My Christmas memories

At this time of year I often think of one of some Christmas pasts. Here are a couple that take me back to a different time and place.

One happened when I was little, I don't really know how old - probably 9 or 10. We were dirt poor as usual, and were the beneficiaries of other people's hand-me-downs and other odds and ends for the most part.

This year was different. My Grandma Kennedy sent a bunch of gifts this year - something she had never done before, or after. I think she must have come into some money or something. Anyway, there were a lot of gifts for me, and my favorite was the G.I. Joe Hovercraft. That toy brought me more joy and I played with it more than any other toy ever. I would say that it, and Snake Eyes, were my favorite toys as a kid. And Grandma Kennedy made that happen. Honestly, I don't have many other memories of her...but that was a great, magical Christmas.

Another one that makes me giggle was my favorite Christmas on my mission. I was serving in Kingston at the time, and although the people were very sweet to us, we didn't eat at members houses very often. Christmas time was very different. One woman, a very rich Chinese member, invited about 8 sets of us Elders to her house. What a feast we had. Her husband, a professional chef, prepared us the perfect looking steaks. They were meaty and nice cuts - Filet Mignon or better. But they were pepper steak, and hot as anything. Inedible. It was disappointing because we were all looking forward to them, but because they were so spicy none of us could eat it. Even the toughest guys couldn't do it. He was very disappointed, and we all felt horrible to leave those steaks on the table. Then she brought out for each of us a box. In it were the exact same thing - a jar of peanut butter, cookies, candies...all from the U.S., all from home. We were in heaven that night. None of us could afford these goodies on our own, and she bought them for all of us. It was such a special night for us, and memorable.

A couple of days later was Christmas, and we had a number of people invite us over for dinner. We thanked them all, but said that we already had plans. A number of people said, "Come over for dessert, or come over for appetizers, or come over to visit." So we had multiple places to go that Christmas. First, we went to Christmas dinner. It was a full on feast! We gourged, and with full bellies, headed to the next family. They surprised us with another full meal - we thanked them, but said we had already eaten. I think they thought we were teasing. They were borderline offended, and us, being Ambassadors of Jesus, sat down for dinner #2. Our final appointment that day was a single woman who was not very well to do. Instead of simply stopping by for a visit, she too had a meal for us. We considered our options. We could purge ourselves, but where? We could pass, but risk offending her. Knowing that neither option would work, we sat down for meal #3. Three huge meals in a couple of hours - we were sooooo sick. My companion had finished his plate, and went to the bathroom - maybe to purge himself, I don't know. But while he was gone, we loaded his plate with food with a huge second helping. When he returned, he realized his error. Being a good missionary, he finished it - but I think he almost lost it. It was funny, and one of my favorite Christmas memories.