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At (in)courage, we empower women to be like Jesus. Our writers share what’s going on in their life and how God’s right in the middle of it. They bring their joys & struggles so that you can feel less alone and be empowered by the hope Jesus gives.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
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  1. Our first Christmas married we made homemade cinnamon rolls and then joined my husband’s family for a delicious Christmas brunch. Now that we live overseas and spend the holidays apart from our families, we cherish those first holidays we had together with them!

    • My Christmas memory was my husband left me and my 4 year old daughter and 3 week old son. Right before the holidays.on christmas eve a man I never laid eyes on knocked on my door and gave me a santa bag of wrapped presents for my kids and handed me an envelope with 800.00 cash in it!!!what a blessing

    • It’s hard to pinpoint what the best Christmas ever is. I have always treasured all, especially the ones where all family members may be together on that day. In my family there are those serving our country and that is not alway possible.

    • My most memorable Christmas was in 1994. My husband had a part-time job at a local video store. We had four little ones ages 5 – 11 months! We had no money. We kept faith and was going to hope for a simple celebration. Then two young girls knocked on our door with two huge bags of presents for all the kids! I was so excited helping the little ones that I completely forgot their names and where they were from!
      What a miraculous Christmas that was!

  2. My favorite Christmas memory was the last year we had with my dad in 2003. We purchased and set up his tree that year because he was to ill to do it. Then my husband and I showed up on Christmas morning with a car load of gifts for him and my step-mom. They never expected it and for me it was the best Christmas ever and I’ll treasure it always.

    • Love this story Jen…so many kids (even when parent’s are ill) think of theirselves.
      Hope you win. :)!

  3. My favorite Christmas memory is when we were kids, my daddy would wake us early in the morning. I mean really early, before sunrise, sometimes as early as 4 am! He just could not wait to open presents. He would get so excited. He lined us up in the hallway and when we were all there we went out to the tree and opened presents. He loved watching our faces filled with excitement. Most of our presents were handmade, and I still have many today. After the last present was unwrapped, we would gather to have our traditional breakfast. Not soon after that we would all head back to bed. The sun had still risen!

  4. The memory of my daughters all together sprawled over the living room floor just cuddling each other. I remember it like it was yesterday just a moment if tenderness that I cherish.

  5. My favorite Christmas memory is of my sisters and I all in the same room, laughing and reading stories and playing games on Christmas Eve trying to get ourselves to fall asleep so the morning would come sooner!!! 🙂

  6. One year a few days before Christmas we had our pastor over for a visit. My Dad always goes overboard with Christmas decorations outside and this year it was really stressing the system. Our water system was connected to our electricity at that point and our pastor got the biggest kick out of the fact that the lights–both the ones outside and the ones inside our home–went off every time someone flushed the toilet. He thought it was hilarious that the whole neighborhood could gauge our bathroom habits thanks to our decor. 😉

  7. I have a very vivid memory of my parents sneaking into a dark bedroom late at night, and coming out with bags of toys. I caught them in the act!

  8. My favorite Christmas memory, isn’t really mine, but my children’s retelling of a what I thought was sure to be a Christmas failure. I was expecting our seventh child, unbeknownst to me at this time, he was to be special needs, but my body was already experiencing the challenges of carrying his pregnancy. I was very large and in pain with 5 more months to go (he did end up being premature because I couldn’t carry him any longer.) I didn’t have the energy to wrap all the presents and the abdominal pain was, at times, debilitating. I decided to wrap the room instead! I closed off the doorways with wrapping paper, sealing in the surprise of the unwrapped gifts on the other side. My children recall this as their favorite memory. God was merciful in sharing our joy in many ways that year.

  9. My favorite Christmas memory is spending time at my grandparents for the day. The kids would hang out under the dining room table and play cards while the grown ups played in the kitchen 🙂

  10. My favourite Christmas memory is getting married on December 20th 2008. We moved house the week before, and it was really awesome to spend our first married Christmas together in a flat that was complete chaos. We didn’t have a honeymoon, we just came to our flat and decorated it for Christmas! We got a teeny tiny tree and collated all our decorations and the flat looked awesome. It was the longest time off work we’d managed together as well, which meant we could spend a lot of time visiting family and just relaxing together.

    This year we celebrate our first Christmas with our daughter (9months) and a niece (maybe 2 by the time Christmas arrives!) and I’m still so excited for it. I love the way our family continues to grow and expand and how we all still get together for Christmas. My family are brilliant.

  11. I’m not sure that I could pick one, there have been so many. One that stands out for me, though, was when we were the middle of Nowhere, IN visiting Hubs’ family. We were driving through the dark to a Christmas Eve service. Out of nowhere, a shooting star flashed across the sky.

    It was the first – and only – shooting star that I have ever seen.

    To make the moment even more magical, just moments later, a light snow began to fall. It was absolutely beautiful & I still get chills just thinking about it.

  12. Mine was when I was around 5-6 years old and we saw a deer in our yard and it was snowing. My dad said it must have been one of Santa’s reindeer! When we came into the house we had discovered that Santa had indeed been in our house. I just remember the wonder of it all, but also seeing that deer with the fresh falling snow……there was just something magical about it! 🙂

    I would love to win a set of these…..so beautiful!

  13. A fond Christmas memory for me is going on a drive with my highschool sweetheart. He turned onto this quiet country road and pulled over. He then turned to the back seat and handed me a rather large box. Grinning I opened the box only to find another wrapped box! I opened many boxes until what remained was a small box which contained a ring! That was 23 Christmases ago… and of course, I said YES! 🙂

  14. Sitting around the fire each Christmas with my aunt’s guitar and letting Christmas songs fill the house until the wee hours of the morning. Lovely. 🙂

  15. My instant memory is desperately wanting to examine the Barbie dollhouse that Santa left while being blinded by the row of endless lights on dad’s old video camera.

  16. So many memories…as a child, as a wife, and as a mom. I love celebrating Christmas and the birth of Jesus. One of my favorites was when my husband and I were newly engaged, flying out to Michigan to meet his family and friends. Our flights back home were cancelled due to snow and we had to spend an extra three days. Very sweet time.

  17. My favorite Christmas was 2 years ago. My mother almost died from kidney cancer in September but our Lord allowed her to live to see me get married on October 4th…that Christmas just had a feeling of a complete gift from God filled with His peace and love. :O)

  18. I chuckle when I remember my son’s first few Christmases — maybe ages 1, 2, 3, 4 — when he was much more interested in the wrapping than any of the gifts on Christmas morning.

  19. It’s not an idyllic moment, but it made me empathize with Mary: my husband had to work until close on Christmas Eve and we wanted to go to that Mass, so I said I would take the toddlers and meet him there. Everyone in town goes to that Mass. And doesn’t want to share their space. I walked up and down the aisles, a child in each hand and person after person said there was no room for us there. How ironic! We ended up sitting in the narthex, and I always think of Mary on that donkey.

  20. I think mine is strange. in 1992 my Dad passed away on Dec. 22. On Dec 25, I had a REAL reason to celebrate! He was with Jesus and in no more pain. Honestly, I remember more about that Christmas than many others, and it was nearly 20 years ago….

    Thanks for offering this beautiful give away!

  21. I grew up in Maryland, and I remember a year when it started sleeting the Sunday evening of our Christmas program at church. By the time it stopped the next day
    there was an inch of ice everywhere ….no school all week,…. and Christmas cookies to bake, gifts to make, books to read. …It was total peace and joy for us as the holiday “bustle” ground to a slow , quiet pace because of the weather.

  22. My favorite memory is this hilarious tree my Mother thought would be a wonderful idea…it was tall and thin and we ended up having to tie it to the wall to keep it from falling over. The ornaments were so heavy on the limbs they all drooped. We still laugh about our sad/fun tree when we look at old photos.

  23. I have so many favorite Christmas memories!
    One, though, was just last year. Money was very tight for me and my husband. It was so tight that we decided only to exchange what we called “word gifts” with each other. We each wrote a meaningful, loving letter to each other and placed them in our stockings. We then read them to each other when it was time to exchange gifts. It was a precious, emotional, memorable morning. We plan to do this again this year, as money is still very tight. I hope we will continue it as a tradition, even when/if we do buy gifts for each other again as well.

  24. When I was eight years old, I received a dollhouse. It was huge and was packed in a console TV box, wrapped and put next to the tree. I had no idea what could be in a such a big box until I unwrapped it!

  25. One of my favorite Christmas memories was going with my husband to cut down a Christmas tree the first year we were married.

  26. One of my favorite Christmas memories is trips to MN to visit my grandparents and going to their church on Christmas Eve and seeing their HUGE tree covered in these white ornaments!

  27. I so love reading everyone’s memories! So precious! Christmas was always big in our house growing up, just the excitement and fun family filled times…we never had extravagant gifts or anything, but my dad was the one who really got excited and always tried to make it really special. He doesn’t like to shop normally, but to this day he still loves to shop for Christmas, now he takes thrills in shopping for my 5 kiddo’s 10 and under. Something about having littles just makes Christmas that much more special.

    I guess I got the “bug” for Christmas from my dad, as my hubby is always telling me now that he loves how excited I get when Christmas rolls around, decorating, baking, cooking, getting the perfect gift…or rather making the perfect gift most times ha ha, and sharing the story of what Christmas is truly about. We do advent verses, watch Christmas movies, make popcorn and hot cocoa and drive around to see Christmas lights. I absolutely love it, and have so many memories and hopefully many more to come! Thank you so much for the chance to win such a beautiful set of hurricanes!

  28. My favorite Christmas memory. Hmm. The one that keeps coming to mind is from my childhood. Our Christmas tree was in the living room so it could be seen from the street. We never used that room until Christmas. My sister and I would go sit in front of the tree in the darkened room and quietly sing Christmas carols together. When we didn’t know the words we would just hum. It seemed to be so reverent and quiet in that room with my younger sister who I usually fought with all the time. I love that memory.

  29. My dad dressed up as Santa Claus dancing with his grandchildren. My dad is with Jesus now so the fact that he did that (which was out of character for him) is a memory I cherish.

  30. One of my favourite Christmas memories, was coming down the stairs only to find that our stockings weren’t there. As disappointment started to set in, we realized there was a note instead. This note was the beginning of a treasure hunt! How fun!

  31. My favorite Christmas memory… how about Christmas Eve 2006? My dear husband (then boyfriend) asked me to marry him, down by my beloved ocean water near where I grew up. I was so excited and eager that I didn’t even say yes. I said OF COURSE! And the rest, as they say, is wonderful history.

  32. My favorite Christmas memory is facebooking a customized merry christmas message to each of my friends…This is the first year I probably won’t do it because my friends list has way more than doubled, but it was a really great way to reconnect with people I might not have had a lot of communication with throughout the year.

  33. Although this seems unothrodox to most, we open presents whenever we fancy…anytime after Thanksgiving. We try new things to do like gather all out change and dump it in the Salvation Army bucket, or Operation Christmas Child, or the Giving Tree. Every year we try to remind eachother even though the television and stores and even our minds are saturated with stuff, that it’s about Jesus.

    So our favorite Christmas has been the past 9 years that we’ve been married and have had our children to really emphisis the joy of the season.

  34. My favorite Christmas memory is from 2006. Our first child was unexpectedly born early at 30 weeks, weighing only 2 lbs, 6 oz. She was finally able to come home on Dec. 23 – we weren’t expecting her to be able to come home until late January. We had only half heartedly put up a tree, as we were spending all our time at the hospital with her. When we came home that day, we placed her carseat (with her in it!) underneath the tree and took a picture. There were no ‘presents’ that year, but somehow we were able to bring home the one that meant the most. God is ever present!

  35. I have several favorite Christmas memories – I love the times my Dad went to church with us on Christmas Eve. I love many things about my Christmas now too. Particularly sweet was when my boys (now 12 and 10) were first learning parts of the Christmas story.

  36. My favorite memory is getting up in the morning before my parents and sitting in the living room with the Christmas tree lights on. It was so peaceful; then I would quietly set the table for our Christmas breakfast and get everything out (the eggs, bacon, grapefruit) so that it was ready when my dad got up at 6:00 AM. Such a great memory!

  37. One of my favorite memories is the new flannel pj’s my grandmother always made us for Christmas on her treadle Singer sewing machine — we would go home after Christmas eve at their house, put them on and lay down under the Christmas tree and dream of what we would find there the next morning — we only got new pj’s once a year!

  38. I remember when my children were small, and we still lived in Florida. We wanted to be in cold weather for Christmas. We could not afford much, so a friend loaned us her cabin in north Georgia (not too far north!) and we had the most simple, thankful Christmas. I brought stuff to make homemade decorations (can you say red and green paper chains?) and cookie ingredients. We cut down a Christmas tree in the woods w/ a butter knife and it was the Charlie Brown version, strung w/ popcorn and handmade ornaments..(again paper chains) we baked cookies, listened to Christmas songs and sat by the fireplace drinking hot chocolate to keep warm each night. No TV, no big gifts… my kids and husband and I still remember it as the best Christmas we ever had.. We focused on Jesus and the simplicity we experienced helped us to do just that.

  39. My favorite as a child: at the age of 3, my parents divorced…at 5, my oldest brother was killed….that following Christmas…my Dad spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us….it was wonderful…waking up with both of my parents….and the day was absolutely perfect!

    As a parent….it’s been the quiet times with my children…as they wrap their hearts around the true meaning…and struggle through letting go of receiving gifts and begin finding true joy in giving gifts!

  40. My family always travels on Christmas day to see family. We always stop and eat breakfast at Waffle House. It’s an odd tradition, but one we keep even when we are not traveling. We always leave a big tip for our waitress.

  41. There are so many!! When I was 3, there was a HUGE present behind the tree by the windows. My brother thought it was his and grabbed it quickly. He knocked over a 12 foot real tree! It was a little scary and funny. BUT to his surprise, the present was mine. It was my very first Cabbage Patch Kid, Lisa. 🙂

  42. My favorite Christmas memory was from a few years ago when my husband and I decided to take a week long vacation to the Outer Banks. We rented a beach house, visited lighthouses, ate at local restaurants and just spent that week together. We didn’t stress over whose house we would go to for Christmas and whose feelings would be hurt because we went to one parent’s and not the others. It was also our last Christmas before we adopted our little girl.

  43. My favorite Christmas memory was te Christmas we spent all of December in Uganda- 2007. It was an eye opener for us all not doing the normal Christmas rush and activities we do here in the states. We focused on the real meaning of Christmas. To live on, care for, and serve Gods children. We worked in the villages, orphanages, and did wry minimal as far as gifts go. It was wonderful! So wonderful that we are adopting from Uganda.

  44. I have memories with my family, playing games, fixing puzzles and making all kinds of Christmas cookies and candy, we always had a great time.

  45. my favorite memories have always centered around Christmas time…I have loved each Christmas dearly, with time with family and traditions and church services. I love the Christmas carols and the tender prayers and the special family recipes. I love the memories I have each year of waiting with bated breath at the top of the stairs for my parents to pronounce the living room “ready” for my brother and I to explore, and then racing down to see the present or two from “Santa” on the hearth, along with gifts under the tree from my parents and grandparents. True, deep-heart memories abide in the Christmas season for me. Praise God for His sacrifice, His son, and His blessings!

  46. My husband and I had only been married a few years. We had 2 little children and wanted a real tree for Christmas. We went out into the woods, picked out a somewhat decent looking hemlock (I love hemlocks!), put it up, decorated it, and were quite proud of it. The next morning when we all got up, the tree was bare!!! We had placed it right beside a heater vent and ALL of the needles fell off during the night. We had a super-sized Charlie Brown tree!

  47. Making sugar cookies every year with my Mom and brother and frosting and decorating them! 🙂 YUM!!!! 🙂

  48. My favorite Christmas memory is the year I heard Santa’s sleigh bells. I remembered that sound for years and believed in Santa long after most children would. (The illusion was finally broken when I realized that he and my mother had the same handwriting.)

    Years later when I told this story in front of my mother, she told me it was the year they installed my swing set. So, I what I really heard something like bells. It was the clinking of the chains.

  49. My grandmother had one of those ceramic Christmas trees with the plastic lights in her house and she would always let me play with it and re-decorate the lights every time I visited. She’d leave it just like I left it….even if it looked crazy until I came back the next time. Each Christmas, when I see one of those old ceramic Christmas trees I am reminded of her and how much she loved us all.

    bamagv at aol dot com

  50. I’m not sure what made me remember this, but when our kids were about 4 and 1, we bought a SMALL kids indoor pop-up tent for them to use in the playroom like a clubhouse. We had the quietest Christmas morning, and hardly saw our kids — except as they went up and down the stairs bringing all of their “special things” (i.e. blankets and pillows) into the “clubhouse.” It was priceless!

  51. One of my favorite Christmas memories was also one of my first memories of hearing a music. I was probably about 3 or 4 and I was playing with my dolly in a pew during the Christmas Eve service. All of a sudden I heard this voice and it was sooooo beautiful. I looked up and there stood my Mommy singing “O Holy Night” … she looked like an angel. I heard her sing that and many more songs through the years. It means even more to me now though, because my Mom is suffering from dementia and her “good days” are fewer and fewer. I pray she can recall the truth of that timeless song this year. Savor the memories ….

  52. My favorite Christmas memory is my husband reading favorite Christmas books to our children each year, even now that they are grown. Each story that is read brings back memories of days gone by when they were small and soaked up each word like it was a real treasure. And having them close was a real treasure to us!

  53. Sweetest Christmas memories are those of our family seated around the table with the Way Of Light Wreath glowing warm, children’s eyes twinkling hope and my Love reading aloud from the Jesse Tree Devo.

  54. Favorite Memory – that’s an easy one. Christmas spent with my roommate and her then nine-year old daughter. The excitement of discovering that Santa had brought a stocking for me all the way from Ontario (we’re in Nova Scotia, Canada) from my parents living room!

  55. one of my favorite Christmas memories ~ when i was 10, it was christmas eve & there was a blizzard outside. the blizzard knocked out the power. there were 8 {4 adults & 4 kids} that slept in the living room in front of the fireplace to stay warm. when the power came back on early Christmas morning the stereo was blasting “Joy to the World”!

  56. Waking up early and coming downstairs. Edging past the living room without looking in. But in reality…sneaking a quick peek. The lighting of the tree was a magical glow covering what “Santa” had brought to us. Great memories!

  57. My favorite Christmas memory is decorating the house with my mom, playing Silver Bells on an 8-track and inhaling the scents of all the Christmas decor (pine, cinnamon, etc.)

  58. My favorite Christmas memories are made decorating our tree with our kids. They love it! It kind of drives me crazy because I want everything to be perfect, but I let them do it anyway and in the end it is Always perfect! We listen to Christmas music and drink hot coco and talk about Jesus. I love it every year. I don’t have just one specific memory!

  59. Christmas Eve candlelight service at the church I grew up in!!! Love.it. ….and spend the night with my parents (my family sleeps over). I love traditions!

  60. My favorite Christmas memory would be the year we were snowed in on Christmas. My grandpa lived a quarter mike down the road, and he got on his tractor with a snow plow and came to plow our family out. It meant everything to him for family to be together on the holidays. What makes even more special was the fact that my grandpa had polio and wore special braces and walked with a walker. Such a wonderful feeling knowing what grandpa must have endured to even get to his barn to get on the tractor!

  61. When I was a kid, our youth group used to go caroling at a nursing home every year. One of those times, we ended up back at my house for popcorn and hot chocolate, which became a tradition. I remember dearly enjoying having my buddies in my home, and feeling so loved by the fact my mom would do that for us.

  62. The 1st Christmas my husband and I were married, we had very little money. I bought him a package of bandanas (he uses them for hankies). He bought me a seconds kitchen cabinet for $10. The cabinet was greatly appreciated as our apartment had no room to store food in the kitchen. That was 36 years ago. Just a couple of years ago we got rid of the cabinet; it had gone from various apartments to our house. Every year though, my husband recieves a package of bandanas in his stocking. It has become our tradition so that we remember the days when we didn’t have anything except each other.

  63. When I was a child, we would go to my aunt’s every Christmas Eve and the whole [extended] family would gather there. As a child, you view everyone in your family as perfect. Seriously. As I became an adult, I began to notice all the imperfections in my family.
    Can I go back to being a child again? Seriously! I don’t like knowing the imperfections! But those are my fondest Christmas memories growing up — was on Christmas Eve.

    We still gather in the same manner now, but it’s not on Christmas Eve anymore and all us cousins are adults and having children of our own. THAT is neat to me. Generations gathered under one roof. Beautiful. Imperfections and all. 😉

  64. My favorite Christmas memory is sleeping with my sisters all in one room, waking up together and then opening our stockings while waiting for our parents to wake up. We always snuck down the stairs quietly to check out all the loot too!

  65. My favorite Christmas memory is when my home church would end our candlelight Christmas eve service by filing out of the church singing Joy to the World. We would line up on the sidewalk in front of the church with our lit candles and spill out towards the main road in our town. Cars would drive by and beep their horns as we continued to sing. I was always disappointed when it had to end and we had to blow out our candles. It’s been almost 30 years and I still can see it like it was yesterday.

  66. We had an annual caroling party for the neighborhood while my kids were growing up. The year we were building our new house, neighbors pitched in, and we had the party on the slab, lighted by shop lights.

  67. The first Christmas I spent with my husband was a great reminder of why I married him. He decided to make it a tradition that we spend either the same amount or more in donating to charities as we spend on our family. We had some great family values defining conversations as we decided which charities to give to.

  68. My favorite Christmas memory was the year we were so poor but so Rich. My husband had just gotten out of the military on a disability and couldn’t find work. We were living in a horrible apartment that kept filling with smoke due to a boiler system that was a hundred years old. It was so cold that year in upstate NY. We couldn’t afford anything. I decorated with popcorn strings and the little things that my mom had given me. We had a tree from my grandfather who had passed away. But the one thing we did have was imagination and children who were at that magical age…6 and 4. They each wrote their letters to Santa, asking for just one thing each. That was all we could afford. Of course we put little things wrapped under the tree to build the excitement. On Christmas morning, the children woke to beautifully wrapped presents, one each from Santa. The tags written in Gold scroll. They got a personalized letter written in gold scroll and glitter all over it telling each of them in detail how they had gotten their gifts because of the good things they had done to help others and that by doing so, were helping Jesus to love the world. The boot prints of where Santa sat and partially ate his cookies were still on the floor..wet and there was a trail of foot prints to the door…along with a mess where the reindeer had gotten into the reindeer food out on the porch. The magic that was in their eyes as they opened their presents is blazed into my memory forever. They had no idea how poor we were. They only knew they were loved beyond measure and that childhood is a magical time. That Christmas memory is their favorite, and ours.

  69. 29 years ago…that first Christmas with a baby…having a new born around Christmas made Jesus’ birth come alive to me….
    don’t tweet…

  70. My favorite memories are always after the Christmas Eve service. We have a big family dinner and enjoy tamales and our friends and family being together.

  71. My favorite memory of Christmas, was actually my first Christmas as a Christian. It was the Christmas during my junior year of high school. It was so cool for me to go to church on Christmas Eve and for it to actually mean something for me, and not just something you where supposed to do. I love that tradition now, going to church on Christmas eve and worship our Lord!

  72. Last Christmas, we surprised my family during the big group picture by my husband taking the photo as he said ” everyone say ‘Kim’s pregnant!'” The looks of surprise and total excitement were fantastic. And this year we get to make new memories with our 4 month old baby girl 🙂

  73. My favorite Christmas memory was the year I asked the Lord to send me a Husband for Christmas. I knew it was the Lord’s Birthday but it sure didn’t hurt to ask. I received my gift and we had our first date the day before Christmas Eve. We now are happily married with 3 beautiful curly headed children. Miracles really do happen at Christmastime.

  74. Hearing Silent Night sung in 4 different languages at our church in Venezuela when I was a child. It still makes me teary 40 years later every Christmas Eve.

  75. My favorite memories, waking up early early as a kid and waiting at the top of the stairs as my parents went down to see if Santa had been there ( get a cup of coffee to wake up at the crack of dawn) and the look on their faces of pure delight as we rushed down to see our gifts! And now carrying on that same tradition with my sweet kiddos!

  76. Christmas 2008 was a difficult for our family. While we were trying to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we were mourning the first of three miscarriages that would occur over the next year. Christmas 2009, God turned our sorrow into joy as we found we were pregnant again and progressing through a healthy pregnancy. As I look back on that season of my life, I am thankful that God allowed me to experience the pain of loss. It has given me a greater appreciation of the depth of God’s love in sending his Son to die for me. My baby girl’s middle name is Grace so that I will not forget all that He has done.

    • Perhaps it is because my sons are in college and I am anticipating their return this week to be home for the holidays, but I can’t seem to top this memory at this moment. I remember the long distance “pay phone conversations” where my folks and I were sad becasue I didn’t think I was going to make it home cause they/we could not afford the airfare and some how I scraped it together, from odd jobs etc…and foudn a ticket last minute to SUPRISE them and I rang the doorbell and waited in a BIG refrigerator box onthe snow covered front lawn. I remember the look on their faces…it was the one of joy I feel each time I have seeing my big strapping boys come home from college!

  77. A hospital room is an unusual setting for a favorite Christmas memory, but it is definitely one of mine. In 2007, I was in the hospital receiving a bone marrow transplant for leukemia. My husband and 4 kids spent all of Christmas day playing games, watching movies, opening gifts, eating weird food from the cafeteria….in my room…but we were all together and the love and the laughs and our hearts were the same. Those things were still present despite the setting and without all the usual Christmas traditions and trappings. Jesus is with us on Christmas….even on a bone marrow unit 🙂

  78. It was one Christmas morning at my parents house when all the kids and grandkids bundled up and headed out to the barn, after breakfast and before the gifts. We sat on bales of hay with half a dozen baby calves, some rabbits, some barn kitties & the dog while Grandpa read the Christmas story. I can’t even begin to describe how cool that was!

  79. I would have to say the last Christmas I got to spend with my grandfather is on of my favorite Christmas memories

  80. I remember the Christmas dinner when my Mom dropped the stuffing. The glass bowl splintered and all the stuffing had to be thrown out We never let her forget it (in good fun)

  81. Ahh Christmas memories! Mostly, a time when my family was together, lighting candles, having eggnog, decorations. My mother did a wonderful job of providing my brothers and I a beautiful december.

  82. I love every Christmas, I think my best memories are growing up when we would all meet at granny’s house and play until dark. Now we are all far apart, and of different mindsets, so it’s not the same as when we were pure and innocent.
    I love Chrismas now when we wake up our kids and my parents come over and see them open their santa gifts, and have breakfast with us.
    Christmas is all about who I get to spend the day with.

