Christmas Memories - Lisa Clark

Christmas memories…they warm our hearts as we remember all the magical moments throughout the years.
I’m guessing this was my first, or 2nd Christmas. I was still an only child so I made bank! Ha!!! Then my sisters came along and everything changed. Sigh.
 
My husband Brad and I started a tradition many years ago that allowed for 3 gifts for our girls. That kept things simple and the main thing the main thing.

It seems the gifts I remember most are the ones that warmed my heart and made me feel special. 

My mom went back to working full time when I was in 7th grade, I believe. So, once again, being the oldest child, that change brought more responsibilities. I came home from school and, after getting my homework done, would help clean the house and get dinner prepared. At the time, I didn’t feel overwhelmed by it all, but as I look back it seems like a lot of responsibility. (If you have ever heard me speak, you know I BELIEVE WHOLEHARTEDLY in family chores. They make “family” work.)
 
That Christmas I asked for a few clothes items, some albums and a digital clock/radio. (It was the 70s!) But I had been admiring a friend’s new diamond ring. I use the term “diamond ring” VERY loosely. It was a microscopic chip of a diamond. Tiny tiny tiny. But I thought it was beautiful.  It was nestled tightly within the bloom of a rose, all dipped in 18-karat gold.  The ring couldn’t have cost much but for a 7th grader, it was ahhhh-mazing. 
 
Christmas morning, Santa came, and I got some gauchos and turtlenecks, some cool 70s music albums and the clock/radio. It was a good Christmas. But then something happened that I certainly didn’t expect, and have never forgotten. My dad, from across the room, said “We have one more gift to be opened!” and he threw a little wrapped box at me and said, “Heads up!” As I opened the gift, I knew immediately what it was. The beautiful little gold rose ring with a diamond chip perched on top. Cue the tears. And they followed up the gift with words of affirmation and encouragement, thanking me for all I had done the past year in helping make our family run smoothly.  I felt noticed and valued. I felt loved. Not because they bought me a $69 ring. But because they noticed my hard work. Their words blessed me. They affirmed me and made me feel very special.

So this Christmas, as you give gifts, make sure the person on the receiving end knows how special they are to you. We won’t remember most gifts throughout the years, but we will remember how they made us feel.

James 1:17 – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Lisa Clark
Sky Ranch SkyMom's Parenting Mentor
https://www.lisaclarkspeaks.com/