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I recently had the opportunity ask several of your favorite Christian artists, “What is your favorite Christmas memory?” Their answers are sure to put a smile on your face this holiday season:
Steven Curtis Chapman – Relatives from my dad’s side of the family spent every Christmas Eve at our house. We had a big, old house out in the country with a long driveway. I would stand by the front window, waiting to see car headlights coming up the driveway–that meant the start of Christmas Eve with lots of gifts, food, and fun. Before everyone left that night, we would turn on the TV and watch the radar tracking of Santa’s sleigh to see how close he was to our house. Then my brother and I would hurry off to bed and try to get to sleep before Santa arrived.
Denise, Point of Grace – The year I was 7 years old, I began to wonder in my head if Santa was real or not. All I wanted that year for Christmas was a drum set. I decided that I wouldn’t tell anyone and I figured that if Santa was real he would know what I wanted without telling him. So I tried my very hardest to stay awake that year all night long. I just had to know for myself. I tossed and turned. Somewhere in the middle of the night I thought that I heard something in the other room. Quietly slipping out of bed, I crept into the living room. My heart was beating so fast. There was nothing. Everything was quiet except for my dog who got up from under the tree where he had been laying. I went back to bed. Sleep came too quickly and before I knew it, the sun was coming up. When I walked into the living room with my sisters that morning I couldn’t believe it. There it was! My shiny red drum set! Never again did I question if there was a real Santa or not. I BELIEVED!
Shelley, Point of Grace – One of my fondest childhood memories is the trek we always made from
Arkansas to Michigan at Christmas time. Lots of parents like to spend
Christmas at home with their children, but to me, Christmas meant going
to grandma’s in Michigan where snow was a guarantee! I loved everything
about it, the two day drive with mom and dad in our orange and black
Datson, listening to Neil Diamond and the Carpenter’s the whole way,
and of course, cramming into Grandma’s house where bed’s were scarce,
but love was plentiful! I loved playing with my cousin’s and bundling
up to go snow mobile riding at night. To me, it just wasn’t Christmas
if we didn’t trade Arkansas for the great white north!!!
Bebo Norman – Before my Grandfather died at the age of 94, the large extended family on my Mother’s side had all gathered together down in Georgia for our annual Christmas Brunch. My Grandfather cried that day when we all started opening gifts…when I asked him why, he shook his head and as he looked at all the lives in that crowded home and realized that they all came from him in one way or another, he simply said that he was
overwhelmed with all that life had given him – all that God had given
him. I think he realized that day that though his life was soon to be
over, it had been well-spent, and would, in a very tangible way, live on through his family.
Fernando Ortega – My nephew’s first Christmas (he is 6 now). He’s the only kid in our family. My dad’s health was failing and he was very down. When Adan was born, it was an answer to prayer on many levels. My Dad started singing again as he walked around the house.
Michelle Tumes – My favourite Christmas memory is going to my grandparents house where we would jump on the trampoline with our cousins and then have a huge Christmas lunch.
Joanne Cash (Johnny’s sister) – Mama had asked us what we wanted for Christmas, and I told her that I wanted a little kerosene lamp of my own. I was pretty sure she had bought it, so I looked for it until I found it, and she caught me. I learned a hard lesson. I thought she wasn’t going to give it to me because I had sneaked around and found it, but it was there on Christmas morning. I learned honesty and a Mother’s love.
Janna Long – My favorite Christmas memory is when my entire family would sit around the fireplace and read the Christmas story on Christmas Eve.
Bryan Duncan – Decorating a palm tree…
Bonafide/GRITS – When I got my first skateboard @ like 5 or 6 yrs old in living
in Detroit, Mich.
Jontez – My favorite Christmas memory was the first time it snowed on the farm in Texas. My younger brother and I were too excited when we got to see our first white Christmas. I remember we played in the snow all day long, literally.
Shannon Smith/The Imperials – Something to do with reindeer antlers, an over-sized Santa suit and a “too-tall” elf.
Boone Daughdrill/DecembeRadio – The night I heard Santa playing my new drums that he brought me…seriously!!! He had some good grooves goin’ on. It woke me up, but he was gone by the time I got to the living room.
Greg Long – My grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts and immediate family would go to the
nursing homes and sing Christmas songs walking up and down the halls.
Mario Canido/The Red Letters Project – On the reservation the midnight mass is very long and goes very late at St. Stephen Mission because many elders speak along with many visiting priests from around the world. Yet, at the mass no men are sitting, unless they can’t stand on their own, but the women and elders sit and the men stand and the children for some reason stay very quiet at this mass. I always remember that respect, unity and common appreciation for this mass.
Manafest – Eating food, lots of junk food
Kim Dexter – Last year when I was given the best gift. I was pregnant with my first baby…Maggie Grace!
