A merry Christmas wish from a 1910 holiday postcard. (Photo courtesy Calvin Dodge collection)
Once again I have the privilege and honor to welcome all my family, friends, and neighbors to share the true meaning of the Christmas season and the special day of Christmas. This past week I had the privilege to watch and see the great cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France being rebuilt from destruction of fire to a complete and beautiful cathedral once again.
This was done by people from all over the world giving $1 per person, which added up to over $860 million. This truly shows what Christians across the world can do if united. May the spirit of love and care for one another flow all over the world from the church services of Notre Dame.
Many unseen events can interfere with the joy of the Christmas holiday season. These past months of November and December, I have lost four cousins, two close Masonic brothers, two classmates at Lincoln Academy, and two friends who rode to work with me to Bath Iron Works for over 12 years. My prayers are with their families and may they rest in peace and suffer no more pain.
This past week, a friend of mine and a brother of Alna-Anchor Masonic Lodge here in Damariscotta stopped by my home. He gave me a beautiful red poinsettia plant that I placed on my kitchen table and it truly beautifies the area. He also offered me a ride to the Lodge Hall to have a game of cribbage with some of the lodge boys on Dec. 10. I did go and enjoyed four hours of laughter and conversation of past events that had taken place in the hall over the last 40 years, and the challenge of a good game of cribbage.
Then, for dessert we had a slice or two of a raspberry crumb cake and hot coffee.
My small Christmas tree is up and standing in the south living room. It has all kinds of ornaments on it and even two old German stuffed bears. The angel on the top of the tree was given to my wife Marjorie by her mother Kathleen Cooper on her daughter’s first Christmas back in December of 1930, which makes it 94 years old.
I have also hung my Christmas stocking on the mantle of the fireplace. I find myself humming the words “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how beautiful you are to me.”
I also find myself tuning into a radio station and enjoying many of the old Christmas hymns and songs. I also tune into Maine Public Classical on 96.7.
I find myself sitting in the dining room working on research items for the Damariscotta Historical Society and looking over at the manger set, which is sitting on a white tablecloth on top of my card table with all its many animals, figures, and the holy figure of the lord.
Here again I find myself humming or singing a few words of “Away in a Manger.” This keeps me in the Christmas spirit and brings back so many wonderful memories of past years when our children and family were all around us at these Christmas events.
So far in the first 11 days of December, I have had my driveway and sidewalk shoveled twice and used a little snow melt on the back door steps. With the snow on the ground, I have noticed a set of fox tracks coming from across the road, around the corner of my home and under the birdfeeder and a section of sidewalk, where I put food scraps late in the afternoon.
For lunch around 2 p.m., I decided to have six slices of fried bacon and two slices of French toast with maple syrup, a small sauce dish of sliced peaches, and a good cup of hot coffee.
Later, around 4 p.m., I will peel an orange and get my vitamin A. It is now around 3 p.m. and I have just walked back into my home from getting the afternoon mail out of the mailbox. I have a number of Christmas cards to open from my friends and family across the country.
One of the Christmas cards is a beautiful photo with my youngest granddaughter, MacKenzie, her husband, Zach, and their daughter, Remi. The other cards contained letters letting me know what is going on in the sender’s life and what the family has been up to for the past year and how their children are doing in college and what some of them are doing after retirement.
I still enjoy Walt Disney Christmas programs and Christmas cartoons. I truly thank the lord I can still see the funny side of life in some of these Christmas cartoons and still laugh and chuckle in an amused manner. My grandmother used to say a good laugh is a good medicine, so don’t stop laughing.
I will once again show you some of my real old Christmas postcards of the past years from my postcard collection for all of you and family to enjoy. These old Christmas postcards were beautifully hand illustrated, embossed, and printed in different colors and words of joy to all.
Now as we come to Christmas Eve, let me share a few words of wisdom and foresight into that special moment of time. Let us all, no matter our age become shepherds for the lord and take special care of our families, the land we live on, our beautiful lakes, ponds, rivers, and those people who are in need and the homeless.
Please take time to say special prayers for events taking place around our community and state, and our new president and staff.
Now with a little humor and old time custom, please leave a hot cup of chocolate and some cookies by the Christmas tree so Santa can have his lunch on his trip all over the world on Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
