Question of the week #4: Holiday Memory

My favorite holiday memory was when I was in 7^th grade and my sister was in 3^rd  grade. Her teacher had given her a bag filled with “reindeer food”, that she was to spread on the front lawn. Every year we go to my Grandparents house in Indiana. My sister took extra care to put the reindeer food into the car the morning we were leaving for Indiana.

            On Christmas Eve our entire family (extended included, usually around 10 people), goes to my Grandparents church for a service. On the way there my dad turned on Christmas music and right as the song “Let it Snow” came on, it began to snow. By the time we arrived at the church the ground was fully covered in powdery, fluffy snow. We were not allowed to play in the snow before the service, but as we sat down in the large auditorium, we noticed that the entire side was made of glass window, and we could watch the snow fall throughout the entire service.

            At the end of every service the room’s lights are turned off and everyone receives a candle. The first candle in each row is lit. A statement is read saying “friendship and love are best to be shared, however, they cannot be forced upon each other, like the flame of a candle, one must wait for a friend to take the light. If you force it upon them you risk losing the friendship.. and dripping hot wax on their lap ;)”. As the flames pass across the room, everyone sings “Silent Night”. Finally the room becomes lit up, and the snow outside is seen with a gentle yellow glow.

            After the service, we walked outside and found almost 2 inches of snow were on the ground. We drove home carefully, marveling at the beautiful Christmas lights and listening to Christmas music. When we arrived home my sister dashed into the house and came emerged with the “reindeer food”. All of us kids (age 13 to 9) spread reindeer food across the lawn. We then went inside to check the Santa Tracker online, which showed us where Santa was already delivering presents in the world. Finally, we each had a glass of hot chocolate, brushed our teeth and jumped into bed, ready for the next morning of fun.