where the Christ child was

By following a star.

In Bethlehem on hay and straw

The baby Jesus lay,

And that was the beginning

Of our joyous Christmas Day/

MERRY CHRISTMAS

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[The story above, based on biblical accounts of events surrounding the birth of the Christ child, was taken from an advent calendar published by Hallmark in 1968. The story lies day by day behind numbered doors which also correspond to the symbols of the story.]

GETTIN' READY #20 -- A NEW HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Ina's home, 1910

Sunday, Dec. 20, 1896 – on this date at Gilbert:

Sunshine today – the first for several days. We went to see the Dobsons. The first Sunday for Jack and Ina in their own house.
~M. L. Dickson

The above diary entry was written by my great-grandfather, noting that his daughter Ina and her husband Jack, my grandparents, were spending their first Sunday in their own house. “Their own house” – what joy! After having spent the first five years of their marriage living in homes provided on rented land, sometimes even sharing cramped quarters with others, having their own home was a dream come true.

Ina's home, c. 1916

They must have felt especially hopeful on this Christmas of 1896. I imagine that my grandparents expected to give this new life their all. No one can see into the future, but in retrospect I know that life brought them joys and sorrows, just like everyone else. But mostly, it was good. Yes, it was good. KW

GETTIN' READY #19 -- MRS. CLAUS' WORKSHOP

My mother had a love of imaginary play. In fact, she had a gift -- a way of setting it up -- so that we children knew from the beginning that it was imaginary without her saying so in so many words. At Christmastime, we all played along with the image of Santa at the North Pole, and speaking for myself, I loved it.

Now I’m Mrs. Claus with my own workshop – a sewing room with dolls and patterns, a fabric stash, and more. The 2014 workshop closed this morning with the sewing of a few snaps and a trip to the post office. I felt a little sad until I remembered – the 2015 workshop is open for business.

I’d like to think that the workshop could remain open right up to the eleventh hour on Christmas Eve, with little elves hurrying in and out as they fill Santa’s sleigh. But when Santa needs an assist from the post office, the eleventh hour falls days ahead of Christmas.

In this picture, my American Girls model simple jumpers I made from a Daisy Kingdom panel. The panel included two jumpers and one blouse, but since Emmy has two dolls, I cut another blouse of fabric from my stash to make a second complete outfit. The outfits are a little snug – as if the dolls are about to outgrow them. If I had realized that initially, I would have skimped a bit on that 3/8” seam allowance. 

It's always something, as they say. KW

Saturday, Dec. 19, 1896 -- on this day at Gilbert:

Ed helped me haul logs for my house. Thawed considerable today and an occasional sprinkle of rain. Cloudy all day. A red sunset.

~M. L. Dickson 

GETTIN' READY #16 -- SLEEPING IN

Woops! Mrs. Claus slept in and missed a day. Sometimes it's good to get extra rest before the festivities begin.
 
Thursday, Dec. 17, 1896 -- on this day at Gilbert:
Gene and Ben made shake for house and stable-- about 200 for my house. Ed started his cistern. I finished making chamber floor joist. Weather warm and not so foggy as yesterday.
~M. L. Dickson 

GETTIN' READY #16: REALITY CHECK

A staged picture of Mother, 1951

So, here we are. Christmas Eve is eight days away. If you’re like me, you’re checking your list and perhaps drawing a line through some things that just can’t be finished in time.

I have a tendency to take on too much at Christmas – much more than I can accomplish. My expectations are way too high and then disappointment brings me low. Of course, I’m the only one who’s disappointed. No one else knows that I have . . . well, failed.

You know, so many things that seem important in the moment just aren’t in the scheme of things. My brother Chuck is fond of saying, “In a hundred years no one will even remember this.” Usually it doesn’t even take a hundred years for memory to fade.

I remember one year – I suppose I was about 15 – my mother announced on December 23 that she would have to stay up all night in order to accomplish all she wanted to do before Christmas. “Oh boy!” I said, “I’ll stay up and help you.”

At first, I had a good time. She gave me jobs to do and I did them while I watched Christmas programs on t.v. Midnight came and went. Television stations went off air, and I was miserably tired and still working away. Finally, as I went off to bed at 5:00 a.m., I wondered what on earth was so important about all that. In fact, of all the chores I performed, the only one I remember was wrapping packages at 4:00 a.m. that Santa would leave under the tree when he packed the stockings. I also remember thinking that even though I had worked steadily -- or so it seemed to me -- we were both up all night. 

That’s why I tuck myself in with my Grandma Ina at Christmas. Reading of her “no skimpy Christmas here” is such a joy to me, but even she said of her festivities, “I stood it all just fine,” which says to me that meltdowns had occurred in the past. She had experienced disappointment, too.

I enjoy getting ready for Christmas, but at some point, I have to be realistic about what I can do as the time for getting ready draws to a close. So, this year I’m taking a lesson from those businesses that help us create Christmas celebrations. They work at least a year in advance.

“Why not me?” I asked myself. I, too, can work a year in advance. So, this year the passing of Christmas will simply mean that I’m getting ready for Christmas 2015.

I already like it!

GETTIN' READY #15 -- AN ADVENT CALENDAR STORY

THE SHEPHERD BOY'S GIFT

Long, long ago a small shepherd boy

Was tending his flock one dark night,

When all of a sudden the heavens lit up

With a shining and wonderful light.

He called to the shepherds to waken from sleep

And they looked up and trembled with fear,

But as they were wondering what it could be

They saw a bright angel appear

Who told them to fear not but rather rejoice

At the birth of their Saviour this day

Who was born in Judea near Bethlehem town

In a manger not too far away,

The shepherds decided to go see this sight

And forgot about taking the boy.

 

Who was carving a doll from a smooth piece of wood

So the Christ Child would have a small toy.

When he finished the doll he looked off to the East

But the others were nowhere in sight.

Then he grew very sad for the way wasn’t marked

And around him was blackness and night.

But with courage he went and each time he seemed lost

From somewhere he’d hear a voice say,

“Look to the East and then follow the star,

It will guide you each step of the way.”

So he followed the star – for a long time it seemed –

Till it led to a manger, and there –

He found the small child with the shepherds near by

And three kings who were kneeling in prayer.

He looked at the gifts which the others had brought

And then at the doll in his hand

And he thought, “Why I can’t put my gift down with these

For the others are costly and grand.”

Then a heavenly light shone down from above

And to all of the others’ surprise

It cast a soft glow on the boy and the doll

Right before all their wondering eyes.

With a heart full of love the good shepherd boy

Lay his gift near the Christ Child, and then

As all knelt in prayer they heard angels above sing

“On Earth, Peace, Good Will, Toward All Men!”

[This story advent calendar, produced by Hallmark, was one that Mother especially enjoyed.]