  83. I always loved going out late on Christmas Eve in our pajamas, driving around to look at all the Christmas lights in the neighborhood 🙂

  84. Two years ago my husband and our two boys went to my parent’s house for Christmas. It snowed a lot, the cousins all played well together, decorated cookies, and we even took a train downtown to the museums. It ended up being my 3 yr old’s last “real” Christmas. Last year he was in the hospital and died the day after Christmas; I cherish that time happy and healthy times we had together more than anything.

  85. When my brother and I were teenagers and past the Santa stage my mom would tell us which presents to open. One year we had identical shaped big boxes and neither of us could wait to open them so of course, my mom saved them for last. She told us to start opening and then yelled stop. She said she had the boxes wrong and to switch. We were so puzzled and there are great pics of our confused faces. It turned out we both got the exact same stereos–the switch was just to give us a hard time. When we went to set them up, my stereo didn’t work and had to be returned. If she hadn’t made us switch my brother would’ve got the broken stereo. There were no hard feelings and we laughed about it. My brother was nice enough to let me use his stereo until the stores opened and we could exchange mine (back before stores were open 24/7 and 365.)

  86. My favorite Christmas memory is climbing up to my dad’s shoulders so that I could reach the top of the tree to put on the star! 🙂

  87. My favorite Christmas memory would have to be the year our children were blessed by God with Christmas presents. We had very little extra to spend on them ourselves and things had always seemed to be somewhat “tight”. A few days, maybe the week before, we got a call to come pick up Christmas presents and groceries. My husband and I were in awe as we wrapped presents for hours the night before Christmas and delighted to watch our 4 children get so excited on Christmas morning. We took our time, letting each one have a turn, opening one present at a time, and rejoiced in God’s goodness and His most precious gift to us – Jesus.
    I have a 2nd one – getting to watch my 9 year old sing on stage at church with a mini-solo for the children’s presentation.

  88. My favorite Christmas memory from childhood is singing ‘Sisters’ from White Christmas with my sister as we decorated the tree. I still love that movie and that song!!

  89. Too many sweet memories to choose from~ I adore Christmas! But I particularly loved the Christmas that I had a 4 day old babe in arms on Christmas Eve. I was in a ton of pain from a c-section on the 20th but I begged the nurses to let me be home for Christmas. My sisters and their families came and so did my mom~ the ONLY Christmas that we were all together like that. My younger sister has since divorced. We all stayed in our tiny townhouse and it was just special.
    Tweeting too!

  90. The memory that comes to my mind is from two years ago. We were waiting in expectation for our little one to arrive and Christmas time was our window (little did we know that she thought January 15th would be a better day 🙂 ) We had a tree set up in her room with beautiful lights and ornaments that gave life to that space with a waiting crib. By the time she came all of the decorations were back in boxes in closets and in the garage. But when I look back and I think of this advent season I remember our own time of expectation…of waiting…and the peace in knowing that something good is on the way…

  91. Each year we celebrate Christmas Eve at my grandma’s, and the Christmas story from Luke 2 is read before any presents can be opened. It’s my favorite memory because I love how it returns the focus to the real reason we’re gathered, in the midst of all the merriment and gift exchanges.

  92. My most vivid favorite Christmas memory was when my uncle took all the cousins to Planet Hollywood in New York and I saw a Planet Hollywood watch that I SO wanted. I was about 11. And guess what? On Christmas eve a couple of days later, there it was, all wrapped up and in a cute black box. I loved that watch!!

  93. After 10 years of infertility, celebrating our first Christmas with our darling daughter would have to be at the top of the list. It was such a wonderful experience to have our little one here, safe and sound (after a difficult pregnancy) and to be celebrating the birth of Christ with her! Each Christmas after has been a wonderful journey as we add traditions and special memories to our family heritage!

  94. One of my favorite memories is the year my grandfather made dollhouses for my cousin and me. He used to make gifts for all of us, and we have kept many of them as keepsakes, which is wonderful because he’s gone on to heaven now.

  95. My favorite Christmas memory comes from our family celebration of Advent when I was growing up. I loved to lay on the floor and look at the candles and Christmas tree while my dad read the Scriptures to us and we sang together.

  96. One of my favorite Christmas memories from my childhood was that every year on Christmas day, my Grandma would give my sister and I the “very important job” of filling her candy dish with all different kinds of chocolates. Part of the job was also testing some candy , of course!

  97. One of my many favorite Christmas memories is of my grandfather. He was a carpenter. Every year at their home on Christmas Eve he would get out this wooden puppet that he had made. With the puppet he made what looked like a paddle, but was a dance floor for the puppet. As he would bounde the paddle it would make the puppet dance. Us kids loved it! Sounds so simple, but it is one of my most precious memories of my Grandfather. 🙂

  98. I LOVE this Candle set… My friend has this and I LOVE hers! One of our favorite Christmas Memories,,, We made Egg Nog and Vanilla Ice Cream “Floats” and watched a Christmas Movie every Sunday afternoon.
    I LOVE InCourage!

  99. My favorite memories are all the Christmas mornings that my family gathers around and opens stockings while munching chex mix and drinking Christmas punch. Such sweet family time. And thanks for doing this giveaway! 🙂

  100. As kids we would go to my grandparents every year on Christmas Eve. One year we couldn’t go because of the weather. Mom made spaghetti and after dinner we had a contest throwing the leftover spaghetti noodles one at a time on the refrigerator to see if they would stick. It was just a silly night where we got to do something we were never allowed to do (throw food) that distracted us from the fact that we couldn’t go to Grandma and Grandpa’s.

  101. My favorite Christmas memory was one year money was so tight. My parents had to sit us kids down and explain to us that even though God had blessed us to be together we would not be having a Christmas that year. The money wasn’t there for gifts, tree, meal or nothing. Although disappointed we understood. Christmas eve came and after we were all in bed there was a knock on the door. We heard a bunch of noise so we all came running out to find a man dressed as Santa and a woman dressed as Mrs Claus. (Later found out it was a couple from our church) They brought a tree, tons of gifts and enough food for a month! I remember dad and mom standing there just sobbing. They left as quick as they came and we stayed up and decorated the tree. I will always remember that Christmas as my favorite ever. It taught me that if you are faithful to God, he will continue to bless us over and over! Thank you for letting me share!

  102. A funny one: After dad put up the lights outside we all go out to view them. My brother was about 9 one year and was lagging behind coming out. He kept yelling wait for me and ran out while looking at the lights. He ran smack into a tree and bounced so far off. Lol! He was ok so ok for us all to laugh our rears off!!

  103. The year we got married I bought a dated ornament to symbolize our first Christmas married. Well, back then we had the BIG ‘ole old fashioned Christmas tree lights and found out that it’s not a good idea to put meltable ornaments close to those lights. To this day that 1/2 melted ornament dated 1999 hangs in the FRONT of our tree to remind us of where we were then and how far we’ve come. And it also reminds me that not everything has to look “perfect” for it to be enjoyed ….. so display your tree proudly (even all those silly foam, popsicle stick & chenile stem ornaments your children make) because it shows your life through the years!!

  104. I have no idea how this started but we always had a Christmas pinata. I grew up in a large Italian family and all my cousins and my sister and I, would take turns hitting until the candy came out and then we got a little prize. Again…I know it does not add up…Italians and pinatas and Christmas! We all continue this tradition with our own families to this day….

  105. i don’t have a single favorite christmas memory, cause my mom made every single one special. she’s gone now, but this is my first christmas as a mom and i’m going to keep her traditions going!

  106. My favorite Christmas memory was the first year we were married. We got married on November 29, and left the following Monday, December 1, to drive to Alaska. My husband is in the Air Force and we were being stationed in Alaska. We had our first Christmas in a hotel room on base. My mom had given me a gorgeous nativity for Christmas that year, so my husband set it up and went and bought a small tree one day while I was taking a nap. I woke up to the tree and the nativity scene. It’s still one of my favorite Christmas memories.

  107. When I was little, I used to sneak out in the middle of the night to see what Santa brought…so one year my parents made a “path of noise” that I had to be SUPER smart to get around – crinkly bags, squeaky items, humidifier in my way – I wasn’t impressed but they sure thought they were funny 🙂

  108. My favorite Christmas memory is waking up really early on Christmas morning and seeing all the presents under the tree but what I loved and treasured most was sitting on my Papa’s lap as he sang me a Christmas carol.

  109. Midnight Christmas Eve service. There’s nothing better than celebrating Christ’s birth at the very beginning of Christmas Day!

  110. Christmas with my kids. Them waking up their little sister to come wake me up figuring she could get away with waking me up at 5am. 🙂

  111. Wow, love the Nativity! <3 God bless everyone who dedicate their time to share such amazing gift ideas. 😉

    Elizabeth

  112. Favorite Christmas memories are with my children…Christmas Eve church service and then hot chocolate in thermoses as we view Christmas lights around town, sausage pinwheels on Christmas morning, opening gifts by the fire, reading the Christmas story in Luke.

  113. My favorite is….When my boys were getting older some of their friends began telling them that Santa wasn’t real. They didn’t know what to believe. So on Christmas morning we got my husbands uncle to dress up as Santa. We all walked in to the living room Christmas morning to find Santa putting stuff under the tree and left with a “Ho, Ho, Ho.” My oldest is almost 13 and still believes in Santa and will try to convince his friends that don’t believe, that he is indeed real 🙂

  114. One of my favorite memories is celebrating Christmas in my country of origin, Cuba, when it was prohibited by the government and we would open the church’s windows and doors so everybody could listen to the Christmas songs and look at the tree, and most importantly, receive the message of Jesus being born for our Salvation.

  115. The first Christmas my daughter was home (after a 5 month NICU stay)… we were able to have 5 generations of girls all in the same place. What a special treat to be blessed by family!

    I am loving this holiday season as well, now that my daughter is old enough to really understand things, she is having such a fun time!

  116. For many years as a child my family and I would have Christmas brunch with other families in the community – this tradition lasted for 30 years and is still honored by some of the original family members, but since than our individual families have grown. I am now married and have three beautiful kids and have started my own traditions. We celebrate our Lord & Saviour on Christmas Day with a brunch for our parents and brothers and sisters, exchange gifts, and than have dinner at my Aunts house. I love the family time the most as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

  117. We moved with our 10 and 8 year old daughters to the east side of New Orleans, Louisiana three weeks before hurricane Katrina. After the hurricane God provided a wonderful group of people and a church parsonage right out side of Atlanta. We lived there for 10 months.
    Six weeks after the hurricane my husband and I went back to our flooded home to salvage any thing we could – to our surprise and great delight we were blessed with the survival of our Christmas decorations. We had begun a tradition with the girls that each year they would receive an ornament from us. The idea being that when they left home to start their own lives they would take their box of ornaments with them. This way they would have a box full of treasured and cherished ornaments to hang on their first tree. They each have their own ornament box filled with ornaments that we and others have given them each Christmas since they were born.
    We loaded the boxes in the truck and took them back to our temporary home.

    In December we purchased small trees for them and we let them decorate their trees in their rooms. For the first time since the hurricane my girls did not leave their rooms. I started to wonder about them and went to check. I found them both sitting on their floors looking up at their trees. Eyes filled with wonder, happiness, and most of all contentment. They had found great contentment in having some of their special things survive the flood. That Christmas was the most memorable for us! Each gift received was absolutely appreciated! Each card received was read with thoughtfulness. We simply celebrated Christmas! We enjoyed the gift of Christmas! We celebrated the greatest gift!

    Recently, my oldest, who is now 16, said, “Mom, I wish we could go back to that Christmas right after hurricane Katrina. It was so peaceful for us then. It was such a simple and peaceful time.” Can you believe it? We had lost everything. We had nothing for daily living. We had lived out of our van for a month and really did not know our future and yet this young woman wants to go back to the time that we had virtually nothing in regards to material things. This is absolutely one of my favorite Christmas memories!

  118. My favorite Christmas memories revolve around the birthday parties we had for Jesus – we’d invite all our aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins over, just like for one of our own birthdays, and we’d have a grand time celebrating the REAL reason for the season!

  119. my favorite Christmas memory was when i got a cell phone for Christmas. my mom layed in next to my bed and had my brother call me at 6 am to tell me to get up and go downstairs to open presents. i had no idea it was there all night long. i was 17.

  120. I have so many treasured Christmas memories! Grandma never told me we didn’t have a lot and she sure made my Christmases memorable. As my birthday was in June, Grandma used rotate my June dolls with the December dolls. She’d make new clothes and restore where she could and they’d all look brand new.

  121. Tough to say. As a child, our whole family still remembers the year my sister and I BOTH got new bikes for Christmas. It was a family classic.

    But as a married adult…I would have to say our 2nd Christmas with our daughter. She was still an only child then–16 month old–and we went back to my parents house for the holidays. It was the first Christmas that she was really aware of what all was going on. My husband packed a cooler and hauled a pack of her favorite cheese sticks 200 miles to put in her stocking on Christmas morning. How sweet is that?!

  122. The year my dad started the tradition of reading the Luke 2 Christmas story. Sadly, it wound up being the only year he did it because he passed away a couple of months later, so it is truly a precious memory.

  123. no wait, i’m sorry, my FAVORITE christmas memory was when i got a box of coal for christmas when i was a kid. i remember it was inside a pizza box. i was like 5 years old and my parents played a joke on me. classic!

  124. Growing up, we went to see the Nutcracker every Christmas at Pacific Northwest Ballet. It is one of my favorite memories, and something I miss living in a rural area!

  125. One of my favorite Christmas memories is a clue hunt my Mom did for my brother and I on Christmas morning. We went all over the house finding clues that led us to the next clue until we both ended up at our gifts. I got a pair of roller-skates. 🙂

  126. One of my favorite Christmas memories is every one! Seeing the nativity set on the mantle each year as a reminder of the first Christmas! I now actually leave our nativity sets and nativity ornaments out all year long – after all, Jesus came as a baby, died, rose again and remains with us each and every day! Ready for Christmas? EVERYDAY we should wait expectantly for Christ to visit us! Amen?

  127. My favorite Christmas memory is that we always attended Christmas Eve candle light service as a family and singing, “Joy To The World” at the close of the service with all the candles lite. Then going home for snacks and getting to unwrap one gift and the reading of the Christmas Story. My parents started this gift and I continued it with my children, and now my grand children. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

  128. One of my favorite Christmas memories is making ornaments with my children each year. It’s neat to look back, each year we decorate our tree to see the ornaments from past years, the kids love it.

  129. My favorite Christmas memory is when I was a child. My dad’s siblings came for Christmas and all of their children. I had the best time waiting for Santa with all of my cousins.

  130. Opps. Forgot to post my memory. Back in 1983, two years after my father had passed, my family was suffering great financial hardship. We always have had modest means, but this time we could barely keep a roof over our heads. Anyway, Christmas had arrived and we it was difficult because we really couldn’t afford gifts for each other. So we drew names and bought each a special mug. My Mom got mine it reads “Jesus loves you and so do I.” We also had bought some small gifts for my sister’s two children. Even though this was a lean Christmas, except for the sad fact my Dad wasn’t there to share it with us, it truly was a blessed Christmas and one we remember most. Our meal that night was American Chop Suey with onions and peppers. It never tasted better! My Mom passed away two years ago and we miss her so much. The memory of how she turned this difficult time into an amazing celebration of love still comforts us today. Oh, and by the way…I still have my mug. 🙂

  131. As a child I was always SOO excited to wake up in the morning and open presents. My parents made a rule that I could not wake them up until 5:00 A.M. One year when I was about 8, I woke up and looked at my clock. It said 12:00. It was pitch black outside, but I crept into my parents room anyway. I woke them up and my mom of course wanted to know why I didn’t wait until 5:00 like I was supposed to. I told her that I wasn’t sure if it was 12:00 in the morning or 12:00 noon. This wasn’t true and she saw right through my scheme….and I thought I was being so clever! I was sent back to bed, but was back up at 5:00 bursting with anticipation.

  132. My favorite Christmas memory is sleeping under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve! I remember doing it as a young girl, and now I get to continue the memories with my own husband and 4 precious children! 🙂

  133. Can’t say this is my favorite, but I will always remember Christmas 1858. My 37 year old Dad had just died three months before, leaving my Mom with 7 kids. I was only 5. I couldn’t quite comprehend all that was happening, just knew the sadness in my Mom’s face. Wasn’t even thinking that Santa would be challenged at our house that year! What I will never, ever forget, was when police officers (my Dad was one) showed up at our house with baskets of food and lots of wrapped gifts. Of course this 5 year old was really in awe! But my Mom, my Mom had tears falling for a long time that day. I have them falling now, even though it was so long ago. I have always missed my Dad, and now I miss my Mom, too.

  134. When my daughter was very young she had dolls that were her students or sometimes club members. I found patterns and made new clothes for them each Christmas in that season then set them to watch the morning festivities.

  135. When I was 6 yrs old “Santa” brought me a Betty, The Beautiful Doll. She was almost as big as me. I carried that doll with me everywhere I went for a few years until she literally fell apart. Even at that early age when I had to let her go I can still remember the loss of my “first” friend. That was about 55 yrs ago.

  136. My favorite memory of Christmas has been beginning our celebration of Advent this year with our three boys, now three {twins} and two. They are now all old enough to actually sit and listen to the reading of God’s word and participate in singing and praying. Words fail me at being able to express how precious this time is to me.

  137. My favorite Christmas memory was when my kids were little and the three of them served me and their Dad a full breakfast in bed on Christmas morning … This was indeed a very nice surprise … complete with some slightly undercooked sausage!

  138. soo many great memories, what stays with me most is each of our children’s first christmas , which made the christmas season that much more special for us 🙂

  139. I lived in a very small town when I was a little girl and my dad had five sisters who all lived in the same town, which of course equaled many aunts & uncles & cousins & what-have-you.

    We would all gather each year on Christmas Eve & have our big bash. I can still remember the excitement I felt all day long and the rich sense of family and tradition we shared each year. We moved away when I was 12 & never gathered like that again, but I’m so thankful to have that sweet memory…

  140. This is our first Christmas with no gifts. Its been a tough year, but God is with us, I feel him everyday! This year God has brought our family closer together than we ever have been in 29 years of being a family. We are going to have a great dinner and watch videos of the Christmas’s of the past and celebrate the birth of our Jesus Christ!

  141. When we were young, my dad & mom hid our gifts around the house. We had to find them all and bring them to the living room before we could begin to open them. Always a fun thing to look forward to!

  142. My most favorite Christmas was in 1982 when my first child, Bob, was born. He was born on Dec. 23 and we came home on Christmas day. It was a true blessing for for us. I did miss out on the family Christmas caroling we do every year in Canton, PA, but a child’s birth makes up for all of that!! God Bless everyone and Merry Christmas!

  143. My favorite Christmas memory is when my family would get together on Christmas Eve. Just my parents, brothers and I. We always had fondue and shrimp cocktail and other festive treats as a late dinner, then we would open one present. Sometimes we would watch a movie after, or play a game. A lot of times we ended up sitting together and talking. I always loved those times more than any other Christmas-y gatherings.

  144. My favorite memory is when I lived in Japan. After candlelight Christmas Eve service, the single 20-something girls from church would come to my apartment for a meal and watching “The Nativity Story.” Those were some of the best times!

  145. Our first married Christmas, we lived in a one bedroom apartment but I was determined we could and would have a tree. Nary a decoration, I started shopping for them at Hobby Lobby, Target and the Dollar Store. We bought a live tree and put it in the back of my husband’s mustang. We put on Christmas music and decorated our tree. We had so few ornaments, we could only decorate one side! Fast forward 12 years later, we have so many ornaments … we can’t use them all every year. 🙂

  146. Snuggled up in our pajamas, drinking hot chocolate while listening to my dad read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” with only the lights of the tree on.

  147. I remember setting up our Nativity scene as a child. My brother, sister and I were always given pieces of the Nativity for Christmas by an older neighbor lady. By time we reached our teens, we must have had 15 shepherds (more shepherds than sheep!), at least a dozen angels, and probably 10 Wise men! As we got older, we had many moments of shared laughter as we arranged the various pieces…but when we married , one of our wedding shower gifts from Mom was the Holy family! That was we could all have the new and traditional figures in our own homes as she divided the original set between the three of us! After almost 40 years of marriage, putting out the Nativity is still one of my favorite Christmas activities!

  148. My favorite Christmas memories always center around being with family. When I was little, I remember having my grandparents with us at Christmas time. And now that I am older, I love being with my mother, my husband’s mother, my children, and my grandchildren.

  149. I have so many great Christmas memories – it’s hard to choose! One of my favorites is from when I was 9 and we got our first Christmas tree. We lived overseas (my parents were missionaries) in a third-world country where the weather went from hot to hotter in December, pine trees didn’t grow and the few artificial ones in the stores bore the large price tag of having been imported from somewhere else. One evening in early December, the year I was 9, my Dad handed my Mom a burlap bag and she opened it to find a small, plastic Christmas tree. I remember how tears filled her eyes. How we kids knew it was something special even though we didn’t know exactly why. There was no where to buy tiny decorations for our little tree, so we made them; stringing up pretty buttons from my Mom’s button bag and little glittery circles cut from old Christmas cards. I remember thinking that little tree was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

  150. Some of my favorite times to remember as a child are how my parents made the holiday special. We didn’t have much in the way of money or material things but we always recieved 2 gifts and had many special baked treats. Mom is gone now for 11 yrs. We miss her especially at this time of year.

  151. On our first Christmas as a married couple we didn’t have much money. So we went out in the woods and cut a tree down. It was a lot bigger than we thought and not a full bodied tree either. But after it was decorated it was beautiful! Something to always remember.

  152. We have never been able to afford the latest toy or gadget at Christmas but…one year my husband received a bonus and we were able to buy a Nintendo DS for our youngest child. She was not expecting it at all. I thought it would be fun to put it in a cereal box then wrap it. She opened the box and stared at it for a few seconds..then said “Thank you its my favorite kind!” I will cherish that thank you forever…what kid wants cereal for Christmas? She didn’t either but she didn’t want to hurt our feelings and was thankful anyway 🙂 Boy was she so surprised when she found the “toy” inside!!

  153. So many wonderful memories. Probably the most memorable, and also most bittersweet, was last Christmas. Just a few days before Christmas my Grandfather passed away. Although it was hard to say good-bye to him, it brought our entire family together…all of my aunts and uncles, cousins, and all of our kids. Something that hadn’t happened in many years and wasn’t going to happen last year either. It was beautiful to come together to remember his legacy and the godly man he was.

  154. My favorite Christmas is my husband and I’s first married Christmas…being from Southern Mississippi and Louisiana I’ve never had a snowy Christmas, on our way home to Louisiana Christmas morning it started snowing on the interstate and all the bridges were shut down. Everyone just stopped on the interstate and got out of their cars to play in the snow since nobody could go anywhere. We had our 2 huge dogs on our laps and just like little kids got them out and started playing in the snow. We were extremely late getting home to family, but it’s something I’ll never forget and was the best way I could think of to celebrate our first Christmas together.

  155. My favorite, more recent Christams memory was in 2006. My kids and I had just moved from California to Washington the year before. Christmas was drawing near, about one week away….I can remember sitting in our livingroom just hanging out when we heard a knock on the door. My little Alyssa (7) ran to the door, as she opened it, no one was there. We shut the door and went back inside, when just a second later we heard the knock again….Alyssa, Alex (6) and I run back to the door and again, no one. So the three of us venture outside. As we walk slowly out the house, we get down our front walk and about turn the corner to the driveway and as we do, there jumps out my Sister & her four girls with a big SURPRISE!! It was soooo great! Alyssa started to cry from happiness to see her four cousins and have them for Christmas 🙂 The best Christmas present ever was the gift of family that year!!

  156. There are so many blessed memories to remember! One of my favorites is being at my grandparents cuddled by the fire listening to my grandpa read the Christmas story from his Bible.

  157. We go caroling with my girl scout troop and collect cans for St. Mary’s Food Bank. Such a fun time and we are giving back which is the best part of the season.

  158. The Christmas memory we laugh at NOW is the first one for our youngest daughter, Dana. She was 10 months old and had an older brother (9 at the time) and sister (7 at the time). They woke her up early on Christmas morning and gave her the gifts that I had wrapped. Their dad and I was still sleeping so we missed out on seeing her open the gifts and was unable to photograph her doing so. It is a Christmas memory that we all remember, except for Dana, of course. And, there are no photos for her to view of that part of the day. BTW, punishment for her siblings was having their new Christmas toys put away for a week before they could play with them. As I said, we can all laugh about it now.

  159. One of my favorite memories is when my husband was laid off and we couldn’t travel for Christmas. Funds were tight so we didn’t get to splurge our “love” on others as much as we wanted to. We did our best. Our church lovingly gave us our own Christmas! Praising God to this day for His goodness and providence!

  160. My favorite thing about Christmas is sharing it with my daughter. She just helped me put up a Christmas tree and I love that she can help and loves to do it so much. I’m sure I should come up with a less recent memory, but this is what came to mind first!

  161. I have many memories of Christmas but one that is so vivid for me was when I was about 8 years old we celebrated Christmas at my aunts house with the whole entire family. My dad and Greg played the guitar and we sat around singing songs “Thank God for kids” is still one of my favorite songs today.

  162. I can’t truly say it is a favorite memory, but it had a profound impact on my life. Years ago when our children were young, we were living in Indiana. We took the children out to look at the Christmas lights in our beat up old car with plastic sheeting as a back windshield. I was kind of depressed because there would be very little “Christmas” at our house. Miles from home our car broke down. We went to the door of a ramshackle house and knocked. The folks inside welcomed us and invited us in to keep warm. The man of the house went out to help my husband and his wife offered us food and drink. They had very little in the way of furnishings or decoration and were cooking beans on their woodstove but they made us feel like we were honored guests. They were full of the true Christmas spirit and made me ashamed to realize how I had allowed the world to tell me what Christmas was all about! Jesus is the reason for the Season! Count it all Joy!

  163. Best Christmas memory was when my triplets were 3 and I had purchased a little manger that I placed in our dining room. For every good deed in December the child could put straw in the little manger for Baby Jesus. They had no idea how big the baby would be but they tried really hard and the straw was piling up by Chrismas Eve. Our home at the time had the living room where the Christmas Tree was and the dining room where the manger was in area that could be closed off from the rest of the living area. When they went to bed we closed the doors and on Christmas morning with presents bulging from the bottom of the tree, those three little ones burst into the room and headed right to the manger to see the new Baby and make sure there was enough hay. My heart welled with the sheer joy of their choice to see Jesus first. That’s my best Christmas

  164. the peace I had last year finally free from bondage from a stronghold and really focusing on Christ at Christmas- and our Jesse tree advent devotions from “a holy experience”

  165. That was my post with my triplets above, I did not open the whole page and just started writing, Godgaveme6 is my triplets and the Godly spouses He has provided for them. God does answser our prayers. Happy Birthday Jesus

  166. So many christmases and so many memories. Most of my memories center around family : Roast duck at my grandmother’s house; those individual cranberry congealed salads that make all others since pale in comparison.
    When I had a family of my own it was christmas carols, and Jesus.
    With my total surrender to Christ 28 years ago the Christmas season is still Christmas trees and Santa Claus but now Jesus is the heartbeat of Christmas..every year His birth takes on more meaning and propels me to love Hinm more.
    My prayer for each of you this Christmas is that the Babe in a manger moves into every nook and cranny of your hearts!
    Hugs,
    Judy

  167. I remember last year it iwas the first time it snowed on christmas day what a blessing it was to see our 3 kids laughing and playing in the snow!

