My first Christmas away from my parent’s home seemed odd and empty. Surely in part because we were poor! But more because there were no children to delight and surprise. My best memory of that year is that I was able to send homemade toys to my youngest brother and sister.

I’m the second of nine kids. By the time I was 10, I had learned that the best part of Christmas for me was watching the littler children anticipate and celebrate. That mattered much more to me than what I might receive. 

Over the years, it has still been a joy-even though a difficult one to achieve in single parent years, and certainly in the large blended family years! Whew!

And then fostering! We brought four children into our home the week before Christmas, the year that my mom died. We picked up the children from Christmas Box House on our way back from her funeral in Idaho on December 23. I’m still grateful to our wonderful Hiroko Bunderson, who picked up the gifts selected by Christmas Box staff and wrapped them for us so we could smuggle them into the house for Christmas morning! Those little ones had very little, and they got so much! Amazing.

Now my primary Christmas joy is sewing “grandma presents” for my grandchildren and all the children who call me Grandma in defiance of genetic accuracy. How I love these kids, big and small! I doubt they enjoy what I make as much as I enjoy planning and preparing and making.

This Christmas, unusually, there will be a child in our home. We’re blessed to have a daughter visiting with her little one. My heart is full of joy. 

I hope every one of us is blessed to love a child this Christmas. I am glad that, regardless of circumstance, we all have the opportunity to love the Holy Child whose birth we celebrate today! He really is the reason for the season! And that Gift came because our Heavenly Father loves His children!

~Nita Smith