It’s hard to reimagine just how important this date is to kids anymore. But it is. Back when I was a kid, our family we would have a “tree” up many days before Christmas Eve and gradually the pool of presents would grow under it. What was in these presents? There was the mystery. And indeed, what might was the burning question. Speculation and wonder ruled the moments, and it was indeed an exciting time for kids. Both for the giver and the receiver.

My mom had a child’s curiosity in her, too. She loved the mystery of a wrapped Christmas gift. In fact, she could hardly stand it. Once upon a time I woke up during the “season” and heard a burglar in our living room over at Stonewall.

I slid out of my warm bed and went for a peek. Yes, it was my mom. She had just about unwrapped a gift under the tree— something she denied under cross-examination. The thing was it was her gift from dad. She had been trying to elicit hints from him and the rest of us for about a week. But we had all been either been warned not to tell her. Not anything. We were enjoying our roles.

Keeping the secret was the thing. Perhaps dad remembered a time when we lived in Allen and he had bought mom a little wristwatch for Christmas. It, too, was wrapped up and secret. My brother Gerald was the only child at home in 1934 but mom finally got the tyke alone and tried to get him to tell. He would not talk. “Can’t you give me just a little hint?” Gerald said no but he did venture this: “You wear it on your wrist, it tells time and goes tictic-tic.” But there were no subtle hints this time. That may be part of the reason I was able to catch her seeking a peek years later.

I love my family members and I guess that’s why Christmas is so much fun for me, even in the present tense. And I suppose that’s a big reason most of us love to gift one another and for the surprise that goes with it. The fun that goes with the selection of a gift for someone we love probably exceeds the fun we get from receiving a gift. The speculation in our minds of seeing a loved one opening and enjoying this gift is probably the greatest part of it.

My parents and some of my brothers and sisters are already gone to be with the Lord this Christmas and my children are grown. But I still have some grandkids. This past Thanksgiving all my kids came home to be with each other and Pat and me. It was a good time. They said, “this will be our Christmas.” But it wasn’t. We had a fun time eating and fellowshipping but now my inadequate looking tree faces Christmas with a bare bottom. Not a gift. Thanksgiving now seems a long time back. But some of my grandkids say they may see us this Christmas week. Maybe Dollar Store hasn’t sold plumb out yet. Hope your Christmas tree is decked with gifts and your Christmas is merry.

And then I remember that it is written, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11. That is a good enough gift for me.

Wayne Bullard, DPh

cwaynebullard@gmail.com