  168. A fun Christmas memory from growing up in a small town: We had very few stores and would have to go out of town for Christmas shopping, usually more than an hour away from home. I remember the first time I actually got to go with my parents to a real toy store. Rows and rows of toys were so amazing to me that they were able to get everything on their list without me ever seeing what they were doing. I was too awed and distracted by the sheer number of toys in one place.

  169. The first year my husband and I married, we were young and struggling like so many. I remember my parents showing up with a 4 foot tree and all the decorations needed to put it up. That was 21 years ago and I still have that tree.

  170. There are ten kids in my family. Hard to imagine my parents preparing for the Christmas holidays each year growing up. But, we always went to the 11 pm service on Christmas Eve…..dressed in our pjs……maybe falling asleep during the service…..and waking up to Christmas morning. It’s a warm memory for me.

  171. My favorite Christmas memories are simple…lying under the Christmas tree listening to Christmas stories or music, waking up early Christmas morning and creeping out to get my stocking. I think my most favorite memories, though, are when all our extended family would get together and just laugh and have fun. The gifts weren’t big, but they were thoughtfully purchased. We loved to laugh!

  172. Growing up in Maine, I rarely had a Christmas without snow cover on the ground. My children are being raised in Nashville and hadn’t ever had that experience. After my eldest son saw a sled in an LLBean catalog and asked us what it was for, my husband decided we needed to head to Maine for Christmas. As we left Nashville, we learned a storm was brewing so we drove through the night keeping tabs on the storm as we traveled. We managed to stay ahead of the storm and the snow started falling as soon as we pulled into my in-law’s driveway. We spent that evening in what seemed to be a scene from a Hallmark movie – sitting in front of the fireplace, sipping hot cocoa while watching the snow mount up outside. The next morning we awoke to 4 feet of snow, and two very excited children! If you ask my children they will say that was the “Best Christmas EVER”.

  173. My favorite Christmas memories are baking cookies with family and friends. I’ve always loved this hurricane nativity set. I hope I win!

  174. My favorite Christmas was in 1987 the last christmas I had with my daddy… God called him Home the following year in March…. We had the best christmas because everyone was there and we exchanged gifts… I remember my parents gave me a gold watch… TIME… the gift of time…. something not to be wasted but invested.. something to be used and not abused…. it was truly a blessed christmas…..

  175. My favorite Christmas memory is decorating with the family drinking hot choc and talking about Jesus birth !!!!

  176. My favorite Christmas memory was as a child going to the Christmas parade, waiting for Santa to make his appearance….. and looking at the huge beautiful talking Christmas tree in the store window. The beautiful snow falling it wasn’t too cold it was just right, you could feel Christmas in the air. It was happier times my family was all still living & everyone was together. I miss those cherished times………..but I still believe in Santa Claus. Merry Christmas to all may you have peace, joy & love all year through! Jesus is the reason for the season!

  177. One of my favorite Christmas memories would have to be our last one we had with my Dad. I’ll never forget receiving a thaw plate and he had to have us immediately go in the kitchen to find something to thaw! So giggling, we all went to the kitchen and proceeded to watch an ice cube thaw! He was the best dad, and Christmas is just not quite the same without him.

  178. My favorite Christmas memory is when my son was about 5 or 6 – coming downstairs to see all the presents under the tree on Christmas Day and said “Wow, Santa has out done himself this year.” Simply priceless moment.

  179. My favorite Christmas memories always include being surrounded by wonderful family, Christmas music and falling snow

  180. My favorite Christmas memory is probably the year my parents let us spend the night at my grandparent’s house assuring us that Santa would know where to find us. That night my grandfather read the story of Christ’s birth from the Bible before we were sent to bed. I’ll never forget that night!

  181. A few years ago, my mom got my girls each a Nintendo DS. She had them wrapped in bigger boxes so they had no clue what they were When my Emily opened hers, it was in a box for a coffee pot. She quietly and nicely placed the box back on the floor without even opening it and had a frown on her face…I really think she thought she was getting a coffee pot or Grandma made a mistake. As soon as she saw her sister opening up her box and found a DS…. Emily ran back to her box and tore it open without hesitation!! I just wish i would have had a video camera, it was to awesome, I think we laughed for a week. We still talk about it with her. Her birthday is today, I am seriously looking for a large box to put her gift in so i can try to fool her again!! LOL
    Merry Christmas!!!

  182. My favorite Christmas memory is when my first child was born in November. That first Christmas was so special because I had a “family” of my own. My husband, daughter and I celebrated Christmas in our new home for the first time!!!!

  183. My favorite Christmas memories are the extra time we spend together as a family, making cookies and homemade bread, listening to Christmas music, going out to see all the lights, and singing carols together at church. I love watching the kids decorate the house and put nativity sets in all the rooms. It’s not how I grew up at all and I love that we are making these memories for our kids.

  184. waking up early christmas morning to see what had filled our “stocking” (one of dad’s old tube socks) which would always appear on the foot of our bed while we were sleeping. Hearing my siblings in their rooms opening their stockings as well, and then rushing to each others rooms to see what we all got and compare.

  185. I’ll never forget the year that my Mom was visiting my aunt for Christmas… my cousin had died unexpectedly a few days earlier and so we were together, but without my Mom. We knew she needed to be with her sister but it was tough to be apart.

  186. When I was young, my Mom’s side of the family always opened our stockings first on Christmas morning. The whole family would gather together on the biggest bed in the house (usually my Nana and Grandpa’s). Even now, at 25, I look forward to going home and opening my stocking with Mom and Dad on the very same bed that we did when I was 5.

  187. My favorite Christmas memory is (& continues to be) our yearly tradition of first having Christmas a little early at our home with our children & grandchildren, followed by Christmas Eve with extended family at my sister’s home where we share a meal, read The Christmas Story, and sing Christmas carols together before attending the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church. This is followed by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren & their families gathering at my mom’s home on Christmas day for food, laughter & visiting, opening gifts, and sharing love together for the day.

  188. I really can’t remember one special Christmas. As a child, my Mom and Dad made every Christmas so special. There were 6 children in my family, and we did not have a lot of extra money. Yet, every Christmas we all got several nice gifts from Santa. Many times it was pajamas, robe, or underwear, but we always got several toys . I’m not sure how they did it, because they never bought on credit. God always met our needs

  189. Christmas is my favorite holiday, so every one is my favorite!! Some of my fondest memories are as a child waking up to see what Santa brought! After a little time playing with our gifts, we would get ready and head to my grandmother’s house! She would be in the kitchen cooking a delicious, traditional Southern Christmas lunch for my family. It always smelled sooo good! I can still see her at her kitchen table rolling out very thin dumplings. She didn’t use a rolling pin, but used one of those glasses that Hardee’s used to give away… (Smurf’s maybe??) She died a few years ago, but I still remember Christmas’ at her house!!

  190. I always think I can come up with a best memory of Christmases past and then the next year rolls around and it is filled with new wonderful memories. I do know that each and every year my family really enjoys cuddling on the couch, reading Christmas books by the fire while drinking hot cocoa.

  191. My favorite memory, the Christmas after my Grandfather died. It was a difficult time because he always made Christmas so fun. My Grandfather did wood work and always wanted to make me a curio cabinet but he got sick and was unable to build it. That year my husband brought me a the curio and oddly enough it was very similar to his drawings and ideas. My husband also wrote a letter from my Grandfather to me and it sounded just like what he would have said. It was an amazing Christmas. I still have the curio and the letter.

  192. My son had been begging for an ipod (this was when they were first on the scene–everyone didn’t have one) and my hubby hid it in a package of socks. Our son opened up every gift, no ipod anywhere to be found. He was so bummed….but he’s a very well behaved kid so he didn’t want to flip out and start crying.
    We asked…DID YOU OPEN EVERYTHING? He got a little flustered and said, “YES, everything!” The pkg of socks lay there in his stack of stuff, so my husband told him…he should REALLY put on a pair of those socks. He got really upset and almost cried but agreed (thinking we were being a little mean) until he felt the dream present in the socks. He jumped up and down with excitement & tears. He was so happy! We were too.
    We had it inscribed with a verse & his name. It was a fun morning.

  193. The candles are beautiful! I think seeing the lighted candles is one of my favorite Christmas memories.

  194. In the winter of 1990, my family of nine made a 1000 mile trip up the coast of Cananda and Alaska in our sailboat! It took us two months to make the trip through stormy weather. We arrived in Port Alexander, AK a few weeks before Chrismas, with nothing but a few meager supplies and ourselves. I was 12 years old and my six other siblings were younger than me. 🙂
    My parents had rented us a cabin in this small island community, but with the stormy weather, the supply plane could not make it into Port Alexander until after Christmas. My Daddy went and got us a Christmas tree anyway, and we decorated it with things we had on hand. It was so much fun! We were going to make the best of it!
    To our surprize, A supply boat came in a few days before Christmas and delivered mail! We were so happy to get a box from our relatives! When we opened it there was one big present inside!!! We couldn’t even imagine what it could be….., so on Christmas morning, all seven of us kids took a piece of wrapping paper and ripped open the present! It was a Super Nintendo!!!!! Holy Cow!!! What an awesome present!!! I will never forget that Christmas. 🙂

  195. Our first Christmas together as a married couple. We went out and got a real tree and brought it home only to realize we had no tree stand or ornaments and not much money for these things. So off to the store we went, we found a treee stand and some cheap fabric round ornaments that looked more like apples, and a string of lights. It is still the cutest tree in my memory! I was so proud of it!

  196. I was 8, just moved to a 10 acre farm in Oregon. Grandpa and Grandma came for Christmas, a little snow on the ground. Mom and Dad suggested we take the dogs there Christmas dinner so we all went out to the barn. Opened the door and there stood a Shetland Pony with a huge red bow on her forehead! A pony for Christmas! So special.

  197. Every Christmas eve, my brother and I would always beg to open “just one present!” My mom finally gave in and now every Christmas eve, our whole family opens one present – and it’s always the same thing – Pajamas to wear to bed and to wear on Christmas morning. Now we all look forward to getting new jammies each year!

  198. The first Christmas we were married, we lived in a tiny apartment and had almost nothing to our names! We had food, shelter, and clothing, and two old cars to get us to work and school. That Christmas, we had decided not to buy gifts for one another. But, of course, we both did anyway! And my sweet hubby presented me with a Winnie the Pooh figurine with Pooh holding an umbrella over Piglet while rain dripped down. The name of the piece was on the bottom “Whatever the weather, we’ll stick together.” That has been true of our marriage for 13+ years, that even in the most difficult times when we did not know what to do or how to handle grief, burdens, financial problems, extended family issues, failed businesses, and more…we have stuck together by holding on to one another and to Jesus. The figurine was broken a few years ago when our oldest son was just a wee man, but I saved the umbrella and still smile every time I see it.

  199. I have so many memories of Christmas as a child and so many more as a parent. But truly the most magical of them all are the nights we spent on Christmas Eve worshiping as a family. We would leave the church well after midnight and often we would come out to a blanket of newly fallen snow…… a gentle reminder of a babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger…. Simple GRACE for a world to see!

  200. Like Jesus, I too came into this world at Christmas. I was due at Thanksgiving time but I waited another month to come join my family. Looking back over the years, I don’t remember too many presents I received (although there were plenty), I have always been able to count on my family to be around me. Our family had many traditions that make my memories special. Tree trimming, baking, writing cards, etc…
    My Dad would take us kids shopping at Ben Franklin so we could pick out gifts on a budget. I was afraid my sisters and brother would see what I was getting for them so I hid them under my coat. My Dad saw me doing this and told me that was wrong, I meant no harm, I just wanted it to be a secret. He helped me keep it secret in the honest way. That same year my sister gave our Dad a Password game. She was the one that really wanted it…we still laugh about that.
    The Christmas meal was one that celebrated our “Swedish” heritage. My favorite was Swedish Potato Sausage. We never missed a year reading the Christmas Story of when Jesus was born. After that we would then take our turns opening the presents with my siblings, cousins, parents and grandparents. I feel truly blessed to have been given the gift of life, the gift of family and the gift of Jesus. One day I will join Jesus in heaven and have something else to share with him… eternal life…what glory that will be!!

  201. MY favoriteChristmas memory was 11 years ago…the first that my now husband, our 4 kids and I ever spent together as a family.still brings a joy to my heart, even now that the 4 are teens and our youngest is 10! 🙂

  202. When the kids get up Christmas morning, the first thing we do is light a candle, put it on top of a cupcake and sing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus in our nativity.

  203. I grew up in northern Minnesota. When I was in 6th grade my parents decided that we should visit family in Georgia for Christmas. We left with winter clothes, shovels, winter survival kit in our car. I was so amazed by no winter coats, the southern drawl the further south we got, and mostly, no snow. It was a wonderful time with family.

  204. I have many to choose from but most of my favorite on spending Christmas eve night at my Grandpas house every year. We still do it. When I was little my great uncle was a pastor at a church and we used to go to his candle light service as a whole family we took up about 3 pews and I looked forward to it every year. Two years ago we took our kids to their first candle light service and I will never forget the joy in my daughters eyes how she thought it was so cool. It made me think of all the joy I used to get going to my great uncles church with my whole family Christmas eve.

  205. A favorite Christmas memory was my oldest son’s first Christmas. He was 5 months old and observed Christmas from the comfort of his bouncy seat. He loved the gift bows, and we had fun sticking them on him and watching him pull them off.

  206. My favorite Christmas memory was my first one as a believing Christian when I was 20 years old. I finally understood, even after all those Sunday School lessons and real life nativities, what the season was really about! That was 9 years ago and I still marvel at what a wonderful season this is and how loving our God is!

  207. Favorite Christmas memory and tradition: Christmas Eve at church at 5 PM concluding with singing Silent Night by candlelight

  208. A great Christmas memory for me was taking our kids and grandkids with us to Maui for Christmas a couple of years ago! I will never forget the looks on the faces of our little grandkids the first time they saw the beach and the ocean!! It was priceless!! I made a full turkey dinner in our Condo.. no small feat! and we had a fabulous time together. No gifts were exchanged but spending that time together in that wonderful place was gift enough for us all!! :0)

  209. One year during my Christmas choir concert for school, snow began to fall outside while we were singing “Let It Snow.” This is Texas, so that seemed like a miracle in the ninth grade. Not very spiritual, but it still makes me smile.

  210. One of my many favorite Christmas memories was when my son, who’s 9 now, was in his very first Christmas pageant at church! He ran up to the mic stand, grabbed it, and started singing the songs word for word as loud as he could! The congregation erupted in laughter, and we could still hear him! 🙂 He’s always been my little ham! My now 3 year old sings all of the time, and will be sure to follow in big brother’s footsteps this year! ha ha!

  211. I love each year, as my children I crease in age (and number), but my favorite memory has to be when my first child was 2 and a half and we had been talking about Santa coming, she woke up Christmas morning and was afraid to go downstairs. She thought Santa would still be there, and had a little stranger anxiety at the time. needless to say, we have taken a lot of our focus away from Santa since then, but still love our Christmas mornings!

  212. One of my favorite Christmas memories is setting up the Christmas tree in my very first house 5 years ago!

  213. When I was growing up, my mother would sew my sisters and me beautiful Christmas dresses. We would wear them and carry our little fur muffs and Bibles to the Candle Light Christmas Eve service. When the lights would go out and we lit our candles, even as a child, I could feel the wonder and peace that our Saviour brings. When I think about those services, I smile and my eyes fill with tears at the remembering!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

  214. My best Christmas memories are of helping Grandma make perogies for Christmas Eve dinner and laying them on the towels on her bed and then bringing them back to the kitchem to cook in batches!

  215. My favorite Christmas memory is about babysitting on the day after Thanksgiving. My parents went shopping and out to lunch and dinner (their present to themselves). When they got home, the “darkroom” in the cellar was off limits to all 9 of us until after Christmas. We had so much fun as a family. But the real reason for the season was never forgotten. We had birthday cake for dessert.

  216. Each Christmas with my two little girls becomes my new favorite Christmas. Seeing the wonderment in their eyes, listening to their little voices tell the story of the first Christmas..it fills my heart with such love and heartbreaking gratitude. Those are my favorite memories.

  217. My favorite Christmas memory as a child was being totally surprised by the entire Little House book set. My mom had said we couldn’t afford even one of the books that I desperately wanted and I was sad about it but understood, but then I got them all for Christmas. Such a great surprise! My favorite adult memory is carrying my long-awaited daughter downstairs on her first Christmas morning, knowing it was the first of many wonderful Christmas mornings to come.

  218. My favorite Christmas memory is an annual Christmas program at church – I can see my grandpa sitting in one of the back pews (in his bib overalls). At the end of the service they passed out old fashioned Christmas candy mixed with peanuts (in the shell) in brown paper bags to everyone. I can smell the mixture of candy and peanuts. I’d love to go back in time and enjoy just 1 more service.

    Thank you for the entry…I love the nativity hurricane lamps!

    ~Amy in WI

  219. my favorite Christmas memories are from growing up – waking up in the middle of the night – coming out into the living room and just looking at the tree with all the presents under it. Whether I believed in Santa at the time or not didn’t matter – it was still great in High School to peak at the gifts under the tree just waiting for the morning.

  220. My favorite Christmas memory was of one Christmas when the power went out because of snow. I still remember exactly where our car was as we drove home from my grandmother’s house on Christmas Eve & all the street lights went out at once. We brushed our teeth by candlelight! I’ll never forget it:)!

  221. Two “favorites”
    1) the traditional cinnamon buns I wake up to on Christmas morning, first by my mom making them through childhood, and now, because my husband knows how much it means to me, and he makes them! 🙂 (yes I know he spoils me)
    2) The funniest memory to me is on Christmas eve my immediate family gets together, through the years our families have grown, but we maintain the “same seats” we always have year to year to open gifts. One year my brother sat on “his” antique chair, and it broke underneath him! We razzed him all year, and the next christmas eve, he came to the house with his own replacement antique chair (that was nearly identical). We still tease him about breaking it though 🙂

  222. Our fav Christmas tradition is leaving Christmas Eve service at midnight and going to breakfast to IHOP. We’ve been doing this for over 25yrs. Now with so many kiddos we’ve moved our midnight breakfast to someone’s house. Great fun still today!

  223. I can remember in 2nd grade opening up a panasonic tape player – I was thrilled! I was moving from records to cassettes! LOL

  224. i have a brother(john) who is 41 and has down syndrome, ever since our dad died 5 yrs ago my brother has had a little christmas tree in his bedroom, my dad loved christmas and so i guess this is a connection for him, so last saturday John had his
    tree out on his bed waiting for me to put it up …. and so we did lights , decorations, red tree skirt and all, he was so happy, he put on his christmas hat and posed for a
    picture, smiled so proudly of his tree, i took a picture and it is my favorite of all and
    will be in everyones christmas card……my brother always brings me back to the joy of simple things…he is a joy

  225. We only started this tradition last year, but my favorite Christmas memory with our family is our homemade ornament exchange. There was more anticipation over that than anything. It was great seeing our girls so excited to make something for one another.

  226. I remember getting up EARLY as a child and sitting on the couch for hours staring at the tree until I was allowed to wake the family up. Good times!

  227. I have so many wonderful Christmas memories, but I think this year will be the best of all! My brother and sister-in-law just welcomed their first baby and it is the first child in our immediate family (first grandchild for my parents, first niece/nephew for me) and we are looking forward to spending time together as a family, loving on that new baby from God. 🙂

  228. My favorite Christmas memory is making candy with my mom. We make over a 1,000 pieces a year to give away to friends and family. It has become a great tradition I am hoping to pass on to my kids in the future.

  229. the Christmas my husband and I were engaged I went to visit him and his family (we had a VERY long distance relationship and were only able to visit each other 4 times in between starting dating and getting married) and on Christmas Eve he and I took a long walk alone. It was so quite and peace-filled – and we were together. : )

  230. My fav Christmas memory is my dad’s traditional reading of the bible. He reads the Christmas story and prays before we open gifts.

  231. My favorite memory was when we had planned a trip to see my mother’s family, a 8 hour ride with two parents and 5 kids. My oldest sister did not want to go and said she would just eat so much peanut butter until she got sick so we wouldn’t go. Much to our surprise, she did it. We changed plans but with no food for a traditional Christmas dinner. I remember going to a little store called Kerlin’s Corner with my mom to try and get enough food to feed 7. The store was not a grocery store but more of a convenience store so pickings were slim. My mom was the best of making a feast out of little and never worried that she could make it happen. We had a wonderful Christmas just being together and amazing enough, my sister felt better by the evening to enjoy dinner. We share that story with our children to this day.

  232. I cant decide between two, so here goes. In 1996 we moved and the job didnt turn out as expected. We ended up having a real hard time. I had made a good friend and she put us on her church’s angel tree. We learned then what Christmas was really about and promised wed never get into the gift trap and would live life differently- Fast forward to last year, our first Christmas with our daughter adopted from Ecuador. Seeing it all through her eyes and having our adult children at home. Gifts money cant buy, its all grace.

  233. I have so many wonderful Christmas memories…some of my favorites are spending Christmas at my grandparents house. We always used to say, Nanny puts Christmas “everywhere” meaning she decorated her house from top to bottom! Christmas is always special to me, being with family and celebrating the greatest Gift we will ever know!! Thank you so much!! 🙂

  234. I remember my first Christmas with 8 children all together – 5 step-kids. A small house but we were all together for the first time – we survived.

  235. One of the most memorable Christmas memories I have is the Christmas when I had no money for a tree. It was just my daughter and me, and it was going to be a very slim Christmas, except God sent a lovely neighbor to us with a tree. If you have seen a Charlie Brown Christmas, then our tree looked something like that, but to us it was the most beautiful tree we had ever seen! My daughter will tell you that was her favorite tree ever. God is good.

  236. When I was fifteen, I broke my wrist two days after my birthday in mid-October. I was in a lot of pain and pretty down about all the stuff I wouldn’t be able to do, so my mom let me decorate for Christmas extra, extra early. : )

  237. My first Christmas memory (that I remember so clear) as a small child was when I received my first walking doll ( I was so proud of this doll). My brother got his first Red Rider bebe gun…and standing in front of our Christmas tree my mom took our picture, I am holding my walking doll and my brother is holding his new gun, which just happen to be pointed at me and I had this look on my face that in years to come we all laugh about. I was 4 years old and my brother was 10. I do not now why that is the only Christmas as a small child that I really remember. Maybe it was because that walking doll was just what I had asked Santa for and the frist year that I realized that if I was really good Santa would get me just what I asked for. Santa kept me true all year long, because at the age of 4 he made a big believer out of me!

  238. My favorite Christmas was when I accepted the gift God gave us – His Son! I was 7 years old and it was Christmas Eve. My sister told me the story of Christmas and why Jesus came for us! I knew that was the best gift I would ever receive. Since then I have known the true meaning of Christmas! 🙂

  239. When I was about nine my parents were going through a really rough patch financially. I was one of six kids and didn’t expect much for Christmas. On Christmas morning out came my mom with the purple 10-speed bike I wanted but was afraid to ask for! I found out years later that a couple from our church pitched in for it. I don’t know if they realize how much that meant to me as a girl!

  240. I have so many Christams memories! On Christmas eve we would have a spaghetti supper by candle light and then open presents. My favorite part was after opening presents me and my siblings would get ice cream buckets full of snow to make home made ice cream! On Christmas day we would get together with my extended family and I would get to play with my cousins from far away all day and night! We would always stand in front of the Christmas tree and sing away in a manger for my Grandma! I love the nativity hurricane! It is beautiful and a great reminder for why we celebrate Christmas!

  241. My best memory is Baking Christmas cookies with my mom and sister. Making a mess and spending hours laughing and eating lots of what we made.

  242. One of my favorite Christmas memories was swimming with my family in the Carribean Ocean on Christmas Day. We were revelling in the company of each other while we marvelled at the colorful fish and sea life that God had created.

  243. The Christmas I remember the most was in 2004 with the birth of my 3rd son and seeing snow down in South Texas. It was amazing to see snow considering that seeing snow in South Texas is as rare as winning the lottery.

  244. One of many favorite Christmas memories was making ornaments from paper shopping bags. It was a many step process of gluing, drying, and painting. In the end the kids and I had original creations to share with all our family and friends.

  245. Favorite Christmas memory is a lump of childhood Christmases – waiting for my sister to wake up; going downstairs together to discover an unwrapped gift for each of us – never labeled, but we always knew which one was ours; opening stockings together; playing quietly until Grandma woke up & started the coffee; then finally waking up Mom & Dad to come and really start the Christmas celebration! 🙂

  246. Well, my parents always made Christmas nice when we were kids. Somehow they got us to believe that Santa had come before midnight and then we could open our gifts at midnight so we could get up the next morning and drive the 5 hour drive to be with our relatives in NY. My mom’s been gone almost 15 years so really any of our childhood Christmases with her. It’s my first Christmas as a wife so I hope to start making some really cool memories of our own also. 🙂

  247. My favorite Christmas memory still makes me have butterflies in my stomach today! I was 6 years old and my brothers were 13 and 2 at the time. After we had each opened a couple presents, my Mom told me to find a piece of paper on our Christmas tree with my name on it. When I opened it, all it had written on the inside was “po”. I completely didn’t understand, but she asked my Dad to find my younger brother’s paper on the tree….his said “line” and I was even more confused. Finally, my older brother found his on the tree and we had the 3rd piece of the puzzle “tram”……tram-po-line…trampoline! I remember my heart beating so fast as we ran to every window looking for it in the yard! I was so excited! I have to give props to my parents though….while we were snuggled in bed, they were putting together the trampoline by the lights of the pick up truck in the sleet and snow!

