Gary Nelson "Gary's World" Published Dec. 23, 2005

Christmas needs traditions

Christmas means a lot of things to a lot of people, but one thing is certain, Christmas is a holiday filled with traditions.

There are many favorite traditions I have in my family and there are favorite traditions I have noticed about other families and the community in which we live.

When I was a child my family would have a huge, family holiday get-together on Christmas Eve. My aunts and uncles and sisters and brothers would all come over to our house with their children and we would have food, sing Christmas carols and open presents. Various family members would come from all over the Chicago region and my sister and brother and their families would come to be with us from their homes in Tennessee and South Carolina. There would be a house full of people and a variety of activities going on in just about every room of the house.

Boy I miss those days.

I miss the simple childhood Christmases where all there was to worry about was when would everybody be at the house and what would we be doing all night. I always wound up watching It's a Wonderful Life on TV late at night and drifting off to sleep only to wake by my father carrying me upstairs and tucking me in for the night. It was the perfect childhood Christmas - family, friends, food, singing, presents and love.

The next morning, Christmas morning, I would get up early and run for the tree to see what came in the two or three hours that I slept. Santa always seemed to magically come during those few hours. Poor mom and dad hardly had a chance to get to sleep when it was time to get up and show excitment about Christmas all over again.

I know those days had to be a real challenge for them. A challenge to host the company, prepare the food, wrap the presents, clean up the mess and do it all again on Christmas Day with our own immediate family.

Now that I'm an adult with my own children, I can certainly appreciate what my parents must have gone through to maintain our family Christmas traditions.

In my family now we go to my mother- and father in-law's home on Christmas Eve for dinner and have fellowship and open presents with them. On Christmas Day we open our presents with the children and have a big, family Chirstmas dinner with my mother and father in-law. The key ingredients are family, love and fellowship with one and another. The presents are always nice for the children and the food is always nice for me, but the best thing about all of it and the holidays is just being together with friends and family.

Watching the movie A Christmas Story has also become a tradition in my family.

In our community there are so many traditions I have learned about over the years that continue to impress me as true acts of love and kindness. I'd like to share just a few of them.

· Bill and Betty Johnson of Fairfield Glade have been giving the best Christmas presents to numerous people since 1992 - companionship on Christmas Day. On Christmas Day the Johnsons will again host a large Christmas dinner and celebration for those who are alone or are unable to be with their families on Christmas.

The Johnsons' current Christmas dinner tradition began when the retired couple realized they would be alone on Christmas Day without their families.

The two thought it would be nice to have others who would also be alone come to visit for dinner and fellowship. The first year there were 28 people and the couple could barely fit everyone in their home. The following year they began having the dinner at their church, Fairfield Glade United Methodist Church.

Each year the Johnsons' Christmas dinner tradition has gotten bigger with more people coming to the dinner. This year the Johnsons are anticipating more than 100 people. The Johnsons keep a reservation list of the people who intend to come to the annual dinner. This year one of the Jonsons' children will come to help with the annual Christmas dinner. Many who come to the dinner bring food and stay to help with the cleanup afterward. After the dinner, those attending sing carols and play games and visit.

· Each year at Christmas the Parade of Christmas Trees at the First National Bank of Tennessee is on display. This tradition was started more than 20 years ago by the Top Town Garden Club. There are more than 40 decorated trees from various civic organizations in the county. It's always nice to see the decorations and the time and effort put into the display for everybody's enjoyment. The Christmas trees may be seen during regular business hours at the bank though Dec. 29.

· The Crossville Chronicle publishes a special Christmas Greetings section that includes letters from children who have written to Santa. The special section is in the Tuesday, Dec. 20 edition of the paper. I encourage all of our Chronicle readers to take some time out of your busy schedule and sit down and read these precious letters. Not only will some of these letters put a lump in your throat, but many of them will put joy in your heart and make your Christmas brighter. It's become a tradition and one of the best sections the paper publishes every year.

May everyone have a joyous Christmas and fulfill or even create your own holiday traditions. Spend time with those you love.

···
Gary Nelson is a Chronicle staffwriter. His column appears periodically in the Crossville Chronicle. He can be reached by e-mail at gnelson@crossville-chronicle.com.