Over 30 Days of Celebration

The anticipation of Thanksgiving was in the air as you heard people talk about the upcoming holiday. We always ate well on

the farm, but the meal on Thanksgiving Day was a very special treat. With all the delightful smells of food, you couldn’t help but be thankful. It didn’t matter what day it was on the farm, the animals always had to be fed.

But on Thanksgiving Day, giving all the cows, pigs, chickens,

dogs and cats a little extra food was another way of saying

thanks. The feeding chores on Thanksgiving morning seemed

to go a lot quicker than other mornings because, when we finished, there would be a wonderful extra special breakfast waiting for us. With many neighbors and friends coming for

a visit, we were in full holiday mode!

These feelings of celebration were going to last through

Christmas and New Year’s Day. Enjoying all the festivities did

not happen without the rationale and understanding for all

the fun! We were always made to know the why of each

holiday.  At Christmas time, with the reading of the Bible and

the many activities at church, we all knew that we were

celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Birth of Jesus

Luke 2:1-20 New International Version (NIV)

Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken

of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went

 to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the

time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared

to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on

earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all

who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in

her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God

for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just

as they had been told.

_________

Giving to someone in need, as well as friends and neighbors,

was a way of showing thanks for all the blessings we had

received throughout the year. With so much excitement, our

love of the Lord grew and grew. Because of those lessons

from the farm, our holiday season today still begins the day

before Thanksgiving and ends the day after New Year’s Day.

It’s over 30 days of fun!

We put up and decorate the Christmas tree on the day before Thanksgiving and enjoy it all the way to January!

..... from the book Ohio Farm Stories