  248. When I was about 6 or 7 years old my family was going through some difficult financial times. Of course, at the time my brothers and I had no idea, especially when we woke up Christmas Day. I know there were some toys and other wonderful things thanks to my mom’s ingenuity in finding and fixing second-hand items and making gifts, and thanks to my dad’s work with toys-for-tots. He was able to select a few things to bring home after those who were struggling even more were taken care of. But the thing we all really remember the most were the big brown paper shopping bags filled to the brim with all sorts of Christmas goodies — fruit, pencils, erasers, candy and other little 5-and-dime toys and things. They were such a wonderful surprise. It couldn’t have cost much but it felt like a bounty to us. Kids don’t need expensive gifts or tons of presents. Just something special. And parents who teach them that the most special gift of all was the baby born on the first Christmas, who died to save them and rose again. My parents never forgot to make that the point of Christmas.

  249. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Our youth group always presented a play w/singing and ending w/candlelight service – a tradition that I took part in as a teenager/40 years ago/along with my siblings and friends. This rural small country church continues this tradition each year on Christmas Eve which blesses our heart and focus on the true meaning of Christmas!

  250. Every year since I was born, my mom has given me an angel ornament. When I left college and was on my own, I already had a pretty impressive ornament collection ready to go! She puts incredible effort and intentionality into picking angel ornaments that go along with my personality or something big that has happened in the year before.

  251. My favorite memory is driving back to CO from TN for Christmas with our families. Sharing those times with my husband in the car and simply enjoying the uninterrupted time together was priceless. Being home with family in CO for Christmas was always something we looked forward to in our 3 years in TN while my husband was in graduate school.

  252. Getting home from Midnight Mass and seeing that Santa had been at the house when we were gone. We would open our gifts then and get to bed at about 3am. I loved that!

  253. Wow…..the sacrifices of parents are all over this page! Our dad had just lost his wife to breast cancer and we young kids a loving mom. Our dad on this first Christmas gave us his meager Christmas bonus! It was in a nice card and like finding “Where’s Waldo” as we would hunt for it all over the tree.
    I cannot even imagine how hard that must have been to give up a bonus when he worked so hard as a TV repairman and musician on the weekends for a local theatre. Such love!

  254. Last Christmas, my daughter & her fiance’ were supposed to spend the day with his family. So, I had resigned myself to one less that day, for the first time. On Christmas morning, she woke me up (in person) with a huge red bow on her pajamas. His parents had gifted us with our daughter for Christmas! What an excellent day!

  255. One of my most memorable Christmas memories was when my mother placed a special ornament on the tree just for me. It contained a poem that my grandmother had written on the day of my birth! What a treasure she gave me!

  256. My favorite Christmas memory happened at church while a lady was singing Ave Maria. She had the most beautiful voice. My 3 month old son who was laying on the bench beside me was very content and cooed throughout the song. However, everytime she got to the chorus part of the song, my son wrinkled up his face and sobbed uncontrollably. Then when the chorus was over he went back to being content. I believe that he was really caught up in the song. I think of that moment everytime I hear Ave Maria now.

  257. Every Christmas morning my husband would read the Christmas story from Luke while the kids held onto their stockings, no looking inside
    … our daughter still spends the night with us on Christmas Eve, and holds her stocking in the morning until dad has read the Christmas story.

  258. My favorite Christmas was with my parents and my Grandparents at my home and my daughters were two and five years old and the the children acted out the Nativity scene with their angel costumes for everyone and it was a wonderful day to celebrate from a two year old to an 80 year old that Christmas……..

  259. A most fond memory of mine is the Christmas we drove 800 miles to see my mother-in-law who has some dementia. When we arrived, she had forgotten we were coming and was completely unprepared. But my MIL had this real tall, skinny cactus plant, so we took our dog’s Santa hat and put it on the cactus to make it our ‘tree’ and put all our presents around it. It was a very simple Christmas, but it was also very touching as it was such a blessing to my MIL.

  260. My favorite Christmas memory is the year I got to help my Grandma decorate her house for Christmas. She made Christmas so special. Christ was always the focus, and she made her family feel so special as she lavished a special day on us all. She’d put tiny gifts at each table setting at lunch that would go with the year’s theme – like the theme “gifts of the Spirit”. She would also include some sort of story from her and Granddad’s past that related to the theme. And she always had family games prepared to play before and after gift opening. Anyway, helping her decorate was like getting to see “behind the scenes” 🙂 and of course I loved any moment I ever got to spend with her.

  261. One of my favorite Christmas memory is when we were kids. living in a communist country food was hard to get, specially fruit. One Christmas morning we woke up to a wood box full of bananas and oranges. I don’t know how my daddy got his hands on that, but it’s one of my favorite memories that i will cherish forever.

  262. My favorite memory is when my husband surprised me with a Dicken’s village house I’d wanted that was retired and hard-to-find. {sniff, sniff…}

  263. Growing up my mother worked the night shift at the local nursing home. She got home about 7:30 am every morning. I remember on Christmas mornings having to stay in bed until she got home from work so we could see what Santa Clause bought us. It was pure torture, but now it is a fond memory.

  264. One year, when my sister and I were little, my dad had to work the “graveyard” shift at a factory. He came home shortly before we went to bed, and said another man came to the factory and offered to work his shift for him. The man had no children or family, and wanted my dad to be able to spend Christmas with his little children.

    I have never forgotten that man…. I wish I could thank him.

  265. We lived in Alaska and I knew where my parents would hide the presents and went in and looked. I was getting a barbie dream house. I was so excited but then on Christmas day there was no anticipation or excitement because I knew what my BIG gift was. I never looked for Christmas Presents again. I love the surprise and Wonder of it all and now its so fun to see my kids get all excited.

  266. My favorite Christmas memory was eight years ago when my grandson Mattias was 6 weeks old. He brought his parents with him to see the singing Christmas tree program at our church. I held him in my arms the entire time, and we enjoyed the program together. He got restless when there was too much talking, but as soon as the music started again, he went right back to sleep. He was the best Christmas gift ever, second only to the original Christmas Child.
    Blessings,
    Linda

  267. Being very pregnant on Christmas morning 1998 and hoping we’d get through that day without a trip to the hospital, we made it barely.

  268. I remember coming out of our bedrooms to see the once- bare tree all sparkly and decorated overnight.

  269. I remember when I got a homemade doll house for christmas. All my parents could afford that year was one piece of plywood. They used paint from our house and wallpaper left over and it was the best present ever.

  270. A favorite memory of Christmas: I was in college. I had been laid off for months. I called my family who lived soooo far away when you are penniless. I told them with a very heavy heart, that I couldn’t come home for Christmas. I barely had the emotional strength to hang up the phone when I remembered with God all things are possible and whispered a prayer. Long story short a friend saw me in hallway and asked, “When do you want to leave?” Wouldn’t you know. Someone had told her I couldn’t get home. “Go pack, she said, “we are leaving in an hour.” That was the year I learned God listens to whispered prayer too. He does things just because…He is who He is and He loves us.

  271. For my first Christmas with my late husband in 1967, My mom got us a “snow machine” – it made snow come out the top of the tree and sprinkle down on it…was fun to watch…but not really a practical thing as once it sprinkled the snow, you had to keep refilling the fake snow. That and Bubble Lights on our Trees growing up as a child are my favorite memories.

  272. Momma remained silent on the subject of how we would receive our gifts. With trepidation my siblings and I managed to finally sleep. Mother came to our rooms about 5 a.m. the next morning; we had to get an early start for our trip. She insisted we dress before breakfast. This was just plain wrong. Just as I predicted, this was so far removed from our usual Christmas morning we were all out of sorts. We stomped into the kitchen and were greeted by a surprise, beautifully wrapped presents on each of our plates. Now this wasn’t so bad. Not the usual array under the tree, but a very special present for each of us, a request that we didn’t expect to be fulfilled. Leave it to my momma to always make Christmas special. I don’t recall what Martha and Mike received, but my special gift was one I had askied for, a beautiful wrist watch. I felt so grown up and favored.

  273. My favorite Christmas memory was surpising my dad with a trip to Cleveland, Ohio for the opening of A Christmas Story house and museum. He has watched and loved that movie ( you know the one with the Red Rider Bebe gun) since he was a little kid and going back to his hometown to re-live those memories was such a fun thing to be a part of. We were first in line for the opening and got pictures with the cast and free lifebouy soap. Doesn’t seem like much fun, but for him it was a dream come true and watching his face light up was such a wonderful thing!

  274. My mother made Christmas a magical day for us. Even after I married, I contined to go home for the big day. She always came up with a surprise that you would just love. One year she made a beautiful hooded cape for me. I wore it til it fell apart.

  275. my favorite Christmas memories have been the last few years. The sight of my son and now daughter coming down the stairs, eyes bright and just the pure childhood joy. I feel so blessed because I know the Lord gave these precious children to us and I am so happy to see them feeling safe, secure and healthy!

  276. One of my favorite Christmas memories is when all of us kids (I have five siblings) would get into our pajamas, grab pillows and blankets, and pile in the living room to watch Christmas movies and cartoons as a family. Mother would bake sugar cookies with cherries on top. We would watch TV until we fell asleep; all cuddled up together. My husband and I carry on this tradition with our five daughters. We are blessed!

  277. I was pretty sure Santa wasn’t real. I wanted to get up during the night to see. My Dad convinced me that if I got up that Santa would know and might not leave gifts. During the night needed to use the bathroom. I got up and laid my ear to the floor listening to see if Santa was downstairs and thought I’d heard him. My (much older) sister woke up to find me with my ear to the floor and asked “WHAT are you doing??” She had to do quite a bit of convincing that it was ok !!

  278. When we were growing up, Santa didn’t wrap presents, so the gifts for us 5 children were there under the tree in the dark just waiting for morning to come. Of course, we couldn’t sleep with excitement, so we would sneak out to the living room in the wee hours to see what Santa brought. I remember one year, especially, creeping back into bed with my younger sister and whispering to her about all the magical things I saw.

  279. Really? Just one favorite memory? Christmas is such a special time always. But I think back to a year when we didn’t think we’d have too much for Christmas. My husband was still in school, we had two young children and I was pregnant. A nearby church gave us Christmas gifts for our kids. It was so meaningful to us that others thought of us at a time we didn’t have a lot. It’s not in what we have, but who we have.

  280. My Memory was when I was about six years old and one of my gifts was a life size walking doll, Santa put it next to me in bed and when I woke up and saw the doll I thought s stranger was standing next to me and I started crying…my parents had to really do some damage control for Santa. We really had some laughs about it when I grew up and I still have that doll after fifty some years,

  281. Christmas memories are made each year and all are treasured the same yet since my dad’s passing a few years back I really miss him coming up the drive and sharing in his grandkids celebration of opening their gifts. There were times he would be waking us open with his excitement to see their faces as they tore threw each gift.
    Christmas is a magical time and we are all blessed because Christ was born!

    Merry Christmas!

  282. My most memorable Christmas eve was attending a candlelight service at my sister-in-law’s church. The candles were given out to all the congregation and a flame was started at the front pew on each side of the church. The lady in front leaned back and I put my candle to hers and then passed the flame along to my family in the same pew. I was sitting and enjoying the music and the decorations for quite a while until the person in back of me thumped me on the shoulder. I had forgotten to pass the flame back!!! Oh, my…I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry..but neither was an option in such a beautiful service. Good to know we’re forgiven for even the little mishaps along the way. It was truly a lovely service, however, and maybe a little merrier for those behind me that got a quiet chuckle, too!!

  283. I love it!!!! My first married Christmas we had just found out we were expecting!!! We gave both of our Mother’s a really cute Grandmother pillow–my Mom caught on but my Mother-in-law just went ” Oh isn’t this nice!” ( she had 2 granddaughters already!! When she finally figured it out we all just died laughing!!! That was 29 years ago!! Thank you and blessings, Barb Wall

  284. I remember one Christmas we were really poor….a single mom with 3 kids…I’m the middle one. An older brother and a younger brother. Under the 3 ft. tree bought the night before…..was 2 dump trucks each with a different color box and one teaset…nothing was wrapped……I was so happy to get the teaset….I found a closet with high baseboards and put a board across the top of the base boards and drew onto the wood 4 burners for a stove and a sink and a table….I played in there for hours…one of my sweetest memories.

  285. Our First Year Married was last year- I have two favorite memories. You see- I have high hopes of being domestic! I want to garden, organize, bake, cook, coupon, blog, be a wonderful wife and mother- So we went to go get our FRESH Christmas Tree on Thanksgiving Day- we got our beautiful tree home and plopped it down into our tree stand and added water. A week later our glorous tree was DEAD! Who knew that you were supposed to Re-Cut the bottom of the tree before putting it in the water?!?! By Christmas our beautiful green tree was a big, brown, booboo! Second favorite memory- I cooked a Pancetta topped tenderloin, with scalloped potatos right out of Southern Living- I forgot about my potatos and they came out black as christmas coal! Its a good thing my husband and I can laugh at ourselves! Boy did we! What great memories we are making together as I learn how to be domestic!

  286. One of my favorite Christmas memories is going to find & cut down our Christmas tree (a cedar) in the woods nearby with my son and a young man who was staying with us that Christmas. Snow was falling and it was a magical atmosphere. That young man worked unloading donations at a local charity and found and bought a concrete Nativity scene for me – Mary, Joseph, sheep and the Christ Child. I get it out every Christmas and remember that sad young man who was so “child-like.” He died several years later – a motorcycle accident – but he lives on in my heart!

  287. My favorite Christmas memory was the Christmas my mom made a doll for me along with outfits for the doll and matched dresses that she made for me too! I felt like such a princess!!!

  288. My first Christmas memory: Well, I was sitting here reading several of the others comments and so many are so touching. I think ya all are winners in my eyes.

    You know, I thought back, and their are so many, but if I had to say what is going to be my favorite Christmas memory would have to be this:

    My husband & I have waited for over 4 years, struggling with infertility, doing all sorts of meds..doctors stepping up and helping us out of the blue who truly loved me, and the Lord..to no avail.

    I wrote to Holly here on Day Spring, and shared my story, since her story is so much like mine. Our journeys are so alike. Her book really touched my life. I had to learn to “dance in the rain” and trust and wait.

    So, to make a long story short, we waited. In anguish, tears, sorrow, joy..we waited.
    We decided to do the “foster to adopt” route, with me kicking my feet, and wanting to give it all up. I was tired of the journey.

    After going that route, we waited again. I finally gave up. I was broken. We decided to pack it up, and put away our baby furniture that we had to have up during this entire process…

    I was leaving one day to head to the gym to release my pent up frustration, and talk to God..:) and the phone rang…

    It was a local hospital sharing with us, that they had a newborn baby girl ..6lbs 3oz..born of a drug addicted mommy. I was elated, but worried…did not know what to do. After asking tons of questions, they told me that this baby was tested and re-tested for drugs in her ..and nothing. The nurse on the phone told me, if it helps ..every nurse on the floor wants to grab her up and take her home. With that, we said, YES.

    People out of no where came forth with baby items, blessing us. We had our first car seat, and were heading to the hospital. …we took our little girl home.

    This Chrismtas..10 months later..we will be celebrating Gods birth, and his purpose in his birth. This Christmas, we see the purpose in the “waiting” in the “journey” as we continue to wait for this journey to come to an end..but as we wait, we will be celebrating not only Christ’s birth, and his purpose in his journey, but our journey, and the purpose behind this little life that we have been waiting & trusting God for.

    “You ask, “What is our favorite Christmas memory”? It will have to be on December 25, 2011.

  289. My best Christmas blessing was 37 yrs ago when my daughter was brought to me in a big red stocking, after being born the night before. She still has and uses that stocking.

  290. My favorite Christmas memory is the one where we six kids sat huddled together in my oldest brother’s room at the top of the stairs waiting for the sun the to come up and Christmas to begin. We weren’t allowed to wake our parents before sunrise or go downstairs, so we gathered together in John’s room, shivering in our pajamas, rubbing our eyes, and peering through the tiny window. “Is that the sun? Is that it?” Excitement wiped the sand from our eyes. “No, it’s just the moon.” “Rats.” And so on until, finally, the shining rays of that glorious golden orb peaked over the fields and wood. “It’s the sun! It’s morning! Let’s go wake up Mom and Dad! Merry Christmas!”

  291. There are so many memories. One that stands out is the Christmas I asked for a football and got a baby doll. She is the doll I remember the most. I even think my daughter resembled her as a baby. But my parents saw my disappointment and gave me a football on Epiphany. Win, win.

  292. One of my favorite Christmas memories is acting out the Christmas story with our children on Christmas eve. Everyone (all 7 of us) would have a part (or two). For many years there was a baby in the house who got to play the part of baby Jesus. Now, most of them are grown and some have left our home so these are cherished memories.

  293. I remember, like it was yesterday, the first Christmas after I discovered Santa’s identity. I savored each gift as I opened it and gave my parents extra hugs and smiles…all very discreetly since I had two younger siblings!

  294. I always enjoyed getting to look in my stocking first thing on Christmas morning. Even though there was always the traditional “fruit”, “nuts” and “candies” in it, there was also always something fun to play with until everyone arrived (older siblings) and we all opened our gifts together. That particular year I remember my Mom asking me what was in my stocking as I reached into it and a strange look must have appeared on my face. She said “Well, what’s in it?” And I said . . . . “I think Santa left me a . . . . pickle!” She started laughing, but I didn’t think it was funny. All I knew was I felt something gushy and wet in there. When I looked in and learned it was a banana that had gotten squished by something else that had been placed in on top of it! And I thought it was a PICKLE! To be honest, I don’t even remember what else was in my stocking that year!

  295. Christmas Eve as a child at my Grandpa and Grandma’s house. All the cousins got together! Seems so long ago, but when I see it now with my own young children, I know their love for Jesus and family continues on in me!

  296. We always had the best of Christmas, Dad’s favorite song was always Amazing Grace.
    We loved getting together, being together and sharing with our joy.
    This year and years to come will be very different , our precious Father went home to be with the Lord on October 29, 2011 very unexpected. so we are Amazed at God’s grace thru this all . We are to remember that the song I must tell Jesus , I must tell Jesus I cannot bear these burdens alone.

  297. I smile as my thoughts go back to being 12 years old and in a foreign country at Christmas. My father was serving his nation in the 60s and it took us FAR away from grandparents and friends. BUT instead of being an empty time it took on a glow that has never faded. We had no television or local community so my folks put up the card table and got out the glitter, cardboard, craft paints, and ribbons. We were allowed to make a mess and CREATE together! It was a bit out of character for my Dad and I’m sure it was the first time I grasped how artistic he was underneath all that “structure.” I treasure the few ornaments and elves from that season and my sibs get the same rosy glow in their eyes when we remember together.

  298. My favorite Christmas memory is when our family would put up the Christmas tree and the ornaments would come out. My mom would sit and give us the ornaments to put on the tree while telling us what each ornament meant and the story behind it. We loved putting our “Baby’s First Christmas” ornaments up because we would get to hear the story of our own birth retold for us and also hear the story of each sibling (there are 6 of us). I hope to carry on this tradition with my son, when he’s older (he’s only 14 months now . . . all he wants to do is un-decorate the tree and hand me all the ornaments :P)

  299. A christmas memory i will always remember,is when i was 8 yrs old .Ihad never had a pair of slipper’s and i begged and begged santa for some ha ha . My older sister did the christmas shopping for my mum and dad,and i caught on to where the presents were hid. I was so excited to find a pair of “fluffy pink slippers “, I could’nt help myself,and every oppurtunity before christmas arrived.I would go to the wardrobe and on went the slippers and i would prance around in them for a few minuits , what a treasured memory .thank you santa x

  300. Oh so many memories, how to choose just one?! 🙂 Well, I will go with a recent one…one of our traditions is to give the kids a new ornament each year. So, a few weeks ago as we put up our tree, I gave the kids their ornament for this year. All 3 of them were SO excited and pleased with their ornament! It did my heart so good to see them enjoying the small things in life…I want to remember that fun night forever. 🙂

  301. Matching pajamas, left under the tree, every Christmas eve, while we were eating dinner. We all look so cute in our Christmas morning photos from my childhood. The tradition continues…

  302. My favorite Christmas was in 1988. My parents divorced back in 1978, when I was only 3 years old because my dad was an alcoholic. My sister and I only saw my dad for a few years before he decided that it wasn’t good for him to be around us. From the time I was 5 until I was 13, we didn’t see my dad but he would send cards and money for our birthdays and Christmas. My mom would take the money he sent and buy us the gift that we wanted most, wrap it up and give it to us from our dad so that we would know he loved us. Then in May of 1988 we met our dad for the first time in over 8 years. We started spending time with him and he came to celebrate Christmas with us. At the time we lived with my grandmother, 4 people in a one bedroom single wide trailer. It was a wonderful Christmas being with my dad and has the most meaning to me, because my dad passed away only a few weeks later on January 9, 1989.
    God in His ever gracious heart, blessed us with one last Christmas with my dad before He took him home.

  303. My all-time favorite Christmas memories always involved cutting down our Christmas tree, it always being way too big, and then taking hours to put all the handmade ornaments on.

  304. Oh, this is too hard, just picking one memory! I always enjoyed Christmas eve with all my Dad’s family and watching my feisty red headed grandma bustle around.

  305. I have always been an early bird, so one Christmas, I woke up first and saw the three brand new bikes my parents had gotten for each of us kids. I couldn’t believe it!

  306. When I was 16 years old, my father arranged to have me visit the family of a man he worked with in Germany. His daughters were around my same age and were learning English, they would be home during the holidays so he thought it would be a good experience for them to learn to listen to someone speaking English and my father thought it would be a good experience for me to learn to travel overseas on my own. It was such an exciting adventure and when I look back now as a parent, I can’t imagine how nervous my parents must have been to let me go AND to have me not with our own family during the holidays.
    The family lived in a very small town near Frankfurt where everyone in the town knew one another. I remember attending church services with them on Christmas Eve, we walked together as a family through lightly falling snow down narrow, cobblestone streets to a small candlelit church with wooden beams on the ceiling, and hand carved wooden pews, it had been there for centuries and it was packed with every person in town. It felt so warm and cozy inside and when they all began to sing Silent Night in German it was the most gentle and peaceful way I had ever heard it sung. After the service let out, everyone was walking home and giving each other hugs in the streets, people even brought out fireworks to shoot off. It was the first time in my life that I ever experienced Christmas with more of the focus on Jesus and less about Santa Claus. To this day, it changed the way I think during the holidays and remains my most memorable Christmas. I have remained good friends with this family for my entire life and will never forget the gift of that experience.

  307. I remember singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing for the first time the Christmas after my father died. When I came to the line, “Born that man no more may die,” I entered into Christmas more fully than I ever had before. One of my father’s nurses made a comment about it being sad that he died so close to Christmas. I had the complete opposite reaction. Experiencing his death so close to the celebration of Christ’s birth, the One who came to defeat death, helped me to see more clearly why I need Christmas.

  308. My favorite Christmas memory was three Christmases ago. We were so grateful to have our mom with us after a health scare just a few weeks before. It brought us together as a family and showed me the strength and friendship I have in my siblings.

  309. One of my favorite memories is when my dad nailed the tree stand to the floor so the tree wouldn’t fall over.

  310. Hmmmm….there are many! First Christmas as a wife! First Christmas with a baby of my own…Christmas when we gifted our two older girls with a tiny onesie, to let them know that their prayer for a baby sibling had been miraculously answered…..I love recalling Christmas memories!

  311. My favorite Christmas memory is bringing my 2nd son home from the hospital on Christmas day. He was born on December 23.

  312. The memory of a Christmas I’d like to share happened just back in 2009. My husband and I were struggling financially that year and we were trying to figure out how to get our 4 boys any type of Christmas gifts. One day about a week before Christmas I received a call from the Administrative Assistant at our school. She asked me to stop in the office that day when I picked up my children. When I got there, she had 2 huge bags full of wrapped presents for our family. Our wonderful school family had donated money and wrapped toys, clothes and gift cards for our family! I can’t begin to describe the blessing that was to us that year! Although our school has closed since then and the families there have gone different paths, I will never forget their love and generosity to us.

  313. ~ My sister is a missionary in Togo, West Africa. I have n’t seen her in two years but this year she is here for the holidays on furlough. Yesterday we had great fun sipping tea and decorating the tree together. ..GoOd TiMeS!

  314. My favorite CHRISTmas memory was one CHRISTmas Eve my sister and I stayed up until like 3 am wrapping our kids presents, it was such a nice fun time and a precious memory for me because she died of Leukemia several years later, I will always cherish that CHRISTmas Eve.

  315. My favorite memory is listening to old Christmas records on the big record player. I used to do that for hours when I was kid. now it’s mine and I still love to listen to them!

  316. My dad’s side of the family has a long standing Christmas tradition that has been the source of many of my most cherished Christmas memories. Every year, on Christmas eve we all meet at my grandparents’ house. We eat (of course), my grandpa plays his Christmas record that includes classics like ‘I want an elephant for Christmas’, ‘Grandma got run over by a reindeer’, and ‘Mr Grinch.’ We play ‘Dirty Santa’ with homemade ornaments and always have way too much fun. It’s nothing extreme or fancy but it’s a sweet time surrounded by the people that have had such a big part in shaping who I am today.

  317. One Christmas Eve when I was little, I thought I heard the bells on Santa’s reindeer. That was magical. My most treasured memories are from when my son was young. I loved watching the excitement in his eyes as he opened presents. Even our dogs would be in the middle of action adding to the fun.

  318. My oldest daughter was born a week before Christmas, so technacally the following year her 2 Christmas season she was so thrilled with the Christmas tree,especially when it was lit up that to get her to leave the house with us or go to bed she had to hug and kiss the tree goodnight and then I had to turn of its lights. She also loved sitting right next to the tree in her little chair all the time. Now that little girl has her first child who we are waiting to see her response to her first tree this weekend. 🙂

  319. Sad to say, I don’t have a particular favorite memory of Christmas. I just remember the excitement and the joy of family and decorations. Thank you for a chance to win. 🙂

  320. One of my favorite Christmas memories was in 2008 when we celebrated it with our newly adopted son, Jeremiah. It was such a joy to finally have the son we had waited for for almost 10 years. This year we will celebrate Christmas again with another new son we are adopting. We’ve waited for 3 years for him and we are so blessed to have such wonderful little boys, true gifts from the Lord.

  321. My favorite memory of Christmas is the day I had newborn twins almost eight years ago, born Christmas Eve around 10:30 pm. My family brought Christmas dinner and gifts to the hospital to celebrate.

  322. When my son was a preschooler, he latched onto a sleigh bell and took it every where we went. My grandmother was in the latter stages of dementia and she also thought the bell was fantastic. In fact, she wouldn’t give it back. I was sure one of them was going to melt down over it but my son just stood there thinking a minute. “She can keep it. She really likes it.” And off he bounced to find something else . . .
    –SueBE

  323. One of my favorite Christmas memories is watching my daughter’s delight at receiving a trunk full of dress up clothes last Christmas.

