Tanner: Remembering the joys of Christmas past and present

How many of you have ever taken a 'sneak peek' at a gift for you under the tree before Christmas Day?

Don't be ashamed. Fess-up.

My sister, Carolyn, and I are guilty of doing just that. After all, curiosity can be a mighty persuasive factor on a young person's mind, especially a couple of girls who couldn't possibly wait until Christmas morning to see if that box with their name on it was what they had been asking for. Naughty, naughty.

But we were very careful not to tear the wrapping paper and to put the tape back right where it had been, and, of course, managed to exhibit surprised joy when tearing into it in front of our parents on Christmas morning. I surmise girls are most guilty of deeds such as this in comparison to boys.

During school years, Christmas holidays were always looked forward to. Having two weeks off and not going back until after New Year's Day was a treat. School was only for a half day when letting out for the holidays and the majority of that time was spent in individual class rooms enjoying treats the teacher and classmates mothers had prepared for our Christmas party.

Immediately following, all classes -- and I'm talking about grades 1 through 12 -- would file into the school auditorium for the annual Christmas program. Different grades had their Christmas plays practiced and memorized while the high school choir, under the direction of Mrs. Kathleen Mew, sang beautiful Christmas carols.

Then, with a burst of activity at the side door by the stage, the doors were flung open and a jolly ho, ho, ho, shouting Santa Claus, followed by his elves carrying box after box of bagged fruit and candy, filed up onto the stage.

Starting with the first grade, squealing children filed out of their seats, forming a line to await their greeting from Santa and receive their bag of goodies. Even up to the last Christmas program in my senior year, I always looked to this special day, and those fruit bags had some of the biggest and best tasting apples and oranges in them ever eaten.

A tradition on Christmas Eve in our home handed down from my husband's Christmases during his youth was, besides the usual cookies and milk left for Santa, to find the perfect spot near the Christmas tree, whether on a couch or the piano bench, to place a large, empty cardboard shoe box for Santa to fill with fruit, candy and a special, longed for gift, which, having three sons usually was a new 'Buck' pocket knife or wrist watch.

Christmas was always a bustling an exciting time with the boys growing up. They would save money they earned through the year and get a 'special' aunt to take them to the 5 & 10 cent store in Savannah to do their shopping. Then, gathering up wrapping paper, they would seclude themselves in their bedroom busily wrapping their purchases and denying anyone entrance until they completed their task.

With all the seasonal entertaining, decorating and shopping, don't get so busy you miss out on pondering the main event of Christmas -- as Dr. Jack Gatlin, preacher of Maye River Baptist Church reminded us the first Sunday in December: the birth of Jesus. There are many Christmas services to attend, cantatas to hear, manger scenes to view and quiet times to read the verses of scripture denoting Jesus birth in Luke 2:8-12.

"The Shepherds and the Angels"

'And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Merry Christmas!

Contributor Jean Tanner is a lifetime rural resident of the Bluffton area and can be reached at jstmeema@hargray.com.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Tanner: Remembering the joys of Christmas past and present."