"One of my Favorite Christmas Memories"
by Brenda Berube
aka BrendaB
I was about 8 years old, and all on my own I decided to start going to the Little White Baptist Church up the street from where we lived. My parents neither encouraged me to go nor discouraged me. They were Catholics although no longer practicing.
A few months before Christmas, all of us children were told in Sunday School that at Christmas they would be having a White Gift Christmas and any of the children could bring in a gift wrapped in white paper to place on the altar for the Baby Jesus.
Now this was probably more of a way of collecting toys for needy children, and of course the parents would have known that, but I didn’t. Along with the gift, we were supposed to write a short essay of what we brought and why we were giving it to the Baby Jesus.
I can’t remember exact details of that time since I was so young, but I do remember I was really confused about what I could give to the wonderful Baby Jesus. I knew it had to be something very special because although I was not really taught very much at home, I learned all on my own, and with my own desire, that Jesus was the most Precious Gift any of us on Earth ever got.
With that knowledge, I started to ponder what I would give to him on Christmas Day. Nothing I could think of was special enough. Then my father helped me decide. He didn’t come out and tell me exactly what to give, and I don’t remember exactly how it went, but he sort of pointed me in the right direction.
There was a plant in our house, that I always called my Baby Plant. My father had given it to my mother the day I was born. So my father took a clipping of it for me and I put the stem of it in a small glass of water and put it on the kitchen windowsill.
I was so excited about this gift I was going to give to the Baby Jesus, but I didn’t have much patience. I still don’t, and I checked every day to see if it had grown roots yet. Then one day I saw a couple of small roots growing and I was so excited and wanted to plant it right then, but my father told me I had to wait until it grew longer roots. To me it seemed like it took an eternity to happen, but it finally was strong enough to be planted in soil.
So my father and I went into the basement to pick out a nice container out of the ones my mother had so I could plant it. I saw a little container that was in the shape of a baby’s little knitted booty. It might have been the original planter that my plant came in. I don’t remember.
That was the perfect one, I thought to myself, and I pointed it out to my father, I remember him smiling when I pointed to it and asked him to get me that one. He got me some soil and I put it in the container and took the clipping off of the windowsill, and carefully put it into the soil. I took special care of that plant all on my own till the big day arrived.
But now I had to write down what my reasons were for giving this gift. I knew in my heart what I wanted to say, but I wasn’t sure how to put it on paper.
So, my father helped me. Oh, he didn’t help me write it. He just made me sit at the table with pencil and paper, then he asked me questions and as I would answer he would say, "okay, write that down."
Then came the big day. It may have been on Christmas Eve. I’m not sure. But I do know how excited I was. My mother got me dressed in my prettiest dress and put ribbons that matched the dress in my curly brown hair.
Then I left all by myself to walk the few blocks to the Little White Church, and I remember being so excited. I must have skipped all the way there with my baby plant in hand ready to present it to the Baby Jesus but ever so careful not to drop it.
I walked into an already crowded church with my plant and essay in hand. All the other kids had presents too, but they were wrapped up in white wrapping paper. Of course I couldn’t wrap my gift up, and I got a lot of stares because of my unusual gift. I remember that because I felt so uncomfortable then.
Other kids went up before me as their name was called and read their essay about what they brought and why. Of course they were all toys with cute and touching stories of why they brought them for the Baby Jesus. I started to feel sick to my stomach.
Then they called my name, it was my turn. I very, very slowly went up in front of the congregation and to the microphone. With all eyes on me, I began to softly speak, with my head hung low. Now I can’t tell you the exact words I used because I don’t remember, but I can tell you the gist of it.
I told the congregation that this was a part of a gift from when I was born and it was my Baby Plant, and because all living things come from God, I took care of it for him and wanted to give it back to his Son so he could have his own Baby Plant too. I told the congregation that I wanted to share something with him that was mine since I was born, because he had given so much to me and I loved him so much. I then turned and placed my simple unwrapped little plant on the altar for the Baby Jesus with all the other wrapped presents.
Then I proceeded to walk back down the aisle to the back of the church were I always sat, because I was extremely shy. As I walked down the aisle, people in the aisle seats reached out and grabbed hold of my hand to shake it. I looked into their eyes and all around for that matter, and there wasn’t a dry eye that I could see. I believe now that the adults had been somehow judging me for the gift I had brought, but once they heard my reasons, they were sorry for what they had been thinking. I also remember that as I stood in front of the congregation, I had a very strong feeling that Jesus was with me and was smiling at the gift I had brought for him. Whenever I think of this time, I still get that same feeling.
This is a true story with no embellishments whatsoever; I probably left out a lot but did not add to it in anyway.
I can still picture that shy little curly-haired girl that was me, and how happy she was to give what she felt was such a precious gift to the Baby Jesus. Not something store bought, or man-made, but something made by God and I took gentle care of it for him.
This is one of my favorite Christmas memories…………….
