A Cherished Christmas Memory

Every now and again we stumble upon a symbol that brings back a memory so ingrained in our souls that it becomes inextricably combined with our holiday traditions and we can't imagine a year going by without its involvement. For me, one of these sacred things is a song from Amy Grant's "A Christmas to Remember." We first picked up the cassette tape when it came out in 1999, and once I got married, I just had to get a copy on CD for my own home. The song is called, "'Till the Season Comes 'Round Again," and it paints the picture of family and friends gathered for the holidays, putting differences aside and making every moment and memory count so that it will hold them through until they are reunited once again. Absolutely beautiful. I always loved it as a little one, since holidays have given me the warm fuzzies for as long as I can remember, but it took on a more special meaning after the Christmases of 2002 and 2003. In 2002, we were expecting a record-setting snow storm on Christmas Eve, and while we adored the thought of snow on Christmas morning, we were also worried that Grammy and Granddaddy wouldn't be able to make it down from Millersville to spend the day with us. That would have been a huge disappointment! At the last minute, we were thrilled to hear that they had decided to come down and spend Christmas Eve at our house. Not only would this give us more time with them, but it meant that they would get to come back for their first Christmas Eve at Chestnut Level (where Granddaddy used to preach)in years. When they got to our house though, they decided that they didn't want to go out in the weather anymore, so while we went to the service and party afterwards, they enjoyed a quiet evening at our house. When we got home, they told us about the wonderful time they had, and how Granddaddy in particular enjoyed sitting in our living room with just the tree lights and radio on, watching the snow fall softly out the window. Once we had them all tucked in for the night, Mommy and I went through all of the goodies we had stashed away for stockings, looking for the perfect things we could put together in an extra pair of socks to surprise them in the morning. Then we sneaked down to their bed and put out their presents. The next morning, we were not disappointed by the forecasts. We were completely snowed in, and what a cozy day it was! We took our time opening stockings and presents together, and Grammy and Granddaddy were so surprised to see that they had stockings too. The rest of the day was spent cuddled up watching Christmas movies and just enjoying our day together. They said it was the best Christmas they had ever experienced, and I believe it truly was that...the perfect Christmas. Fast-forward one year, and it was just 2 months after Grammy had died (complications from open heart surgery). Thanksgiving had been difficult with neither of them there. Granddaddy was in the hospital with some electrolyte imbalances, and after the meal, as many of us as could piled into the car to go visit him and take him a turkey dinner. Of course, this song was playing on the radio, and we were all reminded of how different our family gathering was this year. Granddaddy, always one of the most upbeat people I've ever known, truly lost his soul-mate the day that Grammy died, and he never really got over it. After he was released from the hospital, he moved into the nursing home in Quarryville. When we visited him on Christmas day, it was the most painful sight I had ever seen...he had his back turned to us, bent over the table where the nurses had worked so hard to create a more cheerful environment for him (tree, stocking, etc.). It just didn't work. Nothing could replace the joy he had lost with his sweetheart. He had labored for hours over my Christmas card, trying to find just the right words, but was lost without Grammy by his side. We treasured every moment of that Christmas that we got to spend with him, not realizing that in another 4 months, he would be gone as well. Despite all of this, the memories evoked by Amy's song are not at all negative. Yes, there are some parts to it that bring me to tears in an instant, no matter how many times I've listened to it. But the sadness that I feel over the loss of my grandparents only magnifies the joy I feel remembering our last Christmas together, when things could not have been more perfect if we had the whole world at our disposal. It reminds me to cherish each and every memory that we will continue to make as a family, and to store those deep in my mind so that I'll always be able to find my way back to them once my loved ones are gone. So with that being said, I wanted to share this song, and one of my most powerful and cherished memories with you all this holiday season, and wish you the very best of times with your family. May you remember it always, whether you'll see each other again in the next year or the next lifetime. Merry Christmas! :) P.S. ~ Sorry for the live recording. The only other versions I could find had montages of people I don't know. Just fast-forward to 0:32 to hear the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3KZrEn90ao