A Christmas Memory From Granny’s Back Porch

A Christmas Memory From Granny’s Back Porch
Written by Joy Mathis Chadwick

Yes, it’s much too cold to sit on the back porch this time of year and tell you about Christmas memories from many years ago, but let’s sit at my old kitchen table in front of the French doors that open onto the back porch; that’s almost the same, except we’ll stay warm and cozy. Let me pass you a cup of hot chocolate while we chat.

My favorite Christmas memory as a child came out of a situation that seemed like Christmas might be ruined. (It’s funny how kids can perceive things, isn’t it?) My cousins were here from Oklahoma, staying with my grandparents, just down the lane. This was so exciting for me since we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together. We were on the verge of being wild with excitement, and I’m pretty sure that our wildness was tolerated only because it was a time of Christmas miracles.

Even though Santa Claus was downplayed because my mom wanted the focus to be on the birth of Jesus, there was never a Christmas that any gifts were bought prior to Christmas Eve. Although I didn’t quite understand then, now I know that it was because there just wasn’t any extra money unless my dad got a little extra on his paycheck right before Christmas. Dad’s boss was so very generous with his employees and also gave each family a ham; that was so very welcomed at our house; it was a special treat indeed.

I was probably about 8 years old this particular Christmas. I vividly remember that this Christmas was going to be on a Sunday; church would be held as usual. I remember that my mom was so very happy because for the first time ever, there was enough “extra” in dad’s paycheck that she could get a little something for the kids in her Sunday school class. Her happiness was so contagious and just added to the overall excitement.

My cousins and I bundled up that Christmas Eve (Saturday) and played outside most of the day. It never once crossed anyone’s mind that it might snow; after all, we lived in south Arkansas and it never ever snowed on Christmas. But the longer we played, the colder it got, and we had to continue our rambunctious playing in the warmth of my grandma’s cozy house. When I finally did leave my grandma’s house to go on home, I remember walking in our front door and seeing the many packages under our little cedar tree. This was a rare occasion indeed, and just added to my excitement. I remember being so happy seeing the happiness on my mom’s face because she had wrapped up each individual little gift for her Sunday school kids and would take them with us to church on Christmas morning.

And if it wasn’t exciting enough waking up on Christmas morning to see even more presents under the little cedar tree, that was nothing compared to what my mom was about to show me. She opened the back door, and after the initial rush of freezing cold wind, there was nothing but snow. A huge snow.

The huge snow forced all the churches to cancel; the roads were impassable. My mom was so disappointed because she couldn’t get the gifts to her Sunday school kids. And for whatever reason I still don’t understand, my precious momma let me and my cousins each have a gift that should have been someone else’s. She could have saved those little inexpensive gifts for the next Sunday, but she wanted us to have them on Christmas morning since it would be impossible to get them to her “other kids”. We were beyond excited as we tore through the thin paper and found that we all got a tiny baby doll (even the boys).

I don’t remember any other gifts I got that year. But I do remember the hours and hours of enjoyment we all had playing with those cheap baby dolls that should have been gifted to someone else. My grandma gave us an old Sears catalog and a cardboard box. We cut out furniture and decorated our “doll house”; the boys were just as involved as the girls. We had a meal fit for a king, thanks to the ham that my dad’s boss had given him.

Although there was no one special “thing” that stood out to make this my most favorite Christmas, it wasn’t really about the “things” at all. It was about feeling warm and cozy beside a big roaring fire in my grandma’s cozy house with my cousins. It was about sitting down as a family for a Christmas meal and hearing stories from my dad and uncle about growing up during a time when there wasn’t enough money for anything more than one stick of candy. It was just the pure happiness and love that abounded in that tiny house. It was about hearing the Christmas story told by my mom as her face radiated with love and thankfulness for the ultimate gift that was given.

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“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” I’ve done a lot of pondering this week. I had several ideas for the perfect Christmas memory to share with y’all, but it just seemed best to keep a lot of those memories tucked away in my heart. It seemed best to get back to basics and keep it about simpler times, as our country is heading into times that may not be so simple anymore.

I wish I could be more of the woman that Mary was. She had the most amazing news ever known to man, yet she kept it in her heart. Yet people KNEW – not from what she said, but by her spirit. She just pondered. Oh, I’m very sure that she did indeed talk at times about the upcoming birth of the Savior Of The World. Wouldn’t you like to have been a fly on the wall when she went to visit Elizabeth!

But this Christmas season, and all through this next year, and the next, and however long I get to be in this world, my Christmas wish/prayer is that people can know who I am by the things I keep in my heart. I’m gonna keep on pondering that.

Merry Christmas and God’s richest blessings to you all from Granny’s Back Porch.