The Eagle Magazine
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!
"There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays," "I'll be Home for Christmas," have you noticed how many Christmas songs mention home and family? Sure you have; everybody knows you go home for Christmas, if you can. Well, what about those who don't live where they grew up? I live 825 miles from the town I grew up in. My brother and sisters live just a few miles from each other; I have more cousins than I can count and most of them live in or near the same town in Georgia, but for twenty-nine years, I've been in Nottingham, PA. My children all live pretty close, and all but one of my grandchildren live near here as well, so I really feel that Nottingham is home. Still, I do miss the family in Georgia, especially during the holidays.
What about you? Are you one of those many Americans who live in or near your hometown; is your family close-by; can you see them on a regular basis? If not, then the songs about going home for Christmas will move you a little bit more and around October you start trying to figure out if you can slip back down to your home for a few days before the New Year. I've done that for years; let's carve out four or five days here or there and go down and see the family. After a while it begins to be part of the routine, calendars are out on the table, well now it's smart phones and iPads, but still it's calendars so we can coordinate that all important trip to see the loved ones so far away.
There was a time when going home for the holidays was not an option for me. We spent seven years in Cardiff, Wales where the well over three thousand miles made any hope of traveling home totally impossible. We were Foreign Missionaries, and we had to watch every penny. So we never even thought of going home for Christmas, well we never talked about it, but we couldn't help but think about it. Please don't misunderstand, we had wonderful holidays there. The church family opened up to us, even our neighbors treated us like family around Christmas and we have fond memories of all the special things we celebrated there that Americans know nothing about. Still, there was just a tinge of sadness in every day so far away from our home country. This Christmas, I want you to think of all those GPA Missionaries around the world who won't see their extended family this year. The culture they live in now is vastly different from the U.S. and try as they might, they can't stop those heartstrings from pulling their thoughts back home. A little extra sadness will be in their heart this year. Pray for them, send an email, text or call if you can and let them know that their sacrifice is not overlooked, that even though they are so far away they are still remembered and loved. Make Christmas for those missionaries you know a little brighter this year. They are doing what you cannot do for the cause of Christ, so do what you can to make this holiday a bit better.
Remember the song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." It was written in 1943 for the film, "Meet Me in St. Louis," but when Judy Garland sang it for the soldiers serving in WWII, it brought many of the soldiers to tears. It became a standard after that and has been played and sung every Christmas season since. It is considered one of the top ten Christmas songs ever recorded. The song is about getting through a difficult Christmas because loved ones are separated by great distance. Twice in the song, next year is promised to be better. The last verse sums up the desire in the heart of the singer:
Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
So, have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now
When you hear this song; and you will, think of your missionary friends, those you or your church supports. If you don't know any foreign missionaries personally then read through a few prayer letters, visit some of their websites and Facebook pages and get to know them. Your encouragement will mean more than you could ever guess. So have yourself a merry little Christmas, and help some missionary have a merry little Christmas as well.
