Wednesday, December 20, 2023

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen. Luke 2:20

Illustrated by Tuuli (11) and Maddie (9) Ritchie

Growing up, we spent Christmas Eve with my mother’s parents, five sisters, and their husbands, children, dogs, and cats.  Although the number of people precluded a normal gift exchange, my grandmother continued to give a gift to each daughter and grandchild.  She loved flea markets and yard sales which made it impossible to guess what you might receive.

Her most infamous gift was to her adult daughter, Martha (nicknamed “Bubba”) when Bubba was grieving over her dog’s recent death.  My grandmother wanted to fill that void, but didn’t want Bubba to get so attached to a pet.  It’s also possible that South Carolina flea markets offer limited animal selections, but that’s just speculation.

On Christmas Eve, my grandmother presented Bubba with a box containing a pot-bellied pig.  Bubba’s shock overcame her processing skills so she just kept repeating “you got me a pig?”  Exploiting Bubba’s shock, the pig knocked over the box and escaped through an open door into the night.  A posse of uncles, aunts, cousins, and dogs assembled to chase after it.  My grandmother, dressed in her Sunday best, stood in the middle of the highway and blocked traffic, explaining to drivers that she didn’t want her daughter’s pig to be run over.   When the posse finally cornered the pig, my Uncle Julius Caesar, IV attempted to grab it, but the pig bit him, resulting in a tetanus shot for my uncle and another escape for the pig.

This story is a fun one to tell even though I missed most of the action.  I was there that night, but instead of participating in the swine search and rescue, I was rocking my newborn cousin in another room.  I’m not even sure I witnessed the gift!  It doesn’t matter though – I loved every minute holding that sweet baby and never regretted missing the pig excitement.  This makes me think that the shepherds who witnessed an angel, a great company of heavenly hosts, and the glory of the Lord were not disappointed to see the second act – a baby lying in a manger.  What does a newborn’s head smell like if that newborn also happens to be divine?

Dear Lord, thank you for the unexpected gift of your son.  May we honor his birth with hope, joy, and love.  Amen.

Courtney Ritchie