  324. It was Jan. 1971 and my husband was returning from Vietnam after 1 year. When he left our first child was 5 months old, and now he was 17 months. At Christmas we decided to leave the tree up (a live tree, by the way), decorated and the gifts unopened until daddy came home. He returned on Jan. 20, 1971 to a very dry, dead tree but we had a joyous celebration of Christ’s birth and the safe return of daddy! I’ll never forget that Christmas!

  325. My favorite memory was a copule of years ago when my young daughter ran downstairs and instead of opening her presents first, she grabbed a simple white paper bag tied with a red ribbon from under the tree and handed it to me and my husband. It was her handmade gift for us. I will never forget that sweet moment!

  326. The one Christmas I really enjoyed, and I enjoy all the Christmases with my family, is when my Sons were in middle school and my brother’s girls were in grade school, we all contributed to Christmas that year! Jennifer played the piano and did some somersaults, Stephenie also played the piano and sang, Jeremy and Joshua did a couple of shits and I helped with one, Mom played the piano also, My Sister in law Denese sang a song and so did I, and my Brother Richard read to us a funny Christmas story and of course the True Christmas story in Luke. It just was such a rememberable time of sharing Christ’s gifts that He had bestowed on each of us and His wonderful story of His Love for us, to come in our world and to live like us and to give up His Life for our Salvation. Praise and Glory to the King of Kings!

  327. Going and getting our tree every year. My dad, my brother, and I would hike all over the woods to find the perfect tree and then we would all haul it back home. It never looked as perfect in the house as it had in the woods 😉

  328. My fondest Christmas memory is when I was about 8 years old and we were coming home from Christmas Eve service. We were traveling up a long street where we saw Santa Claus walking from one yard to the other. My brother exclaimed, “Dad, we better get home, he’s already started!!!”

  329. Christmas as a child was always filled with wonder. There was a sense of magic or something wonderful in the air. Everyone was full of good cheer and helpful. One memory stands out to me . . . I was about 7 yrs old and suffering terribly with a cold during a Christmas party held at my house. I missed most of it as I slept off the effects of the cold. But after I awoke, my mom told me how the girls all pitched in and made me a craft and they also bought me a LifeSavers book of candy. I felt so special and loved. To this day, whenever I see a LifeSavers book of candy, I feel special. Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that can mean a lot – even many years later.

  330. My favorite memory is when my brother and I came downstairs to discover brand new bicycles.

  331. It’s so hard to choose one favorite Christmas memory. One of my favorite things to do each year is slowly unload the box of Christmas ornaments and linger over each one as I put them on the tree…now that my children are married and on their own (well, sort of!) I get even more sentimental over their little angels made of coffee filters and popsicle stick reindeer. I hang their first baby shoes on the tree also! It’s an eclectic, funky, perfectly imperfect tree full of wonderful memories!!!

  332. Every Christmas as a child we looked forward to my mom hanging the “mouse house”, a miniature house totally decorated for Christmas for a family of mice. Tiny stockings, a tree you could “twang” with your finger like you do a spring-loaded doorstop, and tiny presents under the tree.

  333. My family reads the Christmas story on Christmas Eve. We relax in front of our decorated Christmas tree with no other lights on and reflect on the meaning of Christmas.

  334. It’s hard to choose. It seems like my best Christmas is always the one we just had. Each year is the same in our traditions, but different in the nuances in our family as the kiddos get older. It’s delightful and joyful to watch them growing and maturing. My favorite Christmas is always one spent snugly at home, with family, in our jammies.

  335. My favorite Christmas would have to be my first Christmas with my baby girl. After 4 yrs of fertility issues she was truly the best gift ever.

  336. I remember fondly the year that my friend was requested to play a Christmas special music at 5 different churches. yes, 5. I went with him, and we got to hear the Christmas story 5 times on Christmas Eve, with 5 sets of people, all different denominations, all loving Jesus for one sweet night….

  337. My favorite Christmas memory is waking up as a little girl, eating scrambled eggs and bacon, sitting around the christmas tree and opening presents with my mom and dad. Not having any worries of what the future held….

  338. The best (and oh so real) Christmas memory only occured for us last year when my husband and I brought our 14 month old adopted boy home for the first time 3 days before Christmas! God had answered our prayers and he has been the greatest earthly gift by far! It was, without a doubt, the BEST Christmas EVER! 🙂

  339. It is hard to choose just one memory, there are so many happy memories. But I think the best one was many years ago. I was newly divorced and about as low as I had ever been. I was struggeling with being back in school after many years, and with no money for presents for my 2 small (then) children. I found a quite moment at the balcony rail between classes, and was staring off in the distance, wondering how my life had turned out so very different from how I imagined it as a little girl. God spoke to my heart in that moment. I have never forgotten it. He said to me “if there was no tree and no presents and no food, would it still be Christmas?” Of course it would! “My Son would still be born. It is about a baby that was born 2 thousand years ago, not about the stuff that surrounds it.” Ever since then, our Christmases have been very low key.

  340. I treasure all my Christmas memories as I have been blessed with the good fortune to spend it with the people I love the most…my family!

  341. One of my favorite in real life Christmas memories is traveling through 7 states for Christmas with my hubby before children. On one leg of the journey we thought we would beat the weather and make some good time, instead we got caught in snow and ice in some mountains in one Southern state- The South is not prepared for such weather like the North is- Needless to say, we didn’t beat the weather. And time, well, it was well spent making a memory and lots of uninterrupted converstation.

  342. The first year my husband and I lived away from family is still a special memory for us. We slept late, went out for brunch, came home and watched Christmas movies on television and called family. What we thought would be a hard day for us was a blessing from God!

  343. Wow you can tell we all want to win this one….I am the 440 th one to enter.

    Best Christmas memory is the last time both of our kids were with us. We serve with New Tribes Mission and was on staff at our language school. Our daughter and family were heading to do mission overseas. Our son had joined the Marines after the twin towers went down. Due to the date he was entering boot camp we had an early Christmas that year. Now we are serving back in the states so we are hoping to recap that memory in 2013 when our daughter and family come home for furlough along with our son who now lives in California. Since then three more grandchildren have been added to the mix which will only make the reunion sweeter. One of the hardest things about being an over seas missionary is being seperated from family. And I must tell you I would love to win that anything Christmas since I have very little after all the years of moving. We tend to travel light. Whoever wins will be blessed by your giveaways. Thank you.

  344. My Christmas memories as a child include standing at the front of the church during the children’s Christmas Eve program and singing my heart out. The tall tree in the corner was shining brightly, my Mom had made me a new Christmas dress and I was engrossed as Mary and Joseph (two of the children from our group) made their way to the front of the church. The verses and songs we sang still echo in my mind. Going to church on Christmas Eve is always a part of our tradition still. Thank you for sparking my memory today! The hurricane lamps are gorgeous – thanks for sharing!

  345. When my son was little, my husband and I decided that instead of giving each other gifts, we would give to someone who really needed it. We checked with our local mission and “adopted” a family for Christmas: a mom and her two pre-teen children. Each of them gave a list of what they wanted and needed for Christmas, and my husband, son and I spent a whole day in the city shopping for everything on the list. We brought it all home and wrapped it, then made lots of Christmas cookies and goodies to go in the box with the gifts. We never met the family, but I’ll never forget the feeling I had as we brought the box loaded with gifts to the mission. It was the best Christmas of my life so far, and it started a wonderful family tradition.

  346. My favorite Christmas memory will always be attending the Christmas Eve service at my church growing up, where so many people packed into the church that we were basically sitting on top of each other, yet we were all in such good spirits that we didn’t mind, and we went outside for the candlelight service and carol singing and everyone was joyful and praising God! It makes me smile every time I think of it.

  347. I have so many wonderful memories, but the one that stands out the most is the year my dad lost his job. I was 9 and we had joined a new church the year before. We were all new believers. We would come home on multiple evenings and find boxes of food and other items on our doorstep. We received so much that we were able to give a lot away. God taught me and my family about His faithfulness and to trust in Him to provide. He also taught me to live with an open hand, there is always someone less fortunate than me.

  348. Several years ago, when my children and their 6 cousins were small they began “performing” a living nativity for us adults ( moms, dads, and grandparents). Each year before opening presents, yes that is correct, before opening presents, they would want to have their “play.” Each year Mary would alternate between the 2 girl cousins, while shepherds, inn keeper, donkey (someone had to be the donkey) would change between the 6 boys. Most of the cousins are now in college, and the nativity is recalled through memories–and what special memories.

  349. I grew up on a farm and winter was a wonderful time of year. We didn’t have to work as hard and there was plenty of time for sledding. My dad heated the house with wood and we spent lots of time chopping, stacking, and carrying it. Every Christmas we had a baking day and made lots of cookies for the neighbors. Now I continue the tradition with my children.

  350. When children placing baby Jesus in the Manger. If I remember right we took turns every year. And also, hanging what we called the best ornament on the tree, we did in turns…and old glass blown santa.

  351. My husband is in construction and has not been able to find steady work, in his field as well as others, in over 3 years. My most memorable Christmas was when we had absolutely nothing for our 4 children for Christmas and people were blessing us with gifts and food. It was amazing to see God work .

  352. My favorite Christmas memory was one I didn’t even realize would be so special. In the spring of 2005 I found out my company was being purchased and closed down. A few months later, I had to move to another state (1200+ miles away) for a new job. Due to work, I haven’t been able to spend Christmas with my family since then, and my grandfather passed away shortly after. So it’s my favorite memory because it’s the last time my whole family – all dozen-plus of us – were together at Christmas.

  353. One of my favorites was becoming engaged on Christmas morning of 1995. To marry my high school sweetheart has been amazing. I am looking forward to spending a week with my extended family this year at a resort near my hometown, and having my mom fly in from out of state. Hoping for an amazing time of being together!

  354. I am 65, but one of my warmest and happiest memories of Christmas are the moments in elementary school. Christ was oh so part of the celebration. We decorated and made gifts for our moms and dads. All the classes from k through 6th gathered on the main floor with children sitting on all the wide staircases, singing Christmas caroles. I loved Away in a Manger. Christmas was such a warm time. My Christmas prayer is that our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren can again enjoy Christmas as we did. I am almst crying and getting chills as I write this because there aren’t many people left who remember Christmas as it was. It gets more and more about ‘buying’ every year and the government takes more and more of our Christmas away, with the last several years taking a real toll. All of these memories of Christmas will soon pass away with the passing of our generation if we as Christians don’t do something.

  355. My favorite Christmas memory is when I was six, which was the year my grandfather built me a Victorian dollhouse! He worked on it for almost a year! I am 34 and I still have it, securely packed away for my daughter to enjoy when she is older.

  356. My funniest memory is eating a large Christmas meal with my aunt, uncle and cousins in their dining room and hearing their Christmas tree take complete topple to the floor in the living room….we howled and they never lived that down!

  357. Going to the late Christmas Eve service at my uncle’s Episcopal church as a child – raised in a Quaker church, I was always so moved by the choir, incense, communion of the service…..

  358. I have so many wonderful, funny, even wild and crazy Christmas memories. But one of them comes to mind immediately. It was the week before Christmas and my cousin was hosting us at her home. There were lots of babies, toddlers, and young kids amongst the group of at least 25. The result was an atmosphere of squeals, cries, laughs, chatting…lots of noise. Those days were so much fun, but for young families, especially young moms, it was also the busiest, most stressful time of year. I know to some extent my holidays were marred by a determination to have everything just so. Perfectionism was the rule of the day. So to even get to a party, much less relax and enjoy it, was an effort. Amidst the hustle and bustle, I admit my mind was more on my To-Do list than on the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
    All of the sudden, in the midst of all the merry mayhem, the lights went out. Parents quickly darted throughout the house, bumping around in the dark, to retrieve their kids, some of whom were wailing with terror. We all gathered back in the sun room, where a few candles shed their glowing light. Now the decibel of celebration had risen to new heights due to the surprise of darkness. My beloved Aunt Patty, sitting in a wheelchair at a way too young age due to MS (multiple sclerosis), seized the moment. She had a beautiful voice, which she raised up in a stirring rendition of Silent Night. Immediately quiet calm filled the room. There was nothing but the clear sweet sound of Patty’s voice as she filled the air with the song-story of Jesus. One by one, we joined in, until the whole room was lit by the joy of Jesus in our midst. It was a very Holy night!

  359. This year will be the Most Special and Blessed Christmas at our Home!
    Our son has been living in Italy and away from home for over twenty years. Now he is married and has two beautiful children. Last but not least they moved back home which is Quebec(Canada), and now we can celebrate Christmas as a family, my husband and I never celebrated with a tree etc. since he left, so now our House is a HOME!

  360. Growing up we always had the same traditions. When we were little, my brother and sister and I wold all sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning my dad would make a big breakfast and we would have time together as a family before we ran off to celebrate with our extended family.

  361. My favorite Christmas memory is with my mom and my sisters. My mom would turn on the Christmas music, turn off the TV, and we would all help decorate the house and the tree. It always took most of the day to decorate everything, but it was so much fun digging out ornaments and decorations from the previous year.

  362. My Christmas memory: Through the years my parent’s business flourished and they always lavished us with gifts. We would take pictures of us laughing and sitting on piles and piles of wrapping paper in the aftermath of ripping through each box. One year when the economy took a turn for the worst, there was no way for Christmas to be like it used to. It just wasn’t possible. We decided on no gifts, just each other. My mom secretly learned how to sew just for the occasion and surprised each of us with handmade throw blankets in our favorite colors. It was one of the few gifts I actually remember from Christmas’ past, and I’ll never forget it. Since then most of our Christmases have been a “no buying gifts” holiday, just love and cards and words of affirmation. It made us realize that all the stuff isn’t important. It’s all about Jesus and cherishing the blessings we already have: each other.

  363. My favorite Christmas memories happen when the family all gets together, there are games to play, hot chocolate or cider, then we all dress for the weather and go to church for hymns, candles, and the wonderful sweet story of our Savior.

  364. One year my sister and I got a real, life-sized play house. I was so incredulous to have such a gift and it provided MANY hours of fun and memories with my sister.

  365. Recent? That my hubby and I take time for ourselves each Christmas morning before anything else ^_^ Favorite was my Dad making us a huge, delicious breakfast every Christmas morning while we waited for Mom to wake up, and now I make my own attempt at that for our Christmases.

  366. Our mom would take us out after Christmas and we each got to pick out an ornament. She would mark the ornament with our first initial. Every year we got to put our own ornaments on the tree. But what was most special was the box of ornaments we each received when we moved out on our own. Our trees always had that piece of home and Mom no matter where we were.

  367. So many memories and reading these brings back many more. Our first Christmas after moving here (missouri) we did not think we could buy any presents for our seven kids. They went thru all their stuff to find presents to give each other. We opened them Christmas Eve. The kids were thrilled with that. But unknowned to them, two days earlier someone had taken us to Walmart to pick out $500 of fun gifts (no necessities). They were SO excited in the morning. It was one of the best Christmas as God showed up very big!

  368. My favorite Christmas eve memory is family dinner at my great grandmothers house. She would prepare the same meal every year (and I didn’t really like the food) but I think it was the routine, all the family being together and the peacfulness of it. No gifts, dinner, family time and reading of the birth of Jesus from Luke. I was so excited when I was finally old enough to read, so I could read it and everyone would listen to me.

    Also tweeted

  369. My brother was quite active in our church growing up (he’s 10 years older than me), and he and I used to set up and “run” our Christmas Eve candlelight service. It wasn’t a regular church service – it would just have soft music playing in the background, and the congregation could stop in whenever they wanted to pray and worship. An actual service would occur at some point in the evening, but we’d also have this candlelight worship that Mike and I were in charge of.

    One year, the weather was horrible – below 0 temps, windchills in the – 20 to 30 degree range, snow, ice, etc. Mike and I spent the evening at the church, virtually by ourselves (the congregation was older, so most did not go out in the bad weather). We perhaps had about a dozen people show up. I remember the music, the beautiful alter we had decorated (I got some gorgeous pictures that night of the church), and the candles melting on the carpet (the wind was so strong, it would blow through the cracks in the door, and was blowing the wax drippings to the carpet).

    Mike and I spent a lot of time worshipping silently together in the sanctuary. It was one of the most holy Christmas Eves I’ve ever spent. It was cold – very cold – and cold within the church. We had our coats on for most of it. But it was beautiful and wonderful and God-filled.

  370. As a little girl I always watched the “Little Drummer Boy”. I’m now 49 and I still love it to this day. Giving Christ the only gift you have……what an awesome message that has stuck with me.

  371. My favorite memory is Christmas Eve, going to church with my whole family sitting in candle light surrounded by the magic of Christmas. Everyone was together, smiling, sharing love and laughter and celebrating the joy of His birth. Christmas is such a magical time!

  372. My mom and I used to drive around just the two of us and look at the lights….we would give our own awards as we drove around and talked. Love this with, my mom.

  373. I blogged about several of my favorite Christmas memories last year. This one stands out t me as a Christmas when God met us in our sorrow and showed us even more just how much He is with us as Emmanuel. You can read that story (Light*posts – Part Two) under Christmas memories at my blog http://wordglow.wordpress.com.

  374. My mom (dad too) has always made Christmas very speical for my sister and I. Even if we didn’t have a lot of money. She would wrap some of our gift ahead of time and put them under the tree..instead of putting our real names on them she would put names like blue jay and red bird instead. It would drive us crazy till Chritmas trying to figure out what gifts were for which girl. We still do things like that today and I’m 25 and my sis is 23!! Thanks.

  375. One that comes to mind is my second Christmas as a wife. My hubby picked out the tree and brought it home… it filled half the living room is was SOOO wide!! We had to go out and buy more lights… TWICE to fill it!! 🙂

  376. We didn’t have a lot of money and didn’t want to over emphasize the gifts, but wanted the children to think of this time with fond memories, so we hid their one gift and wrote clues so they could find them. It was a fun and sometimes crazy time with lots of laughter and good memories.

  377. My favorite Christmas memory is spending Christmas evening at my Grandma and Grandpa’s home with my aunts and uncles and cousins. It was so much fun. I miss it now that my grandparents have passed on and we have moved out of state. What a fun way to start off our Christmas Day festivities.

  378. Every year on Chirstmas eve we hide baby Jesus and the kids get to find him on Christmas morning. We forgot one year (when we were travelling) and my oldest – then 6 reminded me. So last year when we traveled to Grandma’s house I remembered to bring him with me. First thing they did (all under age 7) was run PAST the Christmas trees and presents and hunt that baby Jesus down – because He is the best gift of all.

  379. Playing in the snow at my grandmother’s house. We grew up in Texas and never saw this much snow before. Remember putting bread bags over our shoes and playing for hours.

  380. As young children my big sister Shelly and I would try to wait up all night long for Santa. One night, we decided to venture downstairs into the living room where he always left us our presents. Santa would leave our gifts unwrapped, so we joyfully played with our shiny new toys while the fire burned dimly in the fireplace (a sign that we probably just barely missed seeing “Santa”). We woke our parents up, toys in hand to proudly show them off. I’m sure they were so bummed they didn’t get to see our faces when we saw the loot for the first time, but we were way too cute and happy to be in trouble for getting out of bed so early!

  381. When I was about 5 we had Christmas at my grandparents house, and they made sleigh tracks on the roof of their rancher house by throwing skis up there. I really believed that Santa had been to their house ! Sweet memories because this is the first year without my grandma. She was just about the coolest one a girl could have.

  382. I’ll never forget the last Christmas I had with my father before he passed away. Special times full of love, memories that last to this day.

  383. With all our kids gone, and Christmas morning staying in their own homes, it was often quiet here, too quiet. One year our local fire dept had had a difficult year and I wanted to show my support so I got up and made cinnamon rolls and took them over just at breakfast time. That quickly became a favorite habit and then in Feb of 09 my husband was in a car accident and 2 men driving by and a sheriff’s deputy pulled him out of his burning car. So now I take to the fire dept, the police dept and the sheriff office. The silence was deafening with no children or grandchildren on Christmas morning, but now we have the sound of gratitude for those who serve us each & every day with a little flour and cinnamon mixed in and it is such a blessing.

  384. I don’t have a favorite memory, they are all wonderful. The Christmas Season is my favorite time of year because I get to spend time family and friends! Just coming together and sharing meals, playing games, singing carols!

  385. My favorite Christmas memory is going to my grandmother’s when I was a kid. The whole family would be there. There weren’t a lot of presents exchanged, but looking back, that really doesn’t matter. Just being there with her and my family was great.

  386. One of my Christmas memories, which I find hilarious now, is from when I was in 5th grade. My brother and I had been begging for months for an Atarii – the very first gaming console. We had put all our hopes and dreams into this magical device. Our parents answered our wish, but an hour or so after unwrapping gifts I went to my mom crying. Actually getting the one long desired gift was anti-climactic and the let-down from all the anticipation finally being met left me in a puddle of tears. I did end up enjoying the gift, who doesn’t like PacMan? 🙂

  387. Every Christmas my siblings and I would wait upstairs until we heard the Christmas album play on the record player. It was our signal that we could come down.

  388. I love all my Christmas memories, but I especially love the memory of going to see the Christmas lights in the town square. They are over the top and the kids were so awe struck! Just great to see it in their faces.

  389. My best Christmas memory was last year when we celebrated Jesus’ birthday with a cake and song. My kids were finally old enough to sing along. Nothing sweeter than children singing praises to Him! 🙂

  390. Favorite Christmas memory?… perhaps the first Christmas I spent as a married woman… and then the first Christmas with our first born. He was just a month old and it was so special…

  391. Many of my favorite Christmas memories center around spending Christmas at my Oma’s house. I have especially enjoyed the last few years of going to her home for a late Christmas celebration with my husband and children. I love that my children have been able to spend time with my Oma and share in some of the same traditions and memories from my childhood. She is now 92 years old, and we plan on going to her home again this year for a Christmas celebration. I treasure these times with her!

  392. One Christmas my husband and I were in Malawi, Africa. The members of our hospital put on a Christmas play at the hospital compound for patients and families. It was very special and well attended by the community.

  393. Our extended family rented a cabin in the mountains and we were all together. It was a sweet special time in our lives as my parents had divorced and our family did this for us. Family loving on those that were truly devastated and hurting. As a grown women I can look back at that bitter sweet time and see Jesus in it.

  394. Driving to Toronto from Montreal (to make it home in time to spend Christmas with my family ) at 4:30 Christmas morning with my family fast asleep. Listening to Christmas music and praising God as the sun rose…so peaceful.
    thanks for the oppourtunity to win!

  395. One of my favorite memories is putting our newborn baby inside of a stocking and taking a picture. Now, he’s 8. Time flies.

  396. My favorite Christmas memory: I was about 8 years old and all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered at my grandmother’s huge old house for the week. We slept in sleeping bags, played in the snow, shared gifts and stories, and had an amazing week long celebration of family. It still stands out in my mind as what “Christmas feels like”.

  397. The Christmases I remember most growing up are the ones when money was tight and we each (4 kids) only had one present under the tree followed by wonderful notes of encouragement from “Santa” in our stockings. These years were scattered throughout my childhood. They weren’t sequential, so I knew the difference between having $$ and not. But each gift was so carefully planned. Each note was so specifically written for each of us. And I treasured each and every one.

  398. My favorite Christmas memory is of my husband and the joy he received in going to Target on Christmas Eve (when our grown children were very young) and buying lots of toys that were marked down. He loves a good bargain and he got such joy and delight in buying them so many things. The look on his face was priceless. He still is a kid at heart and he is seventy. That is one memory I will always cherish.

  399. Putting my children’s handprints on the christmas tree skirt every year and seeing how much they have grown!

  400. One of my favorite Christmas memories is having brunch as a child after opening presents Christmas morning.

  401. When we were young, we would go to my grandma’s church for midnight mass and about 10 of us cousins would sit in a row all by ourselves. One year one of the pedals on the organ was sticking and the note would continue on forever. Us cousins all thought this was hilarious for some reason and our shoulders were silently shaking while we should have been singing.

    Last year we were talking about our many Christmases at grandma’s house and it was interested that although we all had other fun memories – like playing spoons around the farm table and treeking out to the frozen pond – we all thought the organ was one of the best.

  402. After my husband and I got married, I finally got to get a live tree to celebrate Christmas and we have gotten a live one each year. I love the smell of the tree in our home.

  403. My favorite Christmas memory is when my father let me bring a pet stray cat into our house to be my very special pet. He never liked animals in the house, and was very reluctant, but I loved her so much that he let me bring her in as a Christmas present. I named her Treasure, and she was my constant friend for most of my growing up years. Now she is gone, but I will always remember my dear friend, and how much my Daddy loved me on that very special Christmas.

  404. My favorite Christmas memory is my son’s first Christmas in 2010. He was 9 months old at the time and enjoyed all the attention, the gift wrap, tissue paper, and boxes more than his toys. This year will be his second Christmas. We are so blessed!

  405. My favorite Christmas memory is sitting around with our entire family as my grandfather read the Christmas story.

  406. 2 weeks before Christmas in 1990 (I was 30) my husband walked into our home to announce…out of the blue…..that he was leaving me. Yes, it was a devastating period but Someone was watching over me. With no intention of ever marrying again, I was unexpectedly introduced to a gentleman the following summer, we fell in love, and he proposed in Dec of 1991. That year I felt the spirit of Christmas in a way I hadn’t since I was a child. Blessings come when we least expect them!

  407. A favorite Christmas memory is the traditional “Chipped Beef on Toast” breakfast when I was little. Mom would make the breakfast while we girls were able to open our stocking gifts. I continue the tradition and every year it brings back the Christmas mornings of my childhood.

  408. A couple of years ago my 4 year old was too excited to sleep on Christmas eve and my 6 mo. old was up all night with fever and cough from RSV so we celebrated Christmas at 3 am. We were all up anyway, rather than being mad and frustrated, we decided to make the best of the situation!

  409. Some of my favorite Christmas memories are going on our annual Christmas trip to Silver Dollar City. We get to see some beautiful Chrismas lights and be surrounded by people who are focused on the true meaning of Christmas. It really gets you in the mood for the whole season.

  410. when I was about seven, one of my dad’s close friends gave him a gift -a medalion with Jesus’s face on it- at my parents annual christmas eve party. I am not sure my dad even knew I was watching or listening to the heartful words exchanged. But this is the first time I remember seeing my dad so moved, maybe even teary eyed? I didn’t have the emotional maturity at the time to understand what was going on or label my feelings about it…but I knew it was good and I knew this feeling was the spirit of Christmas.

  411. My husband and I spent our first Christmas together in Israel. We were working with missionaries and lived in a small apartment. We had a beautiful cedar tree (given by the gov’t free of charge ~ apparently that is when the forests are cleaned up a bit) and made all of our ornaments. What a privilege to go to Bethlehem during the season of Emmanuel!

