nice story thanks
----- Original Message -----
From: Sugarsyl
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, December 22, 2006 8:23 PM
Subject: [RecipesAndMore] The Christmas Family
I heard this on the radio this morning:
*******
Don't bother making jokes. This family has heard them all. No,
they don't communicate directly with Santa Claus. They don't celebrate
the holidays year-round, and they certainly have some not-so-cheerful days.
The smirks
and the wisecracks are just part of life when your last name is
Christmas, and especially so when two of your family members are named -- no
joke
-- Mary.
"People ask me all the time, `What were your parents thinking?'" said the
younger
Mary Christmas, 30. "I never minded. It's a conversation piece."
It all started on Christmas Day 1935, when the elder Mary wedded Henry
Christmas,
becoming Mary Christmas. They had Bob Christmas, who married Peggy and
had six children.
Mary was born first and named for her grandmother. The spirit of the season
took
hold again when Christy Noel, now 23, was born in December.
And it doesn't end there. Bob's brother married Cathy Holiday, and they had a
daughter
named Carol. And Bob's sister married into the White family, becoming
Jeane Christmas White.
The Christmas family lives up to its cheerful name. They are a lively bunch,
finishing
each other's sentences and laughing at a constant stream of jokes.
"You can tell we're a happy family," said the elder Mary Christmas, who is 90.
So what is Christmas like at the Christmases'?
Christmas Eve involves a family dinner, a church service, the reading of the
Christmas
story from the Bible and then one gift per family member. The children
-- ranging in age from 12 to 30 -- build forts in the living room out of
blankets
and furniture and fall asleep watching Christmas movies. Christmas Day
includes a big family brunch with biscuits and gravy, and a Christmas dinner.
The Christmas children agree that the only time their last name gets old is
roll
call at school. Many of them roll their eyes and groan at the thought.
"The first day of the semester in college, I was like, `Here we go,'" said the
younger
Mary, who graduated from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., where
one of her professors made her stand up in front of a large lecture hall full
of
students when he saw her name on the class list.
Peggy said the name keeps her on her toes.
"When you're out shopping and things, you make sure you're not grumpy or rude
to
someone who's helping you because in the end when you go to pay, they see
your name is Christmas," she said.
They also embrace their holiday heritage. The younger Mary's e-mail address
begins
with "jinglebells."
(In truth, the younger Mary goes by the name T.C., from her middle name,
Theresa.
And when she was a little girl, her mother sent her off to kindergarten
as Theresa, for fear the other kids would tease her. But it doesn't take long
for
others to find out her jolly first name.)
Despite the lighthearted way the Christmases talk about their name, they take
it
very seriously, too.
"It would be my goal that our lives as a family exemplify not just the birth
of Christ,
but the life of Christ," said Robby, 28.
With that, he was met with a chorus of amens from the rest of the Christmases.
May you have the gladness of Christmas
which is hope; the spirit of Christmas which
is peace; the heart of Christmas which is love.
-Sylvia
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