Image: Melanie Kyer
Memories of Christmas
Each year during Advent, many homes and businesses in York begin preparing for Christmas, the most celebrated holiday of the year. The Christmas tree, which spiritually represents the birth of Baby Jesus, is carefully decorated as a symbol of our anticipation of His coming.
When I was a child, my father cut an evergreen from the woods behind our house during the second week of December. He fit the tree in a sturdy stand and arranged a long string of multi-colored light bulbs around her branches. My three sisters and I loaded the tree with tinsel.
Our mother added gold braid and ornaments her own parents saved from earlier times.
In the weeks before Christmas, we made new ornaments from styrofoam balls, pipe cleaners,pieces of felt, and paper cut-outs we collected throughout the year. The ornaments represented special qualities such as peace, love and joy. To create the appearance of snow on our tree we gathered pine cones, painted their scales white and placed them on the tree with wire hangers. It was our way of sharing the value of nature at this special time.
On Christmas Eve my family and I attended Midnight Mass at Saint George’s Episcopal Church in York Harbor.. My three sisters and I sang in the choir. The church was lovely; adorned with rich red poinsettias and fresh balsam wreaths. During one of the darkest days of the year, the beauty filled our hearts with light.
We prayed together and gave thanks as we sang “Silent Night” by candlelight. The magic of Christmas had begun..
Nina Bisognani