My favorite Christmas memory is going to my Nannie and Pa’s house every Christmas Eve. Though they only lived an hour away from us, it seemed to take forever. Once we pulled down the gravel street that they lived on, I was busting with excitement.
There was not a TV in the living room to entertain us. There were no smartphones to draw us away from the people we were with. Conversations filled with laughter were our form of entertainment. There would be several conversations going on at one time, and you just picked the one you wanted to be part of.
After dinner, everyone would gather in the living room to open Christmas presents. Within minutes all the gifts would be opened, and wrapping paper would be everywhere.
I can only recall a few of the Christmas gifts that I received as a child, but I can still remember how I felt being at my Nannie and Pa’s on Christmas Eve. It just felt right.
As a parent, it’s easy to focus on finding our kids the latest toy or tech gift that they will soon forget about. But if we focus on creating a warm, loving, peaceful home during the Christmas season, our children will always remember that.