And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

It amazes me how vividly I remember my memories of Christmas as a young girl in England . We lived in a small grey brick house in a country town called Sudbury in Suffolk County where everyone knew each other, and once the home of the famous painter, Thomas Gainsborough.

Our house has happy memories for me. We had no indoor plumbing and it was very cold. The only heat we had was an old coal-fired range where Mom turned out the most delicious meals. She would start making her puddings weeks before Christmas, using zests of oranges, lemons,

suet, and little brandy. She also made a dark rich fruit draped in marzipan with a thin crackling icing and little edible ornaments on top.

Dad worked at a bakery and delivered bread to the people who lived in the country. I can still smell those loaves of bread – brown and crusty right from the oven. He knew where to find huge boughs of holly and mistletoe. My twin brother and I would make paper chains to hang around the ceiling. Christmas Eve we would hang up pillow cases on our bed posts and Father Christmas would always come. We would get up very early, so excited with anticipation that we didn't even feel the cold. After a large meal of goose or capon with all the trimmings, we'd enjoy a nice log fire in the living room. Full and happy, we'd fall asleep. That evening we would go visit Dad's parents, have tea, and sing around the piano.

The next day, Boxing Day, we'd take the bus over to Mom's parents in their lovely thatched cottage (eat your heart out, Thomas Kinkade). The big kitchen was dimly lit by candles and a lantern. She would bring out her home-cured ham which was sugar-cured and never salty, served with crusty slices of bread, hunks of cheese and home-made chutney. The bus ride home was cold. Mom made us hot cocoa and sent us to bed with hot water bottles, making us feel happy and warm inside and mostly - loved. As the old cliché goes, “Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.”

Prayer: “Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care.”

Peggy Bieber