  412. The first Christmas I was a mother was extra special. Although our little guy got sick over the holidays which altered many of our travel plans, the experience of having carried and birthed a baby gave new meaning to the Christmas story for me.

  413. One year I was single and living alone. After I put up all of my decorations I turned out the house lights and put “O Holy Night” on repeat while I looked at my Christmas lights. I had expected to feel sad and lonely and instead simply felt peaceful.

  414. So fun sifting through the memories in my mind to decide which one to write here…Mom always made big gingerbread men that we often took a ridiculously long time to decorate. My favorites of all time are when my brother, Lee, decorated his as a male ‘Solid Gold Dancer’….complete with plunging neckline and hairy chest showing! My sister’s most ‘famous’ one that my sister, ‘Bone’ made was the cutest Raggedy Ann you can imagine! Fun family memories!!!

  415. My favorite Christmas memories are around that evening dinner and a table to small to sit everyone and yet we all tried our very best to make it work. Oh how I would like to go back to smell the smells, sit at my parents table, be with my grandparents – lay my head on their shoulders and breathe them in. I still remember sitting on my father’s lap that night and he’d ask me, “Did you have a good Christmas?” Id say, “Ohhh yes daddy I did.” He’d respond with a, “Did you get EVERYTHING you wanted?” and I’d said, “Oh yes daddy I did.” It’s the same with our Father he wants us to be happy. One year the dialogue went much the same, except after I told him I had received everything I wanted he said, “EVERYTHING???” He’d known I’d wanted nothing more than a mummy sleeping bag, and I hadn’t received it, but in my young heart I knew I was so grateful for everything else that the mummy bag no longer mattered to me. I confessed to my daddy what I had hoped for and told him it was okay that I hadn’t received it. Amazingly, when I look back, I wonder why is that SO difficult for me as an adult. My dad knelt down and pulled one last gift out from under the table and it was a green mummy bag of my very own.

  416. I come from a broken family so there aren’t a lot of good memories in general. But broken or not… my mom WAS always good at decorating for every holiday. Of course the tree and such but what always stood out what the table decorations with greens and fresh flowers. Every year a different theme. I would like to continue that tradition once I have my own family!

  417. My favorite memory was one year when it began to look like my son and I would be stranded in FL unable to get back with our families in TN & KY. Ice storms had shut down many airports and flights canceled. People working for the airlines were so kind and gracious to help change my ticket so I could be on the same flight as my son and we got home on Christmas eve. This was the last time my son saw my Father alive as he died with cancer within two months.

  418. One of my favorite Christmas memories was celebrating St. Nicholas Day when we were young. There would be surprises (candy, books, etc.) on the windowsill or at the front door that day. So fun!

  419. I have too many to pick one but if I had to pick it would be my Christmas 2007 when I surprised my parents by coming home on R&R from my deployment. I still remember my parents’ face when I showed up at their house… and even more special was how one of my pups, starting walking slowly towards like really wondering “is that really her?” and when she realized it was me it was pure delightful chaos with my dogs barking and jumping. I still get a big smile on my face when I think of that moment.

  420. I LOVE this nativity set – had my eye on it ever since it came out! My fave Christmas memory: I was a single mom with a 15 year old daughter and a 12 year old son. We always cut down a live tree together, and that year was no exception. We had a house with a cathedral ceiling, so we cut down a 12-foot tree and hauled it home on top of our car. Putting it up was no small feat, but we managed to get it up and decorate it beautifully! I put the kids in front of it to take a picture. My oh-so-funny son turned and stuck his head into the tree at the last second, and the picture was taken that way. We laughed and laughed! I still have the picture, of course. They are adults now and making their own Christmas memories.

  421. A wonderful Christmas memory I have was when I was a little girl. We were at church on Christmas Eve watching the play and right after they laid Jesus in the manager. Santa walked in through the door with his sack of presents and set the sack down at the top of the aisle. He walked down the aisle and knelt in front of Jesus in the manager. He stayed there saying nothing for a few minutes and then he got up and walked out of the church.

    I remember being a little girl and the feeling that this gave me, I was awe struck and my heart felt warm. Seeing Santa kneel before Jesus and pray before he went on his rounds delivering presents to all the children was amazingly beautiful. The Holy Spirit filled the hearts of all in the Church that night.

  422. My fave Christmas memory was last year- having my oldest 2 boys (9 & 7) read the Jesse tree stories each night and share them with their younger brothers. The Jesse tree is one of our favorite traditions and we all look forward to re-reading these beautiful stories of our faith each year!

  423. My favorite Christmas memory is putting on the nativity play for my grandparents. It was the highlight of their day and it was so much fun to be a part of it. I also loved hearing my grandpa sing silent night in German. I miss him.

  424. One of my favorite Christmas memories happened when we were in full time ministry. On Christmas Eve many church families got together to go caroling at some of the nursing homes. We all made hot rolls and crockpots full of soup leaving them plugged in while we piled in the church bus and went caroling. We returned with cold hands and warm hearts and memories of smiles, laughter and 80 something year olds singing Christmas carols from memory.

  425. My favorite Christmas Memory: Decorating the house with my eight children, and then trying to help each one to figure out what they could make to give to the sibling that they had chosen for Christmas (and keeping it a secret 🙂 Some of my girls had so much trouble trying to keep their gifts for others a secret. I can hear them, now giggling and trying to hold their hands over their mouths so as not to tell the secret…

  426. Two years ago our 2 year old Grandson walked in and proclaimed our Christmas tree – awesome. It was our first Christmas together with him.

  427. My favorite Christmas memory is reading a story-a-day by candle light every night in December with my children when they were small. We saved Christmas cards from the preceding year and kept them in a basket on the coffee table. When the story was finished, we pulled out a card and prayed for the person/family who sent it to us. Sometimes we sang a carol or two. Other times we shared a snack. But the best part of it all was keeping Jesus close in our hearts and being together.

  428. nothing beats going to midnight mass and shivering with my sisters from the cold in the car afterwards. The entire Christmas season is so wonderful, I just love spending it with those I love.

  429. What great memories everyone has! I remember the days we would trek over to my grandparents’ house and eat until our tummies would burst… my grandma’s tree was beautiful, and I very distinctly recall the “icicles” hanging all over it. Sometimes this time of year can be sad for me, not having my grandparents here with me anymore… I’m smiling right now, and happy that I had as long as I did with them. 🙂

  430. For eleven Christmases (before I met the wonderful man who became my husband) a few days before Christmas, my sister would enter my apartment while I was at work and place presents beneath my Christmas tree so that I would have packages to open before arriving at my parent’s home for our family Christmas gathering. She would always leave a Christmas poem and would sign it, ‘The Christmas Elf’. She always denied she was my elf and at some point along the way, even my co-workers began asking if I had been visited by the Christmas Elf. The holiday season when I became engaged was my last visit from the Elf and it felt like I was saying goodbye to a dear friend. To this day, I still have all the poems she left under my tree.

  431. Every year I try to give my dad a rocking horse ornament for Christmas. We both look forward to it and now he has enough for the whole tree and some to be used elsewhere in decorating.

  432. I was 1 of 3 supervisors working in a data processing department. We had about 90 employees and needed to come up with gifts for them. All of the other department supervisors had only 6-15 people to get gifts for. We could not afford giving “gifts” to all of our people. We came up with the idea of baking our favorite cookies and candies and have let everyone take a bag of goodies home with them. We spent days baking, concerned as to how the people would think of getting cookies instead of gifts.
    They loved it !! Many of them told us how much they appreciated the fact that we put so much time into their “gifts”. And for some, these were the only homemade goodies they were going to get. It was such a great feeling to have put ourselves into the gifts instead of just buying something. I so enjoyed that group of people, and miss them.

  433. I remember the Christmas my family made the drive from Washington down to California to be with my Dad’s family. My sister and I were tucked into one of the spare rooms Christmas Eve when we heard the bells on the toes of the stockings start jingling. We never saw anyone go by our door (which was ajar) and it just made us even more excited for morning to come.

  434. My favorite Christmas was when I was about 12. It was about 45 degrees and sunny with no snow. My brother and I both got bicycles that year and got to ride them wearing only sweatshirts. My cousins lived down the street and we all played outside with the neighborhood kids like it was summertime. Oh, for the simple days of youth and summer days on the Jersey Shore.

  435. My favorite Christmas memories are happening this year as my husband And I celebrate Christmas with our nine and six year old. Decorating the house, advent with the Jesse Tree, excitement about everything, buying gifts for those in need… Everything is sweeter seeing them experience things with greater understanding and loving hearts!

  436. Cheryl is my older sister. Several years ago, I wanted to find the perfect gift but that’s not always so easy when you’re married, have a family and live 600 miles apart. I didn’t know much about the things she loved. So I painted a picture on the worn lid of a treasured picnic basket I inherited from our Grandmother the year before. I lined the inside with a simple calico and then wrote a poem to explain it was grandma’s basket, then mine and now hers. She opened the gift and through the tears (mine and hers) read my gift explanation. The moment was sweet and precious. Maybe because it was the closest I’ve ever been able to tell her how much she means to me. The basket still sits in the corner of her entryway hall.

  437. Getting a present from Santa as a child. I believe in Jesus, and I know that Santa isn’t real, but I love the generosity and goodness he promotes. It was a sad day (and it still is a bit sad) knowing that Santa doesn’t visit me anymore. I still have gift labels in my mother’s handwriting from Santa.

  438. Our first son was born on Christmas night. There were no rooms left in the small local hospital maternity ward, so I went from the delivery room to a spot in the hall. And to make it even worse, we were in the middle of a flu epidemic so no one, not even the proud daddys, could come visit. I was feeling rather sorry for myself when a nurse hurrried by and reminded me of Mary giving birth away from her home in a stable. Gave me a whole new perspective on my circumstances and so much to be thankful for; the very best way to celebrate His birth!

  439. When my sister and I opened all our gifts from Santa in the middle of the night and re-wrapped them so mom and dad wouldn’t know!

  440. My favorite memory…..my pastor/husband reading the Christmas story every Christmas eve while our children in their footed pj’s listened intently……(and now they are grown with children of their own!)

  441. This is BEAUTIFUL!!! Our nativity scene when I was growing up had a baby Jesus with a broken nose. We never really did know how the nose was broken but we faithfully put it out each year. I asked my parents if I could have it last year to put in my own home and sadly they couldn’t find it. However, I always think about Jesus with a broken nose when I see a nativity scene and smile.

  442. My favorite Christmas memory is from the Christmas of 1994. That was the Christmas my wonderful husband asked my to marry him. Love! 🙂

  443. One of my favorite childhood Christmas memories was when my grandparents sent me on a scavenger hunt through their house on Christmas morning, collecting clues until I found (up in the attic) the dollhouse that my grandfather made me. Priceless!

  444. Our first Christmas married we were stationed in California no family even near living in a hotel for 6 months. No oven to bake treats. I was working for a company i had only been with for the two months we had been out there. Would you know that this dear sweet women I worked with invited us into her home to share Christmas Eve with her family. They treated us like family they even had presents for us. that is the love of Christ being shown there. That family could have said no, its just for us, but they invited perfect strangers in and blessed our socks off. That will be a memory I will always have and it has been a memory I try to live at every holiday when I open my home to strangers in need of a temporary place of love and family.

  445. my best Christmas memory is from my childhood, when i was about 12 yrs. old; that was the year we celebrated Christmas on New Years Day. the oldest of my older brothers, Lane, had been serving his country in the Army; he had been stationed in Korea just after the Korean War ended, and was due to arrive home sometime around Christmas/New Years. my Mom asked me if it was ok to postpone our traditional Christmas celebration until his arrival home, so that we could also celebrate both events simultaneously.

  446. I remember when my grandma used to ring the sleigh bells on Christmas Eve and then tell all the kids that Santa just came! “Do you see him, do you see him, there he goes! He just brought all the presents!” And as we got older, we were able to be in on the secret for our little cousins.

    I saw this nativity last year and wanted it then. Hope I win!! Thank you so much!!

  447. My favorite Christmas memory is my first Christmas as a believer in Jesus Christ, which was Dec. 1970. Before that, Christmas was all about the gifts I was receiving. When Christ came into my heart, it was about Him, and giving to others. That is where the real joy comes from! I wanted a Bible concordance, so I could learn and understand God’s Word for me. I was so spiritually hungry. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LORD JESUS!!!

  448. I have a memory of being a wife and a mom to a 1 year old. It would be the first Christmas little Gregory would remember (I hoped!). After taking care of the necessities for the month, like mortgage, groceries, bills, we had exactly $50 left. We had yet to buy gifts and a tree. So my oven provided gifts for our families, and the local Christmas tree lot had a pile of “discards”, free of charge. It was such a merry time after all!

  449. My favorite childhood Christmas memories include taking part in the church Christmas choir, pageants or plays. One year when I was about 9 I had the part of the angel that stood watch over Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus. It was a pantomime so no action, just standing still. We were all instructed ahead of time that it was very important not to move. I was standing on the first row of the choir loft. Every time I even dared to move a muscle, the bench creaked loudly! Soon my nose started itching and I could stand it no longer, so I slowly inched my folded hands from my midsection to my nose, scratched my nose carefully, and moved my hands back down one inch at a time. I was mortified to later discover that my quest to satisfy the itch had entertained the whole congregation!

  450. There are so many precious memories…one of the sweetest would be the year my Momma got something huge that I had been secretly hoping for, but hadn’t told anyone- I was overjoyed for my Momma and didn’t have even a twinge of jealousy (which made me extra joyous)…then lo’ and behold the next day I received the exact same gift from my hubby-I couldn’t believe how God blesses even the tiniest desires sometimes.. He is always so good 🙂

  451. So many wonderful memories – it is hard to decide. My grandmother is now 95 years old and I have such good memories of spending time with her in the kitchen baking Christmas goodies. Those were “the good old days!”

  452. My precious blessed Christmas was when we all went over to my daughter and son in laws on Christmas morning in our jammies. We HAD to stop and get gas and my husband got out to pump it wearing his M & M pj’s! Everyone was staring and giggling including the homeless folks who hang out there. It was such a joy to see them so delighted!

  453. Remembering our first Christmas as a family always brings a smile. 🙂 After over 14 years of marriage, we had finally been blessed with a son! Our “baby” boy was 6 years old, and had been moved from home to home in foster care for years. He was SO thrilled to have his very own forever family, and we were SO grateful to God for the gift of parenthood! That little boy is now a teenager, and we have since been blessed with a second son as well. I’m choking up just typing this out. Thank you, Lord!

  454. From early childhood my favorite Christmas memories are helping decorate the tree. Love re-discovering the trinkets that how been wrapped and stored all year. Many with stories to go with them, bringing back fond memories. This week I am decorating my tree, just a couple of trinkets per day, before and after work so it will be ready when my grandson comes to visit. Looking forward to making new favorite Christmas memories.

  455. I love Christmas, so every moment is a favorite! 😀 One favorite is skyping with my family who lives in California! We’ll “call” each other up and have the kids open up their gifts. Its nice to see everyone in one place!

  456. One of my favorite Christmas memories is if the year that my parents played host to my mom’s two brother’s and their families! (Being the oldest of the 5 cousins, I always looked forward to “the kids table” at dinner so I could sef appoint myself “the adult” ! ) But this particular year, I was pressed by my family (including dear ol’ Granny) to call in sick, to my job (my first real one,mind you) and play hookie the day after Christmas to go to Disney World with the family! Well…I did…to the roaring applause of said family….we had a wonderful day at Disney! Road every single ride we could, ate every bit of junk food available and laughed the day away with Mickey and his pals! Was one of the best Disney trips ever….but then on the way home, it all caught up with me….what should happen? Oh yes, I got very ill !! Very ill indeed!! Somehow I managed to get up for work the next day, looking very green but forcing myself to believe I had to endure the day after my lie ! My boss on the other hand said he couldn’t endure it and sent me home! Yes, kids, it doesn’t pay to play hookie! But the family still laughs about it!!

  457. I have lots Christmas memories but the year we took out a wall when i was little was the best because I got to wear my favorite nightgown ever!! Weird..but I remember.

  458. That is absolutely beautiful. My favorite Christmas memory is really more of a tradition. Every year we hang the first couple of ornaments in order–first a cross which is always at the top of the tree, followed by our first year married ornament, and three Christmas’ ago, we added our baby’s first Christmas. Every year it makes my heart smile.

  459. The Christmas memory I cherish is the tradition of communion on Christmas Eve. Our children tell us this is their favorite as well. I think that is why this is such a wonderful time of year at our home. Reflection on why we celebrate and the time together.

  460. We cleaned a section of our attic last weekend and I found a glittered, ornamented, nylon-net table-top Christmas tree I helped Mom make when I was a child. Dad had cut dowels and bases and Mom and I assembled a multitude of these beauties as gifts to grandmas, teachers, neighbors, aunts, and friends. This weekend my four grown children and I will be making these trees again. A bounty of sparkly fabrics, beads, and sequins has been gathered. Oh, what fun we’ll have!

  461. After 60+ years, I can still remember the Christmas I was 6. I woke up and heard sounds coming from our living room. Naturally, I thought it was time to get up. I quietly stepped my way down the hall, and there in the middle of the living room was my dad in his underwear putting together MY shiny new blue bicycle!!! When he turned and saw me, he pointed his finger in the direction of my bedroom and this time I ran down the hall, but I knew — my bike was waiting. 🙂

  462. One of my favourite Christmas memories, a tradition year after year with my family, was going to Christmas Eve service at our (my parents now) church and the youth group created, performed, organized the entire program. It was awesome to watch and fun to be a part of. My parents’ church still has the youth do the service on Christmas Eve. After service my dad would stick around as long as possible making us wait and wait to get home. Our family always opened Christmas Eve (part of our German/Eastern European heritage) so when we finally got home it was magical. Mom always had a huge spread of appetizers and goodies to eat and in between the eating we’d open presents and stockings. We’d stay up quite late watching everyone open their gifts and sharing the excitement. It’s still one of the best memories from my childhood. Thinking of ways to make sure my little boy gets that experience as he grows up.

  463. My first memory of Christmas – I must have been about 3 years old. Under the tree I saw a baby doll – the most gorgeous baby doll I had ever seen. I kept that doll for a long long time. I remember the lights on that tree on Christmas morning and just a feeling of such love – for me and me for the baby doll.
    Blessings,
    Jan

  464. One of my most memorable Christmas times was in 2007. Our whole family had planned a weekend at a huge lodge in the mountains. At the last minute, things fell apart. The next night, I felt the Spirit urging me to go talk to my 93 year old Granddaddy….and to ask him about his life story. I videoed the interview, transcribed and printed a copy for each family member without their knowledge. My Granddaddy gave everyone copies on Christmas Day when we all showed up at his house at the same time(something we had not done in years). It was more than joyful on that blessed day. The following summer my Grandaddy passed away….and that special Christmas with him will be one that I cherish forever.

  465. My favorite Christmas was this past year when my parents decided to give us our gifts a little differently. Instead of receiving several gifts, we received three each. One was for a need, one was for the soul, and the last was for our spiritual walk. Because they didn’t spend a lot of money on gifts, we were able to buy chickens and goats through Gospel for Asia in our grandparents’ names. We were blessed by knowing another family far away would have a better Christmas than before.

  466. One of my favorite Christmas memories is setting up the Christmas Tree with my First Graders…today was the day this year. I teach them how to “floof” the branches and we put the tree together. Then they get to put the ornaments on. All of my ornaments are from former students and my fellow teachers. I write the person’s name on a tag attache to the ornament and the year. The kiddos always treat them as if they are the most precious ornaments. The best part is when you turn off the the lights…awe!

  467. Christmas 1998, the year our first grandchild was born. Sitting by the decorated Christmas tree in the dark, Christmas hymns being sung, and holding our newly born
    Grandson. As we cuddled the swaddled babe, I reflected on Christ’s birth and what miracles babies are! I treasure that Christmas above all others. It brings such peace and joy to us!

  468. My favorite Christmas was 2005. Our son was born in May of that year and it was a hard year, with lots of time in the NICU. He then contracted RSV in early December and was released from the hospital just prior to Christmas. We definitely did not take advent of being home for Christmas that year!

  469. My favorite Christmas memory is of my grandmother reading the Christmas story before we even got to the presents. Since my grandmother has passed, my mom now carries on the tradition. Celebrating the true meaning of Christmas is what I enjoy most about this time of year.

  470. My Mother has a Nativity Set that was made in Jerusalem out of Olive Wood. I always carried baby Jesus around in my hand and even took him to school with my best friend. We would take turns having Him with us.

  471. As I am so completely heartbroken, the last time I celebrated Christmas was in 2009… you see, my daughter and only child left home because we lost our home to foreclosure and as shelters were filled, we had to live in our car. She just couldn’t take it I guess and one day — without so much as a note — she’s vanished and I haven’t a clue where to even begin to look for her. :'( Add to that, her father left me because I’ve been unable to work due to major depression and so I’ve gone from shelter to shelter and only recently have been given a room to live in (sharing a house with other women living in similar circumstances). I pray this arrangement lasts as the owner is asking for a small amount of money, but I haven’t any income. :/ As I have a room — for now, anyway — I would thoroughly enjoy the Nativity Hurricanes as they would not only brighten my humble bedside, but I will be sure to share them on Christmas day with the ladies in this home… hoping for a miracle: to be contacted by my darling daughter, even if only on here — via email. God help me! I’ve been graciously been given the use of a p.o. box should any of you would like to send me prayers, letters, cards which I need soooooooooo much, especially now at during this time of year. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this. Please include my child, her dad and me in your prayers. I thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart. Gracias… Eva (“Ava”) Hernandez: P. O. Box 99442 – Lakewood, WA 98496

    • Ava, be sure to know that you’re in my prayers. Your story deeply touched my heart. I hope as many read this are stirred to send you not only written prayers but donations as well to help you during this really tough time. Stay strong in your faith. Counting my blessings and so thankful to our Almighty Father. Remember that God loves you! Gabriella sent this on December 1, 2011

    • 12/10/11 Goodness gracious people, why so few responses to this dear suffering lady (Eva Hernandez)!!?

      AREN’T THERE ANY FOLKS OUT THERE THAT KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF GIVING AT CHRISTMAS?

      Suffering covers a plethora of strife in life, not just physical illness. This lady’s really hurting (or am I the only one that feels it?)!! I’m sending her $100, what about you?

  472. Getting engaged on Christmas Eve 8 years ago when I came home from college for Christmas break.

  473. Growing up, after we’d opened presents, mom made a big pancake breakfast. It was just her regular pancake recipe, but somehow, Christmas pancakes tasted better!

  474. My husband and I spent Christmas Eve of 1973 in Bethlehem. It was right after the Yom Kippur War, when Israel had been simultaneously attacked by Egypt and Syria, and there were nervous soldiers with their machine guns at the ready everywhere one looked. Just to get close to the Church of the Nativity involved having all personal possessions searched and being herded through cordoned pathways to stand with a multitude of other pilgrims waiting in the dark and chilly night for the archbishop to conduct the midnight mass.

    How ironic to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the same spot where angels had proclaimed “peace on earth and goodwill to men,” yet everywhere I looked were reminders that “peace” in Bethlehem at that moment was tenuous. Where was this peace and goodwill? I remember asking myself.

    And then I remembered that Jesus had said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

    Ah, yes! His peace is an inward peace! We can rejoice because we know that He has overcome—and so shall we!

    And a shiver of excitement went through me as I realized I was able to worship in the very place God had planned for His Son to be born, the same place where angels had appeared to humble shepherds, and where the light of the star in the east had been visible. It truly was a Christmas to remember and to cherish!

    • Thank-you for sharing this Jan….how BEAUTIFUL that “inward Peace” must have been!God Bless you!

  475. My most memorable Christmas was when i was 13 or 14 and i was picked to play the part of Mary in our youth group Christmas pagent-I was one of those kids who didn’t really do well in school and i was kind of awkward-I will never forget how special i felt that night-and for along time after,when i would get sad or feel less than…i would think ho i was picked for that very special part-it still gives me a warm feeling today!Tanks for jogging my memory!

  476. My favorite Christmas memory is last year. we saw almost all our family from Christmas Eve to Christmas day. busy,but sooo much joy

  477. When my son was around 8yrs old (he’s 27 now)……..Santa got him a red go-cart……we were living w/ my parents because of a divorce……..my older sister wrote a note on the easle that Santa also gave him; pretending to be Santa I took a picture of her hand w/ a black glove on as if this hand was Santas’ hand. I couldn’t write the note because my son would know my handwriting……he was sooooooo surprised and thrilled that Santa left him such a glowing uplifting note on what a great boy he’d been all year long! This memory is stamped in my heart and head forever. Your children grow up fast! Cherish every moment.

  478. My favorite Christmas memory is my son….at the time aged 2 (he turned 2 two days after Christmas) saying “Oh. My. Goodness.” with a lisp after he opened every present 🙂 It was just too precious. Apparently he heard me say that one too many times and he just thought that’s what you said when you opened a gift! LOL

  479. My son recently passed away but I am remembering his first Christmas when he was so excited about all the paper and the boxes. He just couldn’t get enough of them and he couldn’t care less about the gifts themselves. Such sweet memory of my sweet boy.

  480. Too many favorites to list, but one in particular always makes me smile. My husband and I were newly married and were spending the night at my parents house. We had just gone to bed on Christmas eve and we heard sleigh bells outside, for a split second we both had the same thought, “could it be Santa”. LOL! Even though you know he doesn’t ride around in a sleigh it’s funny how a little part of us still wants to believe:)

  481. I remember many Christmas’s but I’d have to say that the year my daughter was old enough to get it was so special. 1999. She was just over a year old. My son was 4. To watch them sneak down the hallway and their eye wide open when they saw the lights. To go over to see family and the joy and laughter they had. The excitement of the season. And then read the christmas story and see my son get it. It was not long after that that he asked Jesus in his heart. I will remember that year for a long time.

    I tweeted for you!!

  482. My favorite (in)RL Christmas Memory is giving birth to my daughter 16 years ago this Christmas! Best Christmas ever!

  483. My favorite Christmas memory is my father reading the Christmas story from the Bible and praying with us, as we sit around the Christmas tree.

  484. My mom had a lot of challenges with depression. We never knew what mood she was going to be in, and consequently, my 2 brothers and I walked on eggshells during our childhood. But she LOVED holidays. She tried her best to make sure Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter were special. I remember them as being the best days of my childhood. They gave me an unconscious hope of how things “could” be. My mom is now my best friend and I love her very much, and I’ll always thank her and my faithful dad for our most wonderful Christmases (including those fuzzy pink houseshoes and a certain Tiny Tears doll!)

  485. The year my hubby and I were so broke that we went to the dollar store and swap meet (L.A. talk) to buy each other gifts. Needless to say, I got a few odd ball gifts but it helped us keep our focus on Jesus!

