Reflecting on 80 years of joy at Christmas time

Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Christmas brings Joy and Happiness, but the older you get it is more Joy than Happiness. Here’s why; Happiness can be caused by luck, good fortune, or other personal pleasures. For example, about 80 years ago as a four year old who was then believing in Santa Claus, the gifts I got made me happy. But now as I look back at over eight decades of memories of Christmases, I feel the Joy they have brought. Joy is caused by a moment in time, as in the time we celebrate now, the birth of Jesus!

Don Estep is publisher of the News Journal.

My best memory was when I was about six years old. I wanted Santa to bring me a scooter. After hearing every sound that I thought could be Santa I finally went to sleep. The next morning it was there. A bright red scooter. I couldn’t wait to ride it, but when I went outside my friend Billy also got a scooter and it was bigger than mine. I wondered why Santa liked him more than me.

A few years later I couldn’t wait to get home after school let out for the holidays. The first thing we did was purchase or cut down a Christmas tree. I shared the decorating of the tree with my two older sisters. They were cedar trees and remember those big lights we decorated with? They would get so hot they would burn you. It was my job to keep the tree watered. I pitched in on the decorating which was not appreciated by my sisters. I thought throwing a big bunch of icicles on the tree looked good. They didn’t.

Even before decorating the tree our thoughts turned to Christmas when the big two-inch Montgomery Ward catalogue would arrive. I would spend hours on the couch looking at the pictures, knowing I would not get any of what I was looking at, especially the boxes of candy that made my mouth water.

Part of the greatest memory that brings Joy to my heart today was the gathering of family at my parent’s house. I had seven sisters and those who could be there on Christmas Eve were there with their children. It was standing room only in that little house. The fun started when my mother would open the gifts from my father. Always one of my sisters had done the shopping and he was as surprised as we were at what she received. Then he would put on a big show of expression for the gifts he got. Pure Joy!

The Joy of Christmas got even greater after my marriage to Judy Holman after we had our first daughter, Angie. The memories of seeing a little sleepy-eyed girl coming to see what Santa had brought are precious. The same is true for our other two daughters, Ashley and Amber.

It was so wonderful that I bought a Super 8 film camera and recorded all the scenes. I have a box full of film and recently I bought a converter to change the film to digital. It is a project I’ll get to after Christmas. Christmas with our children was pure Joy!

Attending church and being a part of Christmas programs has lasting memories for me. I feel fortunate to have been selected several times to be the narrator for Christmas and Easter programs at our church. My memorization at age 84 has slipped a little, but I still know the verses from the Bible by heart after saying them so often. Also, our church had Christmas songs and a dinner show for a couple of years. I was the MC for those and those are part of my Christmas Joy.

Christmas has changed greatly as I get older. No longer is there a house full of people and children opening gifts. Our daughter from Lexington, along with Trent and grandson Blake will be here. We will attend the candle lighting ceremony at church and open gifts, but it won’t be like that house full of years gone by.

When I write about Joy at Christmas, which is great, I also recognize that Christmas can be the loneliest day of the year for many people. Then how can one have Joy when sadness is there. It is possible to be sad and be Joyous at the same time if you are a believer of Jesus Christ. You know that the loved ones who believed and accepted Christ are now with perfect and everlasting Joy.

I have just learned that I have lost a relative here at Christmas, but I know the Joy she is having now. It is tough and with my condolences to all who are faced with this situation, remember “For Unto us a Savior was born on Christmas Day” and “Joy Comes in the Morning!”

Merry Christmas!