THANKING
GOD FOR CHRISTMAS PAST, PRESENT, AND BEYOND
Thursday,
December 25, 2014
1Thessalonians
[GW] 5:18-21 Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is
God's will in Christ Jesus that you do this. Don't put out the Spirit's fire. Don't
despise what God has revealed. Instead, test everything. Hold on to what is
good.
During WWII and “the recovery years” money
was more scarce than hen’s teeth. For Christmas, most of us kids received an
orange, box of raisins or hard candy, a toy of some sort, and were happy with
it. Extended family gatherings were the best thing. My uncles and cousins, WWII
combat survivors, were the greatest fun! Especially Uncle John Bullock as he
kept everybody laughing with his wit . . . and consequently often embarrassed wife
Helen.
Most people didn’t have an automobile. I was 6
or 7 when I walked with the older boys to see a neighbor’s wonderful special
Christmas gift, a “New used car.” While admiring, one of the older boys snuck a
touch. Fearful that the man had seen, we ran home. The tel-a-neighbor
communication system of that day could have gotten the news of disrespectful
behavior home before we sped around the corner. We were thankful the dreaded
message didn’t come as we were concerned it may affect our Christmas.
I only knew one older boy that got an
allowance. His father was an editor for The Baltimore Sun and drove a Chrysler.
Most kids didn’t have money to buy gifts. If a gift could be gotten it would be
for your Mom. I remember a school teacher bringing oranges and lots of cloves
to make a smell-good thing to give to our moms to put in their clothing drawer.
Years later I realized the expense for the teacher. Oranges in the winter were
not normal fare. We may get one in our stocking. Spices were not cheap.
When I was 9-10 we moved from Hamilton to
Dundalk. Then I began earning money selling newspapers on street cars, shining
shoes on the sidewalk outside a local bar, mowing grass with reel push mower, weeding,
shoveling snow, and other chores for neighbors. (Family work was family work,
unpaid.)
A favorite winter job was tending coal
furnaces for neighbors working night shift in the steel mills. I was quite good
at “stoking and banking” so their wives didn’t wake up freezing in the middle
of the night. The pay was great. I got a whole dime each time! (In 2014 this
would be $1.28 cents. “Big deal.” You say? The big deal was that kids did not
have money then.)
It wasn’t long until a neighbor purchased a
TV for Christmas. His wife didn’t want a bunch of kids in the house, but he
allowed us to “As long as you’re quiet and don’t step on my flowers ..” watch
thru the window. (His wife wasn’t happy about this arrangement either.) Summer
was best because pre-AC we could hear thru the screen.
By the next cold season my brother Jim and I
were weary of frostbite viewing so we asked Dad if we could get a TV. He
responded “Sure. Earn, save, and buy one whenever you like.” It took a lot of
hustling but we finally purchased a small Muntz tabletop TV. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Muntz ) I think cost was
97 dollars, equivalent to about 970 dollars today. (One of the misconceptions
about the Good Olde Days is that everything cost less. It did not, especially
when considering number of man-hours worked needed to purchase a number of
items.)
It was a wonderful life. The prevailing
attitude was gratefulness.
With GI Generation determination, our nation
prospered. Most acquired their own car and TV. AC came, and later became normal
even for present day “poor and underprivileged”. People spent more time in car
and home “Doing their own thing.” The idea list of what is needed to live
changed drastically.
Attitude, conversation and action on
increasing, maintaining and securing wealth increased to point of now very much
dominating society. Affluence brought with it neurosis and accompanying counseling
and debt services in print and office, TV’s Dr.
Phils soon playing an expansive role.
More and more, when they knew God, men glorified
Him not as Adonai-jireh (Jehovah Provider), losing their sense of true gratefulness,
and their hearts were darkened as they increasingly became vainglorious in
their thinking. (Rom.1:20-21)
Lord,
help us please. May Your Christmas peace rule our heart producing godly attitude
of gratitude. EBB4
No comments:
Post a Comment