My Memories of Christmas

2000年 12月 12日
作者: 代表 高山和子
カテゴリー:

When I was growing up, Christmas was not nearly as commercialized as it is now. I don’t think I even knew what Christmas was all about. To me, it was some kind of celebration I happened to have a glimpse of in western movies. Naturally our family never made a big issue out of this, since my parents were too busy working to be reminded of this day. But as I recall, the annual visit of our insurance agent bringing us a complimentary Christmas cake was enough to brighten up my day. I never welcomed anyone as much as I did this lady who appeared to me as a lady Santa.

mus00195tree-0001Now times have changed, and regardless of religious beliefs, most families celebrate Christmas with lots of delicious food and some presents for one another. I myself have observed Christmas each year since my son was born. It used to bring me so much joy just to see my son’s face brightened with delight when he opened his presents. My son and I would usually decorate a Christmas tree a couple of weeks before Christmas. He believed, like most other young kids, that Santa Claus would fly in the sky on his special sleigh, delivering presents to all the good kids around the world. He would, therefore, try very hard to behave well just before Christmas, and make sure that all the windows were left unlocked for Santa Claus to come in. On Christmas morning, I would place presents under the tree before my son woke up. Getting out of bed with his eyes sparkling with anticipation, his first words were usually, "I told you, mommy. Santa brought me presents!" When I thought he was old enough to confront that all this was a fantasy, I confessed to him that the presents were given not by Santa, but his mother. Contrary to what I had expected, he responded, "Mommy, you should know better than to say such a silly thing!" It didn’t take long, however, before he came to realize that Santa was only a creation by adults.

This Christmas, which marks the last Christmas of the 20th century, is just around the corner. I would like to use this day to trace back all the wonderful times and joy I shared with my son and be thankful for all the love he has brought to my life. After all, Christmas should be the time to cherish the love and blessings each of us has received throughout our lives. I truly hope that this Christmas fills each one of you with much joy and happiness.

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代表 高山和子 について

岡山県 津山市出身。英語講師。米国ドレーク大学大学院修士課程修了。帰国後、英語教育に携わり、'90年津山市にライト外語スクールを開校、本物の実力を身につけさせる指導に定評がある。国際ロータリー財団奨学生、英検1級、TOEIC 990点、国連特A級。 フル・プロファイル