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Christmas Special Park Rapids Enterprise
In every ornament, in every light By Jean Avenson Park Rapids Can you believe it? Another holiday season is upon us... how fast the years fly. Decorations are out with everything as beautiful as ever. Strings of bubbling lights and mini lights are lit in perfect placement. The ornaments are beautiful, but somehow the lights are the real draw, maybe because we think of Jesus and how he’s the light of the world. Here is the 23-piece, ceramic Nativity set I made as a young bride...1973. My husband made a lovely wooden stable as a backdrop. He’s gone now, but the little, old stable still holds its place in my heart. I broke an angel last year so have to get it glued. A lovely 18-inch-by-20inch, counted cross stitch scene awaits hanging in a special place on the wall. It was Christmas 1981 that came into the household...a handmade gift from a very dear neighbor. I look around, all the things are in place but something is missing...my dear departed! Every one of these things came into our possession during the 50 years we were married. He loved Christmas! He proposed to me on Christmas Eve 1965. Over the years, we tried to get memorable gifts for each other, even though we had little money. Back in the 70s, he got me a beautiful, purple snowmobile
suit. The next year, my very own Arctic Cat snowmobile. (He’d made a down payment and let me to scratch up the $41 monthly payments!) As our three children grew, it was more important to spend on them than each other so I have little memory of things we got each other during those years. To supplement the storebought gifts, I made the children quilts and clothing. My husband made toys and other things desired. One year, he made a beautiful chess set that he’d welded up from various nuts and bolts. We played chess the whole school vacation. This developed into an annual family Christmas chess tournament, something we looked forward to every year. Soon, the kids were grown and it was him and me again. As his health declined, it was clear to me that we had to make his farm chores easier or get rid of the cows. That Christmas, I’d made an arrangement with John Deere to have a shiny, new JD Gator delivered out just before present opening time. The weather was cooperating...it was snowing cats and dogs! As the delivery truck pulled into the yard, he said, “Those fellows must be looking to trap on our swamp.” He went on to say, “I can tell you this: they’ll have to do a lot of trapping to pay for something like that!”
I was thinking that it will take quite a few payments off the farm to pay for it, too! Anyway, we convinced him to go out and see what the guys wanted. Asking if this was John Deere Drive, they had him sign the delivery ticket, unloaded and left him standing next to this new toy, his mouth hanging open as they drove off. That Gator gave him access to the barns, to his deer stand and nearly everywhere on the farm and turned out to be his best present ever. During that time and the years that followed, the grandchildren kept coming. I’d take him to Walmart or Fleet Farm where he could ride a scooter and have the time of his life buying toys for the little kids – things we couldn’t afford when our own were little. Christmas 2016 was our last Christmas together. He was either in a hospital bed in the living room or in a wheelchair. He could still play games with us all and kept his mind sharp. He left us in the spring, leaving us with so many memories of a lifetime and holidays gone-by. As I look around at the house all decorated up, I realize that he’s not missing. His essence is there in every toy, in every ornament, in every memory, in every light... because he’s there with Jesus, the light of the world.
service and dinner when we are back at mom and dad’s after church. These days, I drive home, and the grandkids have a sleepover, so they can sneak a peek for “Santa” and are able to dig in their stockings right away in the morning. Even as teenagers now, some of the childlike wonder and joy is still present for the grandkids, and for that, I am thoroughly grateful. It’s funny how things change. As we grew and aged, the Christmas dynamic began to change. The people you never wanted to let go of, leave in one way or another, and new life is added. Grandpa M passed away, then a few years later, Grandma M passed, too. Cousins got married and began travelling other directions for the holidays. Some of us began our own families, and added a fourth generation to the annual Whoville event. Grandma and Grandpa V moved off the farm, and
By Georgia Nolting Park Rapids It was 1976, and the house was decorated from the top to the bottom; the handmade decorations made by our nieces had the front and center places on the tree so we could all admire and remember each and every one of them, who made them and how old the creator of each ornament was. Now for our guest to arrive, and a great day of celebration would begin. Our family arrived, and Mom was with them. She had just celebrated her 67th birthday two weeks before. In they all came, and the house went from very quiet to having explosions of laughter, talk, and coffee being poured. Presents were unloaded and put under the tree. There were so many and they were so tempting that the little people could not help but pick up each one and give it a little shake as they tried to read the tags on each package and try to figure out what it might be. The kids were 10 and five. Our oldest niece was into tape-recording songs off the radio and listening to them, so a new tape recorder was the gift of choice for her. Instead of the traditional wrapped box, we placed the recorder under the couch near where one of us would be sitting and ready to push “record” without anyone being aware of it as everyone was involved with toys needing to be assembled. Mom was so excited being with the kids, having uncounted hugs and kisses going her way. What a celebration we had that year, with the sounds of joy filling the house. Mom was excited to have the new coffee pot and anxious to try it out on us the next evening. Oh, how quiet it was in the house again, although now it looked a bit differently than it did 12 hours ago. We were excited to listen to the tape of the day, so we dug out our old recorder and sat quietly, coffee in hand, ready for a restful moment. The recording brought tears to our eyes as we relived that entire day. The tape was a gem that caught conversations many of us were unaware of, like mom sitting with the little girls listening to their excited voices ring out with all of the “thank yous” to Santa for the gifts. We caught Mom saying that this Christmas was the very most precious, loving Christmas
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It’s funny how things change By Kaaren Mikus Park Rapids It’s funny how things change. My earliest memories of Christmas include Grandma and Grandpa M and Aunt Kaye pulling into our yard on Christmas Eve afternoon with a vehicle full of gifts, going to late-night Christmas Eve church, and travelling up the road to Grandma and Grandpa V’s farm on Christmas Day. There was an abundance of Jesus, family, fellowship and food, surrounded by childhood wonder and joy. There was nothing better than spending time with family, opening gifts and seeing the church cheek pinchers. There was never a shortage of excitement. With three younger brothers under foot, how could there be? There was also never a shortage of ham and lefse and all the trimmings on Christmas Eve, or chili and sweet rice with all the trimmings on Christmas night. It’s funny how things change.
The memories of the annual signing and dating of the tablecloth after Christmas Eve dinner (so it could be embroidered), singing “Silent Night” while lighting individual candles in church, and squealing with glee while joking and playing with the siblings and cousins are very fond and kept close to heart. It was always an experience to cram grandma and grandpa, all the aunts, uncles, cousins and our family into the already packed living room for our family Christmas program. There were readings and singing that took place before gifts could be distributed by “the elves” and opened. We had our own Whoville, right there in grandpa and grandma’s living room. It’s funny how things change. Ham and lefse are still a staple for the Christmas Eve meal, though, we no longer use the tablecloth with all the signatures from years past. We no longer go to the late-night Christmas Eve church service. These days it’s the evening
A precious Christmas recording
Every year entrants in the annual Park Rapids Enterprise Christmas story contest share their gift of writing. Some inspire, others make us laugh. Grab a cup of cocoa, find a comfortable chair and enjoy this mix of creative fiction, personal essay and memoir. We received a record number of stories this year. Thank you to all our contributors!
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