Peder Eide – My favorite memory is when my mom would open the gift I bought for her. I couldn’t wait for her to open it. I intently watched her reaction to see if she liked it (of course she did because moms like everything right? Even Tupperware…) Then she would say this huge thank you and give me a hug. That was the best! It always makes me think of how God looks at our response to His sending His Son.
Kurt/People in a Box – Spending the better part of the day with my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandmother when she was alive eating her amazing home-cooked dinner and opening presents.
The Pace Sisters – Honestly, the year my Father began Pastoring. We had nothing because he had loaned ALL of his money to the members so they could have for their families. I was then disappointed and angry but now with maturity that is partially what Christmas is about.
Curt Collins – My favorite Christmas memory is flocking our Christmas tree. I remember the
smell of that blue spruce tree, my dad’s favorite, and how mom used to stand on a ladder to flock the top. She was a small woman and couldn’t reach the
top without it. Then we would decorate it with tons of lights and our favorite ornaments. Those were great times. But, mom and dad are gone now and I miss those cold winter nights drinking egg nog and flocking the tree.
Gregory Paul Smith – Watching my 3 yr. old girl light up as she found her bicycle under the tree.
Caleb Rowden – My favorite memory would have to be my sister and I getting up very early in the morning, six a.m. or earlier, and waking everyone up to open presents. This probably seems normal to most, but we did this well into our college years! Most college kids want sleep…we wanted presents!
Lucinda Moore – My favorite Christmas memory was back in 1976 when my mom and dad went all out to get every toy in the store for me & my sister. All the toys, bikes, clothes filled the whole living room area. Out of all the things there, the only thing I dreamed of having was an Easy Bake Oven and It was there! I will NEVER forget that Christmas and the joy that came along with it!
LaShun Pace – b>Getting a crissy doll under the tree.
Lonnie Bos/Tracing Days – My dad would take the whole family out on a sleigh ride pulled by his own horses. Still Can’t beat that- he’d even let me drive! – I included pictures of him giving a sleigh ride below, although I’m taking the picture, and not in the sleigh.
Jme Medina – When I was younger, me and my 5 sisters and brothers grew up extremely
poor, and our parents often did not have money for food, clothes, everyday
items.. and especially for Christmas gifts…but somehow, God would still
show his faithfulness to us kids by sending Santa to our house with a bag
full of toys…literally…!!! You should have seen the faces of us little ones knowing that God never forgot about us! Priceless! That memory has always stayed with me. So now I like to go and drop off toys to families I know can’t afford it. It’s best when you knock–drop–and run–! It makes you feel like your a kid again playing a prank, but you’re
actually bringing joy and making a huge difference in that person’s life…probably a great future memory for them too.
V3 – Well, we all ran track as kids and we really
wanted the Nintendo Power Pad and our Dad bought it
for us one year and we were so excited about it! We we
on that thing for weeks!
Josh Brown/Day of Fire – My favorite Christmas memory is from just a few years ago, in Jackson TN
with my mom, my brother and his family. My wife was pregnant with my youngest daughter Carmynn and my oldest
daughter Cadence (then 1 and half years old) had just received her first motorized Barbie car from her Grandmaw Charlotte (my mom). Cadence was so excited she leaped for joy yelling “Thank you Grandmaw! Thank you Grandmaw! Thank you Grandmaw!” for what seemed like the next
ten minutes. I will never forget that.
Krystal Meyers – I thought I was getting a Gibson Les Paul Guitar for Christmas one year.
My Dad had been leading me on about it since October and I was telling
everyone I was getting one. When Christmas morning had come and gone and
all the presents were opened, I didn’t get it and felt like a brat for
thinking I was. My Mom started crying because she felt bad because she
knew that I wanted it so bad. My Dad said ‘No way are you getting
something so expensive for Christmas!’ My Mom continued to cry and said ‘I’m sorry we didn’t give you a good Christmas.’ I felt like dirt for making my Mom cry and I said, ‘Are you kidding me? This was the best Christmas.’ Three hours later I was in my room and my Dad called me downstairs. He said, ‘Hey, Santa left you something on the table.’ There was a Gibson Guitar case! I opened it up and there was my beautiful teal Gibson Les Paul. The amazing part was that I had carried a picture of that same guitar in my wallet for two years and my Dad never knew.
Michael Barnes/Red – My favorite Christmas memory would be after opening all of our gifts one
year, my brother Matt and I went out in our front yard that night and built the most amazing snow fort out of wood and ice. It was two stories
high with a tunnel that wrapped around the tree to get in. It was our
crowning acheivement and it took us almost all night to do it. The next
morning we went to church with only a couple of hours of sleep, but tons
of energy because of what we had done.
12/21/06
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