1st day of christmas

A Christmas quote:
Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you ... to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old ... Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world ... stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death... Then you can keep Christmas! But you can never keep it alone. ~Henry van Dyke

A Christmas memory:
I remember my Great Grandpa Weeks at the last family Christmas party he attended. He was in a wheelchair, but so thrilled to have so many of his family gathered around him. It was tradition for him to tell the story of his Christmas trumpet.

He decided to wait up for Santa Claus, and sat in the kitchen with his feet on the warm oven door of the old cook stove. He must have been warm and comfortable because he fell asleep. He was awakened by a horn tooting, "Rootootootootoooooo!" And a loud jolly voice called, "Are all the children in the house in bed and asleep?"

Great Grandpa said he never moved so fast. He ran up to bed, jumped under the covers and fell asleep listening as Santa put out the gifts.  The next morning there was a trumpet with his name on it placed on the Christmas tree. 

Now everyone in my family has a little trumpet ornament with a red cord. It helps me to remember Great Grandpa and the time we spent together when I was little. It is one of my favorite Christmas memories.