This Christmas will be the first after the birth of my son, Joseph. Having been born in May, he will be a strapping 7 months old by the time we teach him how to celebrate the birth of Jesus for the first time, and we can’t wait. We are looking forward to developing new traditions, to lots of giggles, to dressing him in silly outfits, and warm coats, and to him crawling through mounds of wrapping paper. It hasn’t even happened yet, and I already can vividly almost create the (hoped for) memories in my head — filled with lots of faith and lots of love. (God willing, of course!)
This is the type of excitement, anticipation and introspection that Christmastime provides. And it’s the reason that, for decades, it has been Our Sunday Visitor’s tradition to ask you to share your Christmas memories with us and with our readership.
Throughout the years, you have provided us with a small window into your lives around the holidays — one that is sometimes joyful, sometimes sorrowful, sometimes reflective, but one that is always worth sharing.
It’s my privilege to extend the invitation to you once again to share your Christmas Memories with us. This year’s Christmas issue is Dec. 24, and the deadline for submitting your memory is Nov. 22.
Interested? Here’s what to do.
1) Pick a category that your memory fits into. Either:
◗ Christmas Past: A true and original story about a Christmas that was meaningful for you. Preferably, there will be an element of faith to your memory.
◗ Christmas in Uniform: A similar story of a Christmas gone-by, but this time related to active military service.
◗ Christmas Poetry: Here you can share your expressions of Christmastime in verse. Poems must be original and a maximum of 48 lines.
2) Type or write out your submission.
3) Submit it to Our Sunday Visitor by mail to Christmas Memories, Our Sunday Visitor, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN, 46750. Or send them by email to oursunvis@osv.com (“Christmas Memories” should be in the subject line.)
If your original work is chosen for publication, it will appear in the Dec. 24 issue. You also will be eligible to receive one of two books: either my own “Why the Rosary, Why Now?” in honor of the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, or “Angels of the Lord: 365 Reflections on Our Heavenly Guardians” by Catherine Odell and Margaret Savitskas.
I hope that you will consider participating in this very special tradition. Reading through the Christmas Memories each year warms my heart and reminds me of the beauty of the Incarnation, and how the celebration of Jesus’ birth is such a special time for so many people.
I look forward to sharing my own highly anticipated new Christmas memory with you next year!