Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me,
and do not forbid them; for of such is the
Kingdom of Heaven.”
Matthew 19:14
My little ‘growing’ family lived in Beaumont at the time. I say ‘growing’ because my wife was pregnant with our daughter, Stephanie. Talk about a miserable summer for her. Our son, Brandon, was born two years earlier in Houston. Now we were expecting a December blessing – a daughter.
I spent the better part of my productive life working for the Flying Red Horse. Houston, Dallas, up and down the Coastal Bend, and the summer of 1980 found us in Beaumont.
The Coastal Bend. Home to high humidity, blistering sunshine, hot breezes, and mosquitos as big as Christmas turkeys. My wife loved it, except for the summer of 1980. Due to the excessive heat, our office went to a ‘casual’ dress code. Some of the guys went as far as wearing Bermuda shorts. Bermuda shorts just didn’t look good with my Tony Lamas.
The hot summer finally gave way to a reasonably cool fall. The change in my wife and the weather was welcome. She puttered back and forth to her doctor in our 1974 Volkswagen Van. She satisfied her craving for butter pecan ice cream with stops at the local ice cream store. With our son, her cravings were sauerkraut and Grape NEHI. Go figure.
All was well as we waited for delivery day. That day came on December 4, 1980. The birth of our daughter; an early Christmas present. I should say Christmas Blessing. Mom was well and happy, big brother was excited to have a baby sister, and dad was passing out Hav-A-Tampa Jewel cigars. I was hooked on ‘em back then … still am.
Christmas of 1980 was just around the corner. The Mamaws couldn’t wait. They came down early to see Miss Stephanie Marie Upchurch. And it was a good thing they did. Remember that 1974 Volkswagen Van I mentioned earlier? With an air cooled engine in the back, we had limited heat reaching the front. Too cold for a newborn.
So our little family decided to stay home that Christmas of 1980. I was not a very popular person in two households of Northeast Texas. Since the Mamaws and Papaws have all passed on to their rewards, I feel it safe to say the Christmas of 1980 was my personal favorite.
We decorated our house, took pictures with Santa at the local shopping mall, and felt safe that we were not out on the road to Northeast Texas. It was a time for family. This precious little family the Lord had blessed to me for safe keeping.
On Christmas Eve, we attended a candle light service. When we came out of the church just after midnight on that clear, cold night … I remember the bells! Three giant silver bells were ringing in the church yard.
Even now, 39 years later, I can still hear those bells as I think of my daughter’s first Christmas. A Christmas to remember.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Bob Upchurch and wife, Lana, have Ox Yoke Ministry, a Christian Western Poetry and Storytelling Ministry. They may be contacted at oxyokeministry@yahoo.com