  486. The year I decided I was ready to have a baby I wrote my hubby a letter and wrapped it under the tree. When he opened it he wasn’t sure what it was and read it down to the bottom and he started crying. It was really special.

  487. I have many Christmas memories that make me smile, cringe, or even burst into laughter. I have 3 younger sisters and when we were younger, we used to all cram into the same bed on Christmas Eve. We’d stay up late, hear Mom setting out the stockings, nearly breathless with anticipation!! I love that feeling of Christmas. You feel about to burst with excitement. We’d be wiggly and giggly, staring at the clock all night long…And somehow we’d fall asleep. We would always promise each other that the first one awake would wake up everyone else. Even now, we still abide by the rule: first one up wakes all the sisters!!

  488. I thinking it will be the one to come this year. My youngest child will be finishing up several years of chemo and we are rejoicing in the good news of his last MRI scan. Eager to take in every joyous moment with him.

  489. Two Christmases ago, we learned that one a family of kids that came to our afterschool program, never received presents. So we all pitched in to get some gifts are were able to hand deliver them. The best part the parents were just as excited as their kids were to receive them.

  490. Our granddaughter Awbrey’s first Christmas started a brand new tradition of us making Christmas candies together. She was only 4 months old but she sat on the kitchen counter, in her bouncer chair, and we made our first batch of fudge together. It is a tradition that we continue today 14 years later and we have added a whole lot of other goodies to our list. It is a tradition I hope to continue for many more years to come.

  491. Oh I love them all. But mostly the last 9 since I’ve become a mother. Watching the faces of the children at the Christmas Eve service when the lights dim and we sing Silent Night is priceless.

  492. A favorite Christmas memory is the angel that topped the tree in my childhood home. I remember the peace of lying on the floor looking up at the angel through the tree branches. I never really believed that Santa brought the gifts, but I was sure that the angel was real and once sang with the choir for the shepherds on the Bethlehem hillside

  493. My most memorable Christmas was one year while living in the middle of the jungle in Borneo, I decided to have a Christmas party with our national staff. I had all the traditional American Christmas decorations up, served them an Indonesian meal, and then handed them presents. Culturally, Indonesians will take the gift home before opening it up, but this particular occasion, one of the ladies, sat down on the floor immediately after receiving hers and began opening up her gift. I told her that she could take it home but she looked at me and said (of course translated for you), “No way, this is an American tradition and I will open my gift now!” We all laughed and then everyone else joined in the fun. I loved that Christmas of blended traditions and cultures.

  494. My favorite memories happen again every year – we go as a family to a nursing home to spread some love.

  495. My favorite memories are of getting to go to grandma’s house to be with my cousins at Christmas. Those were the best times.

  496. When I was 11 we were in transition with our family and our Christmas tree and decorations were packed in storage. So we went to the woods and cut down a tree and made popcorn to string around the tree. It was probably our ugliest tree we ever had but we thought it was gorgeous!!!

  497. My favorite Christmas memory is decorating the tree with my mom while listening to Christmas music and drinking hot cocoa – it may sound silly and nothing out of the norm but she is gone now and I so miss her.

  498. My favorite Christmas was when I was pregnant with our 6th child, and our church came with presents for all the children and for my husband and me, and also, Price chopper brought us a beautiful food basket!!

  499. My favorite memories of Christmas are from our time enjoying the lights and decorations at Opryland Hotel in Nashville. I can’t wait every year to watch our kids as they see it again. And no trip is ever complete without a stop at the ice cream shop there!

  500. My favorite Christmas memories are of getting up super early with my brother to run out to the tree. We were aloud to open our stockings and then had to wait to open the rest with our parents. One year my mom put X’s and O’s on all the gifts so we didn’t know whose were whose. We then had to run and look in the mirror when we woke up and there was an X on one forehead and an O on the other. Great memories I’ll cherish forever especially since my brother has been home with the Lord now for 12 years.

  501. One of my favorite memories of Christmas…..Christmas Eve church services. We would go to the midnight service as a family. the music, the candles…it was always so beautiful.

  502. My nephew had liver cancer as a 6 year old. One of his extended out of town hospital stays ended a couple days before Christmas. when my sister, a single mom and he arrived home they found people from the community had cleaned and decorated their home and set up a Christmas tree and left many presents and filled their refrigerator with food. BTW that little boy just graduated from college last spring, praise God!

  503. I love Christmas and I feel like the best memories are getting ready to happen with my 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. As a kid, I liked going to Midnight Mass, having a real tree and being with my grandparents.

  504. The Christmas when my (now) husband and I were engaged. 15 years later and I still feel extremely blessed and love him madly!

  505. My favorite Christmases were always those centered around family and especially when our children were younger. On Christmas Eve we’d always sit around the fire and read the Christmas story from Luke. Then off to Nana’s for the traditional Swedish celebration. Since she lived about an hour away, and driving could be quite treacherous depending on the weather in upstate New York, we never knew what adventure lay ahead. The year we ran out of gas on our way home at midnight and a farmer still up tending his animals gave us enough to make it home, we knew that God was indeed watching over us on that snowy, cold but beautiful Christmas to remember.

  506. My favourite Christmas memory ~ oh I have so many & have been so blessed to have a wonderful family who celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. One of my favourite Christmases was in 2009 ~ we had moved here to the farm & the first Christmas 2008 was very lonely. In 2009 we found out our neighbours weren’t doing anything for Christmas, so we invited them for Christmas dinner. It changed the whole focus of Christmas from missing our far-away families to having fun making it a fun Christmas for them. Our neighbour brought tears to my eyes when she said that it was the best Christmas she’d ever had & she would remember it always. We had them back last year & intend to in the future!!

  507. I LOVE going caroling with our fellowship — folks we love and some of whom are even closer than some of our family! We spend the evening singing songs of praise to Him and blessing others with lights, cheer, and children’s voices as we go from house to house in a local neighborhood.

    Thanks for this kind opportunity!

  508. One of my favorite Christmas memories is the first Christmas that my husband and I celebrated after we were married. I had mentioned several months before Christmas that one day I would love to have a sewing machine and learn to sew. That year he gave me a sewing machine.

  509. My fav Christmas memory was the year we took in our first adopted our first son, he was four months old and he played baby Jesus in the church christmas production (hubby and I played Joseph and Mary by default! LOL!) When it came time for him to be held up in front of the audience he reached out his little arm over the audience as if he was blessing them! Everybody loved it and were so overwhelmed! It was an amazing time for all of us!
    ( I have no twitter acount but thanks for the chance!)

  510. I have so many favorite Christmas Memories from my family growing up and then more recently if I had to pick the top two it would be the first Christmas we brought our Daughters home from China! God has great plans for us.

  511. Let’s do this!!

    Once upon a time . . . my family, filled with women of all ages, gathered to bake Christmas cookies around my Maw maw’s kitchen. One sister said something quite fiesty to the other and the whole lot of women began to chime in on the whining and complaining to each other. After the slew of them had become fully engaged in their critical verbal braw, the eldest began to dance around the room singing a song that was recognizable but unclear. . . yes, we then understood, “Let it go, let it go, let it go…” began to spill from her lips in a somewhat beautiful melody! We all laughed heartily and immediately joined in for what now has become a classic Christmas carol when we gather this time of year at Maw maw’s house 🙂

  512. My best Christmas memory is celebrating Christmas the first time as husband and wife. We started our own traditions, and got to celebrate with our families. Such a special time.

  513. Last year the woman that raised my husband, Oma, passed away just two weeks before Christmas. She was an amazing woman whose example of selflessness and charity and love will forever be remembered by those of us who carry on her legacy. My husband and I had just moved across the country a few months prior to her passing. We had been away from home for five years so we were thrilled to see her again. She perked up quite a bit for the first few weeks we were home and then rapidly declined until her spirit departed from this world. Because we had just moved cross country and my husband was still job hunting we had no money at all. We had planned on not giving anything to our children or to each other for Christmas, instead relying on the few gifts they would receive from their Grandparents for their Christmas. We explained to them it would be a meager Christmas at best but that we would be celebrating with family for the first time in both our Children’s memories. A week before Christmas we received an envelope from my husband’s family with $500 in cash! With tears in our eyes we expressed our deep gratitude to our family. They all were struggling but the love they showed to us will never be forgotten. Last Christmas we celebrated the Birth of the Savior with more joy in our hearts than we ever had before. For the love of family and for the gift of eternal life. Because of Him we will see our beloved Oma again and be with the family who loves us so completely forever!

  514. My favorite memory is my children never being able to wait to get their nativity sets out for Advent and Christmas, and then never wanting to put them away after Christmas. I love it!

  515. My favorite memory is last Christmas. My husband and I were stationed overseas for Christmas and it was our first one away from our families. So we decided to fly home and surprise most of our family. The reaction on our niece and nephew’s faces when he came walking up to their school in his Army uniform was priceless. I will always cherish the love that I saw on their faces and the tears of joy.

  516. One of my favorite Christmas memories is the year we invited several families that were broken to enjoy Christmas Eve together. Husbands were in jail ( picketing an abortion clinic back in the early ’90s, or on the road looking for themselves!) We had a glorious time reenacting the birth of Jesus with our children, and singing carols. Sharing a meal together and praying. It became a tradition that 22 years later we still celebrate in the same way.

  517. I remember as a child, coming out of our bedroom on Christmas morning to find a beautifully decorated Christmas tree standing inside the front door and after inspecting it rushing down to the kitchen with my 3 brothers and sisters to find a room magically transformed overnight (by Santy’s elves we were told). Wonderful greenery adorning the walls, chinese lanterns and balloons hanging from the ceiling and special trets waiting for us. A wonderful time.

  518. My favourite Christmas memory is baking Christmas cookies with my mom as a child. She wasn’t one to do much cooking or baking, so it was a special treat indeed.

  519. I think my favorite Christmas memory is one that we do every year with my parents and now with my husband and my sister’s husband – cutting down our own Christmas trees. We make a big event about picking out the PERFECT tree!! It is SO MUCH FUN!!

  520. My precious memory is of the day 7 years ago when I came down the stairs (three days before Christmas) dressed to go out to dinner with my husband and he had a diamond tennis bracelet for me. I had shared with him that I had wanted one all my adult life. He was so excited to give it to me that he couldn’t wait till Christmas Day and he wanted me to be able to wear it to dinner. I cherish that memory – he so wanted to please me. I no longer have that special bracelet – I wore it constantly for 4 years (I never took it off) until it was lost on a street somewhere on our Italian vacation. I cried for days, but the great news is that although I no longer have my bracelet, I still have my husband and the wonderful memory of that evening.

  521. My fave Christmas memory is really just remembering having my parents full attention at least for that little while on Christmas morning.

  522. Christmas Eve service at church as kids was always a special time. One year especially, as we left with our box of ribbon candy, it had started to snow. The first snowfall. So special! Everything seems so magical through little eyes.

  523. These are really lovely!

    My favorite Christmas memory is probably starting new traditions with my husband when we were newlyweds.

  524. My favorite Christmas memory is having the job putting the Nativity figures in the handmade wooden Creche my brother made. I’ve been doing it for many years and I always look forward to doing it

  525. My family didn’t celebrate Christmas growing up (whole ‘nother story!) so ever since having my first child 8 years ago now, I have been trying to “create Christmas traditions” for my own family. My kids are so enchanted by all the neighborhood lights, our Christmas tree, and bust their guts when they see the stockings gradually filling up. I love to watch how my 8 yr old is taking charge of Christmas, especially with arranging the tiny nativity scene, as well as singing carols. Even my 3 yr old loves to sing “Hal-lay-LOO-Lah”. Their innocent joy is my best memory always.

  526. A favorite holiday tradition and memory is setting up our Fontanini nativity. We’ve collected and added pieces over the years and always enjoy bringing it out for display,

  527. My favorite memory is Christmas in the year 2000, my first Christmas as a Christian. That year I finally understood what Christmas is truly about – the amazing gift of love that God gave to us – His Son.

  528. It was Christmas 2009, my sons were 3 & 4 and we bought a Walmart Nativity set for maybe $7. It was poorly made and very imperfect. But the boys loved it so much and wanted to play with it all the time. Because it was porcelain, they knew they needed to be careful but I wasn’t really worried about it breaking because – it was, well, from Walmart. Now, I realize how perfect it is because it helped give them tangibility to what Christmas is all about – the story of Jesus, the gift of His birth, the fragility of our humanity. Here we are only two years later and its the first thing they want to open and look at when we get ready to decorate. They tell me each character and their role in the story and then set it all up. A beautiful tradition that was inadvertently created and started by our Lord. Yes even now at 5 & 6 they still play with it, are still careful, and have progressed to telling their cousins and friends the story using the characters. They know “Jesus is the Reason for this Season!”

  529. So many, but I think my fave is still from the late 1970’s. A single mom, my son and I were both new Christians, and in obedience to God I had left a job that did not bring Him glory. But all other jobs I found left us short of funds. We faced many days of choosing between food or heat. As Christmas approached, a friend directed me to a township office where they procured heating oil for a month, and gave me a credit for $50 of groceries. We bought a lot of soup and peanut butter and crackers–AND the makings for cookies, which we gave as gifts that year. But I wanted to buy my son (7 at the time) a Christmas present, and diligently prayed God would show me how I could earn extra money and do that. Instead–He gifted me with it in the form of a Merry Christmas check from a distant aunt who never sent us gifts after we graduated high school (I was many years beyond high school!); nor did she put faith in God. Still, I have no doubt He prompted her to give from her bounty and I was able to surprise my son with the toy he wanted. God works in mysterious ways, but when we see Him at work–we won’t forget it.

  530. My favorite would be Christmas 2005; the 1st with our adopted daughter, Olivia. God’s plan for us was perfect although i had a hard time seeing it through years of infertility testing and treatment. We have since adopted 2 of her siblings so now every day is a reminder of just how wonderful our Father is – we just have to trust in Him.

  531. My favorite Christmas memory was when I was about 10/11 or so, and my Uncle took us to the huge Ice town in Minnesota, there were all kinds of ICe sculptures all lined up against the Mississippi river. it was beautiful nad freezing but it was a memory I hold on to, he passed away shortly after that.

  532. Christmas memories always centered around family for me. Since I grew up living in various places across the states, never in the same hometown as extended family, Christmas was the one predictable time of year to spend with the ones we loved. The activities and plans changed from year to year, but my grandmother’s homes filled with love, laughter, and, of course, food, never changed.

  533. This nativity has been definitely on my Christmas wish list. It reminds me Christ has only been in the centre in our Christmas as long as I can remember. Even as children, my sister and I donned any too big clothes we could find in the dress up box, displaying a handmade manger by my grandfather with a baby in it, we would traditionally dramatize the nativity story for my parents in the Christmas tree light.
    Christmas lights, candles remind me to relax and take time for the real Light of the World. This nativity candle set also sends me that same message.

  534. My best Christmas ever was when my Mom was having a hard time making ends meet after leaving a very abusive stepfather and each of us four kids, ages 11, 12, 14, and 18, received a one gift…a wool sweater…that Christmas. I can still see us sitting on the floor together in our sparsely furnished living room with Mom as she told us how happy she was that we were all together… no Christmas decorations..no fancy gift wrap, .but that didn’t matter…we were safe and loved. My Mom was courageous enough to step out of her fear and protect us and herself. I am so proud of her! That was the most Christ-centered Christmas.

  535. I love snow. I may be in the minority on that, but it doesn’t matter. I simply love snow and every year I pray to get snow at Christmas. We don’t get alot of it in middle Georgia, so it’s really awesome when we do. The year our daughter was born it snowed at Christmas. Talk about being in complete awe, I was!! It was absolutely magnificent all around. Our daughter was quite 2 months old, but it didn’t matter. I bundled her up and took her out to share the wonderful gift that we had received, and to thank God for giving me the gift I ask for every year as well as a beautiful daughter to share it with.

  536. Lots of great Christmas memories. My most memorable where when I was growing up, we would wake up and my brother and I would go into the living room ready to open looking at all under the tree and wait for our parents to come join us. Before opening anything my dad would sit and read the Christmas story out of Luke and then we would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus! I miss those days. My Dad went home to be with the Lord 17 years ago when I was 21 and my brother 17 and I still miss him greatly. But so very tankful God gave me such a wonderful man as a Dad. We are now taking on the same traditions in our house with our 3 year old and don’t start Christmas until my mom and brother get to our home. Thank God for wonderful Family.

  537. Scrabble at my grandparent’s house… with my Papaw “cheating” using big words… but we always did find them in the dictionary. That’s when I learned that you don’t necessarily have to have a college education to be smart… but he is so proud that all of his kids and grandkids have what he didn’t =)

  538. Hard to think of a favorite memory, but this year it’s how much my husband’s grandmother loved Christmas. Last year, when she was 95, she came to our house wearing sparkly silver shoes as part of her special outfit on Christmas Eve. I’m not sure why that delighted me so much. I’m grateful that after she passed away this spring I was able to find those shoes and add them to our Christmas decorations. This sweet woman had such joy in life and family and I’m blessed to have been part of hers.

  539. I know I’m a day late, but I was thinking all day about my favorite Christmas memory yesterday. It finally hit me yesterday evening.

    This year is my favorite Christmas. My husband got saved in July, and I rededicated my life to Christ at the same time. Our lives have been completely changed since that moment, and they are full in a way I never thought possible. Our mornings begin with devotional time together and prayer, and throughout the day we encourage one another. Our lives are full of prayer with our children, and we have a church home that I can now call family where we participate in bible study and Sunday school classes. A year ago I never would have imagined this life possible, but with Christ, all truly is possible.

    So this year, Christmas has a completely new meaning for our family. We are celebrating in ways that emphasize our faith and the birth of Christ. We are fortunate to be the ones hosting the holiday this year, so we will get to share our love of God with our whole family at our house.

    Thank you for this opportunity to think about just how grateful I am this holiday season.
    God Bless-
    Melissa

  540. Spending the week after Christmas, snuggled up on the couch watching and laughing at a movie marathon with my husband and kids…that memory is one of my favorites!

  541. My favorite Christmas memory of recent history was a few years ago when we (the “grandchildren”-all in our 20’s) taught my 80 year old grandparents how to fist bump after a good present. It was hilarious. We called it the “Burks Bumpin’ Christmas”.

  542. My favorite Christmas memories are bittersweet now that both of my parents have passed away. I’ve learned that even though they are not physically here with me they live on in my heart and I am blessed by the thought of all the sacrifices they made for me and my three older brothers. They were an example of faithfulness. I’m so thankful God chose them as my parents! My husband and two sons will recall funny sayings from my parents and they bring warmth to my heart!

  543. I have so many wonderful Christmas memories, it’s hard to choose just one…but I will! My parents were missionaries in a small eskimo village above the arctic circle in Alaska. My dad had a little general store at the mission where he sold or traded goods to the local people. My sister and I would help our dad in the store, stocking the shelves and pricing stuff. I specifically remember one Christmas where my dad got in these two beautiful baby dolls to sell. We didn’t have much in the way of toys and I wanted one of those dolls so badly. Whenever someone would come into the store I would go and stand in front of the doll thinking that if people couldn’t see it then they couldn’t buy it. I wished so hard for that doll and one day it was gone and my dad told me someone bought it. To my joy and surprise it was my dad because on Christmas morning my sister and I got those dolls under our scraggly little evergreen tree…you would have thought I got a million dollars, I was so happy! Not long after that my mom took us to visit a family in the village. Most of the people there were very poor and my mom asked my sister and I go go and choose a toy to take to one of the little girls in the family because they didn’t have anything. She told us to think about giving something special that we would want and I knew what she meant…I gave my doll to that little girl that day. I was sad then but somehow it also made me happy and the lasting lesson and joy in my heart is a gift that has lasted much longer than that doll. Merry Christmas!

  544. My favorite Christmas memory is our annual tradition of new pajamas, hot chocolate, smores, and family time on Christmas Eve… the kids love it and absolutely look forward to it every year.

  545. AMAZING giveaway!!! PLEASE extend the code through today too!!!! My favorite Christmas memory is just all of our family sitting around the tree and watching all their faces as they opened gifts. Playing with the nativity set at Grandma and Grandpa’s house is also another favorite memory.

  546. Every year brings new Christmas joys shared with my family. I guess my favorite memories involve spoiling our boys when they were younger with presents piled high under the Christmas tree!

  547. When I was a kid, I was actually scared of Santa coming into the house so when we would spend Christmas at my Grandparents’ house my Grandfather would sleep in the room at the begining of the hall so that he could “protect” me if Santa decided to come down the hall. I always remember that I felt much better going to sleep on Christmas Eve with my Grandfather protecting me.

  548. Each year we got new Christmas PJ’s. We’d get all snuggled in them and then load in the car to go to a midnight Christmas Eve Service. Such warm memories.

  549. My favorite memory? Christmas mornings growing up….ones that are precious…with gifts abounding and grandparents trudging over at 5:30 a.m. to be with us and to share with my sis and I, and our mom, precious time together as we opened our gifts. Though our dad wasn’t around, those mornings and those gifts of love from my mom and grandparents have stayed in my heart and will for a lifetime. 🙂

  550. My favorite Christmas memory…2006 we were given our son’s adoption referral on Dec 11th. That Christmas we wrapped up his picture and gave it as a gift to grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles. It was the best gift I have ever received (well other than Jesus dying on the cross for my sins)! And it was a magical Christmas sharing our good news with family and friends.

  551. Loved the year that my boyfriend moved to an apartment nearer to me (from several hours away). He said that since he didn’t have a “real” house to live in (just an apartment), he didn’t need a Christmas tree. So when he went out of town on a business trip, I bought him a small tree with decorations and set it up in his apartment. It was lit when he came home!
    I also enjoy the tradition of singing Happy Birthday to Jesus every year around the dinner table before we eat Christmas dinner. We’ve been doing it for many years, and Christmas wouldn’t be complete without it.

  552. I have to say it is quite funny. I remember snooping around my mother’s closet. I knew that where she hid all her gifts. I really wanted a hooded cable knit sweater like all the other kids had. Well I found it! I was so excited I had my beautiful hoodes white cable knit sweater! NOT! Come to find out it was my cousins, my grandmother bought it for another one of my cousins and my mom had went to pick it up. I can laugh now but boy was I disappointed. Hahaha but praise God I received a beautiful gold necklace. Then I felt so special>

  553. My favourite christmas was the first one we spent in Scotland… it was a relaxed, schedule-less morning of opening and enjoying the presents and each other; followed by me closing 4 sets of doors between me and the rest of the family and spending the next few hours making a lovely dinner. After eating, we walked down to the beach and spent the afternoon running around on the rocks. I’ve tried to re-create that experience a few times now… it was a perfect day.

  554. My favorite Christmas memory was when I was a child and my dad got us a train set. We had so much fun that year setting it up and watching it go.

  555. My sister and I always wore our new Christmas jammies (opened the night before) and slept in the same bed (even after we had our own). We stopped getting jambes sometime in college – mom couldn’t shop anymore, and dad didn’t know how to buy girls pjs. The last time we had the sleepover, I was 25, and it was a week before my wedding 🙂

  556. One of my favorite Christmas memories is of my brothers, cousins and I all spending Christmas Eve night with my grandmother, camped out on the living room floor and watching the tree lights blink on and off. She would tell us stories of our parents when they were kids and we would fall asleep to Christmas music playing on the record player.

  557. My favorite Christmas memory is all the traditions we do like making cookies together, eating Italian food on Christmas Eve, and brunch Christmas morning.

  558. My favorite Christmas memory is of Family Get-Togethers with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins galore!…. All of the Holiday favorites filling the tables . . . You know, the sweets and finger foods that we only made at Christmas! …. Singing around the piano while my mother played . . . and driving home late at night looking up at the stars shining bright thinking about the shepherds out in the fields looking up at starry night long, long ago when they hear the Good NEws of our Saviour’s Birth!

  559. My favorite Christmas memory is Christmas 1991. On Dec. 24th I gave birth to our 2nd child and there was just something so special about having a baby so close to Christmas. There from the warmth of my hospital room, God and I had a special moment realizing just what Mary went through.

  560. I don’t have a whole lot of memories from my childhood. I remember the year I got a barbie I had really wanted and one year my uncle drove through our fence. As an adult my husband and I haven’t celebrated Christmas until last year. It was pretty fun to set up a tree and share some fun times with the children. Hoping to make more memories with them over the coming years.

  561. One of my favorite Christmas memories is when my son was just 6 weeks old. My daughter was 2 and insisted on helping me with the decor and presents. I put little Hunter in the baby bouncer seat right there in the living room where we were working. After about 30 minutes of pulling decor out of boxes and getting the tree situated, I looked over and saw Jordan sitting there on the floor beside Hunter in the bouncer. She was being “Mama” to him “because He needs me to pat his head!” Tears of joy and love still fall when I think of that sweet moment.

  562. When my husband was incarcertade twice for a crime he didn’t commit (he was aquitted!) we didn’t know if we would ever have a Christmas together again, as he was facing life in prison without the possibility of parole. Now Christmas has extra special meaning for us, and I work hard to make each one special from decor to baking and gifts. We are eternally grateful!!

  563. One of my favorite Christmas memories was seeing all the poinsettias blooming all around our house in Hawaiʻi. Brilliant red, they seemed to give everything around them a glow of loveliness.

  564. Seeing all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins at my grandparents’ houses each Christmas…

  565. One of my favorite memories is going to a midnight Christmas Eve service and coming out to the church bells ringing in Christmas and snow gently falling…it was like being in a movie!

  566. The very first memory that came to mind was the first year I was married. My husband jokingly told his mother that he was canceling Christmas because he didn’t want to spend the money. His mother actually believed him! We called before leaving for the two hour drive to their house. When she got off the phone, she went into panic mode and went shopping for presents for us so she would have them before we arrived. We still tease her about it to this day!

  567. I remember a Christmas my dad gave the most awkward odd gifts, but he loves to give them so much, none of us have ever gotten rid of them. One was a little ugly vulture that sat on my sister’s desk for years.

  568. When I was in college, I thought it would be fun to MAKE additional fun gifts for everyone in my family. I took some “oddity” of each person and turned it into something fun…. for example: my youngest brother who was 10 at the time and LOVED the guy-riding-the-horse emblem (Ralph Lauren POLO) on shirts. Ceartainly, I couldn’t get him a RL shirt .. so I embroidered one for him on an undershirt ! That was a Christmas full of laughter when everyone opened their gifts.

  569. Christmas has always been special for me but the one that stands out the most was the first with my husband’s family. His mother bought me/us a wonderful nativity set. It was really special because I knew one day she would no longer be with us and her nativity set would be something that we would remember her by each year as it was unpacked. I treasure it beyond measure. She’s been gone for 5 years now.

