• Well Christmas is just days away and I'm remembering some Christmas's years ago. For most of us Boomers our youthful years were in the 50's and 60's and things were different then. Some say we glorify a past that wasn't all great and that there is no time like the present. Well while I'm glad to still be present in the present, I do enjoy some good memories of the past. In our small little church in our small little town we always had a traditional Christmas Eve service with the nativity story, traditional carols and all the kids left with a brown paper bag full of peanuts and an apple. If it snowed that evening it was frosting on the celebration. I look back at it now and it seems a little Norman Rockwellish.  Of course as kids part of the excitement is the anticipation of Santa's visit. One year a niece of mine was old enough to announce on Christmas Eve that she no longer believed in Santa. After our evening goodies and some presents, my dad announced that he heard something outside. He turned on some outside lights that lit up the entire yard and we all rushed over to our large picture window just in time to see Santa cross the yard with a large sack over his back and disappear into the trees. My niece got so excited seeing this that she threw up and she was once again a believer.
• On Christmas Eve my twin brother and I would try to stay awake as late as possible to try and catch Santa coming down the chimney. We never understood why mom and dad would get angry the later it got. Why didn't they just go to bed? Then the first thing in the morning we ran out to see if Santa had been there. We first looked to see if the milk, cookies and carrot were gone. They were and then we could check out the toys. I know most of you born in the past forty years after the Boomers have had similar experiences and I hope we can all help our grandkids experience the same kind of excitement that we remember. Yet, somehow it isn't quite the same when Lincoln Logs, Erector sets, Etch A Sketch and Coonskin caps are replaced with X-box, Play stations, Nintendo Wiis, DVD's, Ipods, Ipads. I guess I can quote Cy Robertson of Duck Dynasty,  " Hey, That's just the way it is Jack!" Regardless, we can still celebrate the same gift and best gift of all, in the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. A gift we should all remember.
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• Boomer Babble - "Thoughts at Large" are written by the Boomer Babble Guys, Charles Doug and John with occasional help from friends.  The Boomer Babble radio show is broadcast on WNAX 570 Sunday evenings at 5:00.  Visit us at BoomerBabble.com.
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