My Fondest Christmas Memory
♪’ O Holy Night♪
I am just letting everyone know the Sidekick, and I are not outside on the back patio. Heck no, it is far too cold here in Texas for that. Who is the wiseacre that made mother nature mad and she decided to bring us to single digits? The cold is not the Texas we all know. Heck, the Sidekick is snuggled under a blanket next to the fireplace, conserving his energy for maximum use later. Probably around the time I am tired. We all know how that works.
So, we are two days from Christmas. Yes, that joyous time of the year. Christmas is when the kids are on their best behavior because we convinced them they might actually get coal for Christmas.
It reminds me of one of my fondest memories of Christmas. I was stationed in Germany, and my mom came to visit. Now two things my mom loved. That is snow and Christmas. It just so happens that we were having snow for the holidays, and she was there to enjoy Christmas with some of her Grandchildren.
On Christmas Eve, we do my wife’s German tradition. We go to church that evening and take in a Christmas service. That night we went to the church in the center of Kitzingen. We walked in, and the main area was pretty full, so we went upstairs and sat. The upstairs had seats on the two sides of the church as it looked down on the main congregation. The pipe organs in the church were unbelievable. My mom loved pipe organs. She was fascinated by how big they were in the Church in Kitzingen.
As we sat there, the church choir sang Christmas Carols in German. You could make them out as you sat there and listened. They started singing ♪’O Holy Night♪. It was beautiful. As they got through the first verse and got to the chorus, my mom busted out with them in English, ♪Fall on your knees♪. She was loud. The German choir did not skip a beat as my mom sang the rest of the song with them in English. I know it is not true, but I swear in my mind the choir conductor smiled and looked over his shoulder at her in admiration to give her his approval.
There we were in Germany, and the challenges of languages would not deter my mom’s love for Christmas. Instead, she sang with such conviction and pride. Now those that know my mom know she couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. She was definitely no, Celine Dion. I inherited that unfortunate gift. Regardless it was the passion in her voice as I heard her belt out ♪Noel♪. She didn’t care what anyone thought of her. She just lived in the moment. More importantly, she was at peace there. She was immersed in her idea of paradise. To be around her Grandchildren during Christmas as snow fell all around us outside was the best present for her. My mom was so content.
Without a doubt, this is my fondest memory of Christmas.
Several years later, I was in Liberia fighting the Ebola Crisis. The Division Commander and Command Sergeant Major were coming down. They told us they had a surprise for all of us. Naturally, we thought that meant we were going home early. It was Christmas Eve, and we all gathered as the Division Commander came out and told us how proud of us he was. Then he said, “I brought a surprise for everyone. I brought the Division Choir to sing Christmas songs for you.” A hush went over the crowd.
The first song the choir started with was ♪’ O Holy Night♪, which is a powerful song but normally not one to get everyone in a great mood. I was standing on the side of the troops out of sight. The Division Command Sergeant Major walked up to me and asked. “Why is everyone in a somber mood?” I looked at him and said, “Sergeant Major, everyone was expecting to get news of going home.” He immediately realized the soldiers expected something vastly different.
The choir belted out ♪Fall on your knees♪. My eyes swelled with tears. Then the Division Sergeant Major looked at me and said, “Sergeant Major Griffin, are you ok?” He could see the tears in my eyes. I didn’t want anyone to notice or see. But he was a good Sergeant Major and noticed.
I explained to him my mom’s story and that she had passed away just a couple of years ago. He stood next to me and held out his hand. I shook it, and he nodded, letting me know he understood. Then we turned to the choir, and both sang just like my mom did. We were completely out of tune, but we did it with pride, and we did it together. The troops saw this, and then they quickly joined in. The mood changed quickly.
A song ended, and the Division Sergeant Major looked at me, nodding his head, and then he gave me a wink. “I think your mom would have been proud of us here, Sergeant Major.” I smiled, and replied, “I think so.” We went back to singing the next song.
We weren’t perfect. Instead, we sang from our hearts and with conviction. Everyone just wanted to be home with their families. We didn’t have that for Christmas. Instead, we had each other. For that Christmas, that was just enough.
This is My Friday’s Thought to Ponder for this Great Weekend!
♪’ O Holy Night♪
The Vet
