Nancy and I were married in 1970, so our first Christmas together was in December 1970. We were seniors at Bob Jones University, and we decided that it would be too expensive to drive home to Michigan for the holidays. We worked in Greenville during Christmas, but it was a bit lonely for us. It was our first Christmas away from home. Bob and Dottie Harris, BJU faculty members, invited several of us over to their home for a Christmas gathering. I will always remember their kindness and thoughtfulness. It was just what we needed to get us through that Christmas.
A year later (1971), we did make it home for Christmas. On our way back to Greenville from Michigan, we were involved in an accident on Interstate-40 near Newport, Tennessee. We ended up in the median between two bridge abutments. No one was hurt, but we were concerned about Nancy, who was three months pregnant with Cynthia. Fortunately, Nancy and Cynthia did not have any problems as a result of the accident. Our Pontiac station wagon was not easily repairable, so we had to rent a car to get us back to Greenville. We learned a good lesson—someone other than the driver needs to stay awake if at all possible.
In December 1973, when Cynthia and Tricia were still quite young, we flew home to Michigan. That was quite the adventure, especially when we returned to Greenville in a near-empty plane on New Year's Eve. We did make it back to Michigan the next several years, but the last year that we drove home to Michigan for Christmas was December 1979, when we had five children seven years old and younger. As we drove back to Greenville from the Detroit area, we ran into a snowstorm at Cincinnati. We ended up staying overnight in Florence, Kentucky.
Starting the Christmas of 1980, Nancy and I decided that it was time to stay home for Christmas and establish our own Christmas traditions. And so it has been from that time until now. We enjoyed spending Christmas in Greenville through 1982. Then we were in Huntington (WV) for the Christmas of 1983. Having moved to Owatonna in 1984, we have been here every Christmas for the nearly the last twenty-five years. I am personally glad that I don't have to drive long distances in winter weather.
Generally, all seven kids (and spouses and grandkids) make it back to Grandpa and Grandma's house for Christmas. We have a nice Christmas Dinner and then open presents in the afternoon. Then it's time for games and conversation. By Christmas night, the last of the food and dessert has been served, and everyone has full stomachs and more importantly, full hearts. We celebrate Christ's birth, and we love the benefits of having our family together at this most special time of year.
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1 comment:
My husband and I traveled to folks' homes for the first several years we were married, too, and at some point felt it would be best to stay home and establish our own traditions. Another wrinkle was that my folks were not saved; his mom was but his dad wasn't, so there wasn't a Christian emphasis at either home, and we wanted that for our children.
With my mom's passing a couple of years ago, in some ways I've regretted that we weren't there more for the holidays. But I remind myself that we did see them at other times, and that's how we felt led at the time.
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