  570. One of my favorite Christmas memories was the year I got both a hammock and a skateboard! Another favorite memory is crafting at Christmas with my sisters.

  571. I have so many favorites….when I was little we always spent Christmas Eve at my Granny’s…. she had one of those silver trees that had a color wheel. I loved to sit & watch that tree change. I was so interested in that tree that I would sit by it after we opened gifts! She always had country ham biscuits as part of her food spread…and to this day, my Mom still serves them. Brings back memories….. I think I need a silver tree with a color wheel!!

  572. I remember one Christmas when I was young & we had spent the evening at my grandparents & then piled in the pickup (all 5 of us in the front & only seat) for the drive to our house. We lived just outside of town & when we were within about a mile of our house, we discovered the roads were so snow packed, we couldn’t get through. Dad managed to get the pickup turned around & then headed back to Grandma’s. We got within 1/2 block & then got stuck in the snow, so we all piled out to walk the rest of the way. I didn’t know it, but my legs had fallen asleep during the drive & if it weren’t for the high snowbank giving support, I would’ve fallen down when I got out of the truck! Us kids slept on the floor that night in Grandma’s living room & I thought it was quite the adventure!

  573. Oh, this one’s hard – so many Christmas memories to choose from. One really fun memory was playing the night before Christmas game with my husband’s family where you pass presents around in response to certain words and then can steal the gifts as they are opened. The gifts were all meant for adults (candied nuts, socks, etc.) except for one which Grandma had chosen just for our daughter, only 4 and the only person under 20. Our daughter’s favorite uncle however, still a kid at heart, didn’t want those boring grown up things so he kept stealing it until we finally all ganged up on him until she got what was hers. It was and still is a great laugh.

  574. I’ve got so many wonderful Chistmas memories but I think my favorite was opening up an envelope with an ultrasound picture of my second baby on Christmas morning and finding out it was a girl!!!

  575. A precious Christmas for my family was in 2006. My dad went in for a test to diagnose some presumably minor shortness of breath on a morning in early-December and was whisked immediately into surgery for a triple bypass. He had a long recovery, but if he hadn’t gone in when he did, we may well have been mourning his death, instead of celebrating life on the Christmas morning. I treasure the memories and photos of that Christmas!

  576. When my husband and i first married we had 3 children between us. We turned on the Christmas lights and had wassil I made in our first home. We were all so excited that we let the kids get up very, very early and open presents.

  577. My favorite Christmas memory is when my son and daughter-in-law came from California to Pennsylvania to surprise us for Christmas, becuase I had thought we would be celebrating alone and was feeling so blue.

  578. I am the oldest of four kids, and growing up, my parents would always take us to a live nativity at a church where they acted out the whole story and had live animals and hot chocolate. It is one of my favorite memories with my whole family.

  579. I can remember being 4 or 5 and carrying around the life-sized, plastic baby Jesus from the nativity under our tree. My mother was forever asking me where I’d left him, and I’d give just about anything to have that nativity now!

  580. sitting by our fireplace drinking hot chocolate or coffee with the family and just spending time together 🙂

  581. last year, my boys served midnight Mass together. as the 3 of us came home afterwards, the snow was falling and our neighborhood was lit by hundreds of paper bag luminaries. I felt so close to God, full of joy about the depth of His love for us.

  582. I was in 2nd grade and my sister and I sat down at the breakfast table on Christmas morning. My parents told us that we had one more gift… then they told us that we were going to have a baby brother or sister! I was beyond thrilled, and in August of the following year we welcomed our baby brother into our family! My favorite Christmas gift!

  583. I loved getting up on Christmas morning and see what Santa had left me, then looking through my stocking, having breakfast and last opening all my presents. So fun!!!

  584. My favorite Christmas was a month before I delivered my son ~ I was so filled with the miracle of the little guy, the joy of this life that would change mine forever.

  585. My favorite Christmas memory was about 10 years ago when our wonderful beagle was just a puppy, We all (my hubby, myself and the kids) had just the best time watching her go up and sniff all the boxes and play with the paper (she has always been a paper dog, lol). And she of course loved sniffing out her gifts (dog treats). She truly did and still does get into the fun on Christmas morn. Just like one of the kids!! Christmas with her the past 2 years has been all the more precious because she was diagnosed with a disease. It just makes us love and appreciate our older “pup” that much more 😉

  586. I have MANY favorite Christmas memories, but the one that comes to mind right away is from when my sister and I were very little. We used to sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve and stay up giggling all night. One year we decided to sneak out to look at the Christmas tree. Well, she heard our mom get up and walk out to the living room and ran off without telling me. I was the one who got caught! I don’t think I’ll ever forget that because she’s still my best friend 🙂

  587. My favorite memory is waiting for the call, piling into the car at4:30 in the morning and heading over to my granparent.

  588. My favorite Christmas memory is wearing a red silk night gown, one matching my sister’s and the two of trying SO hard to fall asleep the night on Christmas Eve. I must’ve been very little, but its one that always sticks out to me.

  589. Going to my Grandma’s farm for the holiday, put on a Christmas pagant with my cousins, Christmas eve service with candles lit and singing Silent Night, and Scandinavian Christmas dinner with Norwegian meatballs and all our family’s favorite treats!

  590. Christmas has ALWAYS been such an incredible time for me. Growing up it was the time to celebrate the birth of Christ, my Daddy’s birthday and his Daddy’s birthday!!!! Christmas was a time of church, family and birthdays!!! Daddy died when I was in middle school – he became sick on Christmas Eve and went to celebrate birthdays with Jesus not long afterward. It took years to get back the spirit of celebration and to love Christmas as a child again – it took having my own daughters, husband and family to bring the joy back into the season. Now – we watch the Advent season unfold in the eyes of an almost 4 year old grandson. Joy in the season has come full circle. I know that Daddy is watching from heaven – smiling and rejoicing in this season of Christmas with us.

  591. My favorite Christmas was when I was in junior high and my mom and I stayed the night on Christmas Eve out at my cousin’s family. They live in a renovated farm house that has been in the family for over 100 years. We stayed up into the wee hours of the night watching a snowstorm, the snow blowing and swirling white against the big red barn out their front window. We shared Christmas memories, laughed, cried with my mom, aunt, and my little cousin, who had sneaked out of her room and sat on the stairs to hear us, and once caught, got to join in the fun. It was a great Christmas, gathered together with the girls in my family, and although my cousin and I were fairly young, it is still a cherished Christmas.

  592. For 6 years of my childhood, Angel Tree prison ministries supplied my Christmas gifts from my Dad. Each person who donated to Angel Tree was an angel in my life, leading me to Christ.

  593. Enjoying.Christmas as a family after my husband returned from an 18 month deployment in Iraq. We have never been more grateful for anything.

  594. One of my favorite Christmas memories was the year that my husband and I got locked out of our house! We had gone over to my mothers earrrrrly in the morning, in our jammies, and left the house keys there! Since we were locked out, we could have either returned to my mom’s and missed church, or go to church as we were. So we went to Christmas Day worship in our pj’s! It was great! =)

  595. My Christmas memory is going to our local train display! So much fun as a child, seeing all the trains and the Christmas decor. Today as a mom, I love taking my family to “The First Christmas Town” It is like you travel back in time to Bethleham, with people dressed up, a town market selling items from that time and a live nativity with a storyteller! (Creation Museum, Northern Ky) That has become our Christmas tradition!

  596. My favorite Christmas memory is spending time together as a family. One of our favorite traditions is looking at Christmas lights with Christmas music playing. Our kids also get to drink Hot Cocoa while we enjoy the lights. Fun everytime!

  597. My “steady” boyfriend picking me up on Christmas eve from the airport. We were at a truckstop at midnight getting a soda. He kissed me at midnight. He’s now my husband of 25 years.

  598. My mom is a cancer survivor. One Christmas she had a tissue transplant from her healthy eye to her eye with cancer. I was with her at the hospital and then at her home as she recovered. The night before her doubled bandaged eyes were to be uncovered I stayed up most the night baking and decorating gingerbread men to hang all over her tree. She had seen this idea in a magazine and had always wanted to do this. In the morning I removed her bandages and walked her into the living room. She started laughing and could not stop. Her Black Lab had eaten the legs and arms and bodies from all the cookies he could reach. It was such a funny sight and one we will both always remember with a chuckle.

  599. This will be our 51st Christmas as husband and wife. Pick just one favorite Christmas? It’s almost impossible….. About 18 years ago, our son was stationed in Okinawa with the Navy. Christmas Eve night he called to chat and we were trying so hard to remain cheerful. I kept asking, “Do you have someone to spend Christmas with? I can’t stand the thought of your being alone?” As we continued talking, the front door opened and he walked in! Oh, JOY!!! Hubby’s sister and brother-in-law had been in on the secret and had driven the 110 miles to the nearest airport to pick him up! What a truly BLESSED CHRISTMAS it was!

  600. My Christmas memory comes from last Christmas. We were 3 months behind on our Mortgage,, in danger of losing our house(it is a long story, but basically a business venture went bad and left us with nothing but bills) not knowing what direction we were going in. We prayed and prayed, “Lord show us what to do.” No answer. Finally my husband prayed that if we were to sell our house that someone would show up at our house and buy it. Days later an Elder from our Church called and said he wanted to talk to us. He came to our house and asked us how we were doing financially (he knew the story behind the business failure). We told him not good. To make a long story short our Church paid our over due mortgage payments. We were in awe of this. It was totally a God thing that He called and showed up that day. We are so thankful for our Church family and to our Heavenly Father. It still brings to my eyes talking about it.

  601. I am just beginning to make new traditions and memories with my new little family and every Christmas gets better with each new little one we add!

  602. My favorite is one Christmas when my husband and I had just been married. I had told him about our Hungarian customs for the holidays, one of which we put out our boots to get little presents in them on Dec 6th. He missed the date, but filled my boots with presents and put it on the porch on Christmas morning. It was so fun and thoughtful!

  603. I love nativities! I’ve made a special memory this year – my crazy family convinced me to let them assemble our Christmas tree upside down. It makes me (and our friends) smile!

  604. My favorite Christmas memory is going up to the barn with my older brother on Christmas Eve, looking for Rudolph and the other reindeer in the sky. Great memory.

  605. I remember a lot of Christmas mornings, but one of my favorites is when I was about 6 or 7. I wanted a fur coat really bad! It was all the style back in the early 80s. My mom had lead me to think there was NO way I was going to get one, but that morning whenever I got up, there it was under the tree! I don’t even remember if it was real or fake or what, but it was soft and fit snuggly and I wore it with pride!!!! 🙂

  606. My favorite Christmas memory … so hard to choose! I’ve been blessed with all 3 of my children in December, so my favorite Christmas memories are bringing home my beautiful babies!

  607. The memory of my son being so sick. We spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day back and forth doctor offices – we were so worried for him but God protected him. After few days he’s better and we celebrated Christmas (with gratitude and thanksgiving) on New Year’s Eve.

  608. I love to remember waking up Christmas morning and the anticipation of going into the living room with my parents and brother. I also loved it the year my grandparents stayed the night with us so they were there that morning, it made it more special.

  609. I remember cutting down the perfect cedar tree, adding a few strands of lights, some balls, and tons and tons of icicles. Christmas was simpler then. We had less and less was expected of us. I long for that simpler time and simpler Christmas. Maybe this will be the year…….:)

  610. My favorite {if I have to choose one} Christmas memory is playing with my great grandmother’s hand carved wooden nativity set that had been passed down to my mom. I can even remember the smell of the wood so distinctly. Sadly that set was in a box that fell of the trailer while my parents were moving a few years ago. I would have LOVED to have had that for my littles to play with.

  611. Sneaking downstairs with my sister to open everything in our stockings before our parents were awake…Of course, we rewrapped everything, stuffed it back in, and acted surprised when they woke! My favorite current memories are just being with family: playing games, laughing, etc.

  612. I love remembering my twins’ first Christmas. They were my first babies and it was such a wonder and amazement enjoying them.

  613. Every year on Christmas eve my sisters and I open one present from our parents…and every year it is our new Christmas pajamas 🙂

  614. Favorite Christmas memory is getting married 9 days before Christmas, going away on an amazing honeymoon and flying home over night Christmas Eve to not miss Christmas day with our families. I love Christmas day with family and celebrating another year of marriage at the end of each year!

  615. Growing up, the best part about Christmas morning was the smell of mom’s cinnamon rolls. Now, I carry on the tradition in my home.

  616. My favorite CHRISTmas memory would be any that I celebrating our Lord’s birth with my family! I’m a PK so we spent a lot of time at church. It created lots of wonderful and precious memories.

  617. it was the christmas of 2002 my grandma was dying of cancer and she was now forced to live in a nursing home after having her own, she was sad so i bought a angel from avon to give to her right b4 Christmas eve i took it too her at the nursing home and she was very happy to see me and it . I gave it to her and told her i brought someone to watch over her she looked at me and smiled and said baby i got you now take that angel home so i know while im not around there is someone to look after you.She passed early 2003 and the same day she died someone stole the angel from my apt door i cried for hours not even knowing that she had passed until later that night,guess her angel went with her. Thankfully avon still had them left so i bought another one and every Christmas i put her at the top of my tree and know she is watching over me.

  618. My favorite Christmas memory… All the ones spent with my dad. I miss him so much during the holidays.

  619. Playing many hours of games with my uncles, aunts and cousins while growing up and now with my daughters and their uncles, aunts and cousins.

  620. My favorite Christmas memory was spending my first Christmas with my husband & then each one after that with him & our beautiful children.

  621. My favorite Christmas memory was the first Christmas after we moved from Alaska to PA. We were living with my grandparents at the time and my grandfather said we could open one gift on Christmas Eve. He was so excited, he let us all open one more, and then another, until we opened them all. We stayed up all night playing with our new toys!

  622. When I was 10, my little cousin Jacob being born a few days before Christmas… nothing else was near as exciting that Christmas as a brand new baby. Now I’m expecting my 3rd child around Christmas and it’s that feeling all over again! =)

  623. My favorite Christmas memory is when I was a wee child.
    I received a tricycle and my dad actually peddled it down the sidewalk.
    I ran after him crying that it was my tricycle.

  624. My husband and I were married in early January, but that Christmas just before our wedding was one of my most memorable. He was living in the little house we’d share in a few weeks, and our tiny tree was all decorated. After having dinner together and opening presents, I got ready to go home. It was amazing to realize that it was the last Christmas I’d go home. . . after that I would just BE home!

  625. My favorite christmas memory is going to midnight mass with my whole family, Aunts, Uncles, Counsins, and Grandparents!

  626. My favorite Christmas memory is the time we went up into the mountains to get our Christmas tree and my brother and I ran into it in the sled on the way back to the car. We tore all the branches off of one side. 🙂

  627. Favorite Christmas Memory: getting Christmas trees on Christmas Eve from abandoned lots. We had a blast doing it with my dad, although the true reason was that we couldn’t afford to buy a tree.

  628. My favorite Christmas memory is me and my cousin who are only 9 months apart both waking up on Christmas morning and her dad ( my uncle) was dressed as Santa Claus and gave us both My Lil Ponies! 🙂

  629. My first Christmas with my husband, we didn’t have family in town so we had a crab feast with friends on Christmas Eve and spent Christmas Day just the two of us.

  630. Wow! There are so many from the presents being opened in lil’-girl-me wonder to homemade hot chocolate made by my mama (who makes THE BEST!!!) to spending time watching Home Alone with the family!!! Honestly, there are just TOO MANY memories to name and choose from 🙂

  631. My favorite Christmas memory is the Christmas we adopted our twin boys. Their adoption was finalized days before Christmas which made that year all the more special to our newly expanded family!

  632. My favorite Christmas memory is bringing home my 2nd child – he is truly the best Christmas gift I have ever received.

  633. I have wonderful memories of huge Christmas eve parties with my family and my Papa leading everyone in Christmas carols.

  634. Favorite Christmas when I was little girl…i did not think me and my twin sister would get a new bike even though that was all we asked for…to our surprise we did! They were on the back porch and it was freezing that morning…we got the silly giggles and chattering teeth! Great memories!

  635. My parents used to have a “system” for wrapping my sisters and my gifts so that we wouldn’t know which ones were ours. One year, my dad forgot what the “system” was! So we opened presents and had to exchange them with each other. It was hilarious 🙂

  636. One of my favorite but hardest memories from Christmas was the year my Mom was dying of cancer. We brought her a little tabletop Christmas tree to the hospital. It had miniature ornaments on it and lights too. She loved it. We really tried to bring Christmas to her, because she couldn’t be home for Christmas. She went “home” less than five weeks later.

  637. Christmas in the Philippines is always well celebrated but there was one year when the times were bleak = Dad had lost his job and with eight children in the family, Mom was really struggling to make ends meet. She didn’t know where to find the means to have the usual Christmas eve feast. But the day came and went with no one complaining. Instead we sat around the tv set, watched Fiddler on the Roof, and enjoyed each other’s company.

  638. I’m being honest when I say every Christmas creates new memories that then become my favorite! I LOVE Christmas!! Thanks for the giveaway!

  639. One of my Favorite Christmas memories/traditions is playing broomball with my moms side of the family and enjoying the outdoors that God created for us, and enjoying the laughter with my family. SO many good times (and bruises ha!)

  640. One of my favorite memories was laying on floor in front of the Christmas tree (with the Christmas lights on) and looking at the Nativity set my parents had!! It had a little music box attached to it and I would love to wind it up and listen and look!

  641. One of the best Christmas memories was having all of our grandchildren and thier parents (our kids) staying with us for 5 days. We played games, ate a tremendous amount of food, we went to my parents for Christmas Eve and then back home to have Santa Claus for the grandchildren. That has been around 15 yrs ago and the last time we have had them all together.

  642. One Christmas, my dad was working two jobs to keep our family’s head
    above water. I really wanted a Chatty Cathy Doll, but my older brother and
    sister told me not to get too excited about it. I got up very early that
    Christmas morning and there she was…Chatty Cathy was waiting for me
    underneath the Christmas tree~
    Many thanks, Cindi

  643. So many memories but the ones i like the most are the typical traditions including all my kids, good food and games all night
    jenzen69atyahoodotcom

  644. Decorating the Christmas tree with my grandfather and putting up the nativity with my Grandmother as a child.

  645. My favorite Christmas memory was when my Dad used to set little traps to try and catch us when we were little! They always made a lot of noise and were o so much fun!

  646. Some of my very favorite Christmas memories surrounded our family trip to cut the tree. We always went to the same family tree farm and ate the mini candy canes from the front desk and sang Christmas carols at the top of our lungs as we searched for the ‘perfect tree’. Rain or snow or shine, we always went Thanksgiving weekend, and it was by far one of my most memorable times in any year.

  647. I remember when my daughter was 12 and she dressed up in a white dress and a wreath on her head, to escort the Christmas season in. She brought breakfast to her Daddy and me, in bed.

  648. favorite memory…that is hard as there are so many. But one of them is just having a leisurely morning (a miracle with 4 kids!) and really enjoying being together and celebrating Jesus birthday. (our tradition is birthday cinnamon rolls for breakfast)

  649. Our best Christmas ever came years ago as we were awaiting the birth of our first child. Due on December 21, he arrived late and made an amazing entrance on Christmas Day! This Christmas, he has given us the gift of a new daughter-in-law. We are blessed and thankful to the Lord for the richness of His love.

  650. When I was about 6 years old I was so scared that Santa would not come with presents because we didn’t have a fireplace with a chimney. I told my little brother that we would have to come up with some place to hang our stockings. We decided we would try out our plan on my brother’s birthday, December 20th. That night after mom and dad were in the livingroom listening to the radio we got out of bed and said we were going to get a drink of water in the kitchen. We took the stockings we had hidden in our pjs and hung them on the oven door. Next day mom assured us that she would leave the door unlocked on Christmas for Santa. This happened in 1941.

  651. I have great memories from family Christmas celebrations growing up! We ate special food by candlelight on Christmas Eve, read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and listened to the entire Handel’s Messiah! And we splurged with donuts and hot chocolate for breakfast on Christmas morning! 🙂 Great, Christ-centered, family holidays!

  652. About ten years ago (my, how time flies!) my husband and I shared the story of The Christmas Guest at our Christmas Eve candlelight service. I cry whenever I think of it!

  653. My favorite Christmas memories center around decorating the Christmas tree With family every year!

  654. my favorite Christmas memories are of the Christmas Eve church services as a young kid with my grandparents.

  655. I don’t think I could pick just one favorite Christmas memory, I think it’s the traditions we have started in our family that I love so much. Things like getting a family ornament every year as well as the kids each getting one personal ornament. Watching all 3 Santa Clause movies with a fire crackling. Looking at Christmas lights while signing Christmas songs. Spending time as a family making so many memories is my favorite thing!

  656. My favorite Christmas memory is the first time my husband and I went to a U-cut place and got our own tree. It was one of my favorite dates ever.

  657. Each year our family goes to see the Christmas lights in Hamden (area of Baltimore) and then to Cafe Hon for dinner. It’s such a fun time… I can’t wait to see my 21 month old daughter’s face this year when she sees the lights!!

  658. My favorite Christmas memory is going caroling as a family on Christmas Eve. We go to the homes of friends who have lost loved ones within the year and to a few elderly couples who have no family. It brings unbelievable joy to us to be able to bring a smile to the faces of these precious friends.

  659. I don’t know that it would be my “favorite” Christmas memory but it is definitely the Christmas that pops to mind when I think of memories that will always be with me! After a full year of planning and making reservations, we took our five children and my mom and dad to Leavenworth, WA for Christmas. It was beautiful! Snow that was so deep, all the Bavarian style homes and businesses were decorated with beautiful lighting and it could not have been any more festive. However, on the three hour drive to Leavenworth, our four year old daughter started throwing up in the van. We got to the hotel and one by one everyone in our family began getting sick. We were sooooo sick! We stayed in the room with everyone vying for the bathroom. Our 18 month old son actually snuck out of our room when the hotel staff brought us more towels and we were so sick we didn’t notice until the staff called to ask if we were missing anybody. It was so sad! On Christmas day we tried to enjoy a sleigh ride and a prime rib dinner that we had already paid for at a fancy restaurant. The kids were still recovering and they all fell asleep with their heads on the table or laid down on their coats on the floor in this upscale restaurant! We all survived and we still laugh and remember our Christmas in Leavenworth!

  660. My favorite Chrsitmas memory is when my girls were three and Christmas morning they woke up so giddy they were shaking. It was fun to see them so excited about hairbows which is all they asked for.

  661. One of my memories was as a child – my whole extended family stayed the night at my house – (us kids slept on the floor in our parents’ room) and we all went to Christmas Eve service together….

  662. My favorite Christmas memory is my son’s first Christmas. It was my husband and my first Christmas married as well, and the first time so many of our family members (parents included) saw our little guy in person, since we lived cross country from them. It was certainly a very special Christmas.

  663. My favorite Christmas memory is standing in my cozy nightgown with my little sister in front of our Christmas tree covered in blue lights singing Christmas carols.

  664. My favorite Christmas memory is a gift my husband got both of us. As we sat as a family opening each other’s gifts he went into another room and brought out two large boxes. I had no idea what was in them! I slowly unwrapped one box and saw a beautiful red guitar and then he opened the other and there was a second guitar. I had always wanted to learn to play and now we were going to be able to learn together!

  665. My favorite Christmas memory is last year, when my new husband, David, and I spent our first Christmas married together! 🙂

  666. My favorite memory of Christmas is the midnight service at church–candles, beautiful and simple traditional songs, and the joy of being with family.

  667. I love Christmas mornings now that us ‘kids’ are adults and have a couple of kids of our own. We all still sleep over at my parents’ and wake up for the Christmas Story, stockings, coffee, gifts, and a great big brunch. All of us in our pjs.

  668. I will always remember my first Christmas with my husband. We opened our presents in bed, since I was so excited to give him all of the things I had found that had made me think of just him. 🙂

  669. My favorite Christmas memory is when I was pregnant with my first child. Such an emotional time being pregnant and realizing what Mary went through with Jesus. The love she had for him even before he was born. And knowing he was a gift from God. Amazing.

  670. I love choosing an ornament for each of our children, each year. We always choose one representing something special that happened for that child that year. For example, this year one daughter got a cowboy snowman with a steering wheel in his hands, since her dad had taught her how to drive a farm truck for the first time this summer.

  671. One of my favorite Christmas memories is going out with my entire family (Dad, Mom, and eleven younger brothers and sisters) and picking out a tree. We would spread out over the tree farm and then, once the ‘perfect’ tree was found, every single person (even the baby) would take a turn with the saw to help cut it down. Afterwards we would go home and make sugar cookies, eggnog, and hot chocolate to enjoy while we decorated!

  672. I’d have to say that my favorite Christmas memory just happened last week. The floor I work on in a hospital decided to adopt two families. In previous years the donations have been plenty. This year, there were alot of gifts left unpurchased for these families. Gifts like ipods, clothing, and an area rug. Another woman and I went and purchased the items. Before turning them in, I took pictures of what I had purchased. When I got home, I told my teens that this year, their Christmas was going to be very minimal because I had spend our Christmas money on the two families. They were both so excited, said they didn’t care, and wanted to see the pictures! They make me so proud!

  673. my favorite Christmas almost didn’t happen…we got snowed in my family was stranded in several different locations. we finally made our way to each other and had a cozy and memorable Christmas.

  674. My favorate Christmas was a long time ago now our daughters were still living at home and the house and tree was perfect but what made it special was having our family together. Now one is another state the younger of the 2 who knows shes finding herself i gfuess you could say but that last Christmas will stay withn me forever.

  675. So many Christmas memories that it is hard to pick just one favorite! I would have to say that my favorite is one that has happened every Christmas morning since I got married 34 years ago! My husband and I love the Charlie Brown Christmas special, especially the part where Charlie Brown asks if anyone knows what Christmas is really about. Linus answers him by reciting the bible passage from Luke 2 about the shepherds gathered in the fields watching over their flocks by night when the angel of the Lord appears to them bringing them news of great joy that a savior, Christ the Lord, was born. So each Christmas morning, before we open our stockings or any presents, we start off by reading the bible passage together. Then we would listen to just this portion of the Charlie Brown Christmas special on an old tape cassette. We gradually worked our way up to watching just this portion of the TV special that we had taped and now we play it from our own DVD of the special. It became our family tradition with our daughter as well starting when she was just a toddler.

  676. When I was a senior in 1970, I had grown VERY fond of a cologne and used it as my signature scent. And of course, it was being discontinued this year. My mother, taking time from working on her Master’s Degree, went from store to store in order to stock pile bottles of this cologne, the talc, and the soap. (Remember, there was no internet, nor cell phones, it was all leg-work back then). As I unwrapped gift after gift containing these items, and we laughed over and over, I stacked them up for a picture. That represented a real mama’s love to me. Still does.