If I've heard Andy Williams' "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" once this Christmas season I've heard it 1000 times. It's got to be the No. 1 most played Christmas song of all time. If not, it's a close 2nd. The funny thing is that I haven't tired of the song. It's a classic. I love it.
The lyrics romanticize Christmas like no other song.
It's the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"
It's the most wonderful time of the year
It's the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It's the hap- happiest season of all
There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago
Tonight there's one line from the song that really rings true for me...
"...tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago..."
One of the most special things about Christmas is the memories. I've got some good ones.
Among my earliest is walking down the stairs with my little brother 30 years ago to find sparkly new Yamaha 3-wheelers in the living room. Santa set the bar impossibly high that year, but I'll never forget my disbelief at seeing a 3-wheeler in my living room. That was the year I fell in love with Santa.
My first Christmas with my wife, 15 years ago, we were stranded at her house in west Tennessee courtesy of a southern ice storm. On our first attempt to drive to my Mom's house in Mississippi we slid off her road and busted a tire... We didn't even make it three miles from her house. Though it was not a fun time at that moment (at all), it's a good memory now. It's funny how memories work that way.
My oldest daughter was born during the Christmas winter storm of 2004. She was actually born on the 22nd, but we were released from the hospital in Memphis on Christmas Eve. The roads were still covered in ice, and I drove 30 mph all the way home with both hands glued tightly to the steering wheel probably thanks to the memories I had of that first Christmas with my wife. Driving on ice is one thing. Driving on ice with your 2-day-old first born in the back is quite another. A drive that typically takes an hour and fifteen minutes took more like three hours. I'll never forget that Christmas. That little girl was definitely my most treasured Christmas gift ever.
This Christmas we've created a few more memories.
Saturday night we celebrated Christmas at Granny's house back in west Tennessee. Just before we were set to open presents a low pressure system power packed with high winds and thunderstorms arrived full force. Granny's house being on a rural road outside a small town, it was no surprise to any of us when the electricity was knocked out. Instead of opening presents around the tree with Granny we packed the kids, Granny and an uncle in the minivan and drove to McDonalds. Who could forget that Christmas? Not me. And I wouldn't trade it. Memories are also funny that way.
Tonight at my family's traditional Christmas Eve get together we took it up another notch - with a snowball fight - in Mississippi.
No, they weren't real.
We had a bucket of 40 or so fake, cotton-stuffed snowballs for the house full of little children to play with. Somehow, late in the evening after all the adults had enjoyed a glass or two of Christmas cheer and stuffed our bellies with beef tenderloin, Krystal burgers and Chick-fil-A nuggets (perhaps the most memorable Christmas Eve combo of all time) the adults started joining in with the kids and casually tossing snowballs at one another. Within a few moments a full-fledged snowball fight broke out. Aunts, uncles, grannies and baby cousins all got in on the action and laughter ensued. Lots and lots of laughter. It was a 20 minute all out snowball war. And we laughed until it hurt as we dodged flying cotton balls and hurled them back across the way.
That's how I want to remember Christmas many years from now - laughing with people I love.
One day, many years from now, this Christmas will no doubt be a tale of glory of a Christmas long, long ago...
Andy Williams was right.
My kids are finally starting to get quiet in their beds now.... Santa will be coming soon....
Merry Christmas!
