Remember Christmas

It's been a while since my last post because there has been a lot going on. On November 14, I flew down to Little Rock, Arkansas to meet with my parents. The next day, we drove down to Mount Pleasant, Texas to attend the National Gospel Singing Convention.  I stayed with my sweet mother-in-law, Marie Rust, on Friday night. It was so much fun to be with other people who love gospel singing like I do, and especially sweet to get to sing with my Daddy again.  It was a thrill to get to stand beside Daddy as he led my song from this year's book, and to get to hear all the delegates singing along. We drove back to their home in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas after the convention ended on Saturday afternoon. On Monday night we attended another local singing convention, where I got to hear Daddy singing in a quartet with his 89-year-old brother L.Z. Watson. Daddy and I sang a couple of duets, and then I sang my Christmas song, "Remember Christmas."  It is this song that is the focus of my blog today.

15 years ago this month was a very hectic time in my life. Our daughter Jaime was getting married in about 2 weeks, I had a business meeting in Orlando, Florida to plan and attend the same week as the wedding, all on top of the usual hustle and bustle of the holidays. It was about 9 pm on Saturday night when I realized I had committed to singing in a ladies' Sunday School class the next morning.  I had barely gotten the tree up and decorated, and no gifts were yet wrapped.  I was still finishing up my daughter's wedding dress. I had no idea what I was going to sing in the morning.  I sat on my piano bench looking at the tree, and the dress, and just wished everything would slow down for a moment.  I wanted to enjoy it all, but I felt like I was missing it all as I tried to "be all things to all people." It was in that moment that God gave me the words and the melody to "Remember Christmas," and I sang it for the ladies the next day.  It became an annual tradition that continues to this day.  I will post the lyrics here, followed by a link to an amateur video of me singing it during my Arkansas visit.  I don't know how to edit video, or I would probably edit out the part where I forgot my own lyrics--but then, that is so typical of me that I won't let it bother me if it doesn't bother you!

Remember Christmas

When I was a child, my parents taught me

That Christmas was more than gifts under a tree.

They told me of Jesus, His Bethlehem birth-

When in mercy and love, God came down to earth.

Let me remember Christmas the way it should be;

Let the Christmas tree remind me of a Tree on Calvary.

The best Christmas Package you can receive

Is The Babe in a manger. O, won't you believe?

Now life gets so busy, we hurry and run;

And it seems we can never get ev'rything done.

Trim the tree, wrap the presents; have I left someone out?

Did I forget the One that Christmas is about?!

(insert lines from Away in a Manger)

Let me remember Christmas the way it should be;

Let the Christmas tree remind me of a Tree on Calvary.

The best Christmas Package you can receive

Is The Babe in a manger. O, won't you believe?

The video is a Capella, as I do not have the music anywhere but in my head. Click on the link to view the video.  I hope it will help you to "Remember Christmas" this season--Merry Christmas!

Remember Christmas, Nov 2013