From The Arbor The Greatest Gift
~ Holy Bible, NIV: John 15:13 Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday to me! And Happy New Year! Yes, my birthday falls smack dab between those last two. What a bummer! Not really, but with Momma a widow with five children, birthdays were not a big deal, we each getting maybe a new shirt or shoes, and Momma would make our favorite dessert. Mine is lemon icebox pie. My sweet wife Mimi still does that for me. Thanksgiving is when we seem to be thankful a little more than usual, and Christmas is more about gifts, especially the greatest gift of all when God sent His son to be our Savior. My friend Bob in Phoenix AZ says his family won’t let him give thanks at the Thanksgiving meal anymore because all the food will be cold before he runs out of things to be thankful for. It's more like that for me every year. One gift I am especially thankful for this year has been meeting Wayne Carter and Ralph Jones and forming The Bodock Post. It would never have happened without vital elements we each supplied. We call ourselves Bodockers. Wayne (Bo Regard) is the smart one. He knows and writes eloquently about Pontotoc and north Mississippi geography and history and his family, and of course his editing and publishing skills, along with the strong readership following he had already built, are what the Choctaw Indians, or Julius Caesar or Paul Harvey or whoever it was, called a sine qua non. We Southerners would say without Wayne's contributions, we'd have a show stopper. Ralph (Bo Dacious) is the quintessential storyteller, specializing in humor and nostalgia. We can count on him for a wealth of beautifully written old and new stories. Me (Bo Diddleysquat), well, I'm the free spirit. I'm liable to write whatever I'm thinking and dream of, knowing my coeditors will quickly bring me back to reality. My co-editors are men of God who welcome any opportunity to share their faith, conservative convictions, and love of family at any time anywhere. What a gift and blessing to me! Another gift we share is the large and growing subscriber list. We are at 164, which Bro. Tracy Quillen at Enville Baptist Church would call "the low hundreds", using preacher count numbers. We cherish your encouraging feedback and wonderful suggestions and that some of you have honored us by submitting your own stories. We all have stories to share. We hope we can provide you that opportunity while enjoying your stories ourselves. We believe it is vitally important to capture the olden days and preserve them for the next generation. Here we are in the Christmas season - the time of giving. Ask a child what Christmas is all about, and they're almost certain to say it’s about Santa Claus and getting gifts. But, ask a parent worrying about paying the utility bill and needing to buy a few presents for the children, and they may tell you a different story. Christmas has become too commercial and too large a burden on the budget. But, still the gifts are nice, and we love the ones we get and the good feeling of giving gifts to others. Maybe, we view the good old days through rose colored glasses. The gifts were just as exciting, though less extravagant than modern gifts. What we remember most is the excitement, the smells, the special foods, and the love of a large extended family. We long for those days. We cherish those memories. They were a far better gift than the toys and games and fresh fruit we got from Santa. We don't know exactly when Jesus was born. It was most likely in warm weather since the shepherds were in the fields and travelers could cross snow-free mountain passes. The angels welcomed his birth. The heavens were decorated with a new star. The Magi came from afar to worship Him. The world would soon begin marking dates reckoned as A.D. - in the year of the Lord. But, we do know he left the riches of Heaven to become fully a man, to experience what we experience, to be tempted in all ways, to teach us humility and love and obedience, to show us complete dependence on God, to obey His every commandment, and to lay down His life a sacrifice for mine and your sins. There is no greater love or gift than that sacrifice. He brought us saving grace available to anyone who would have faith in Him and act on that faith. Jesus Christ is the greatest gift. As we all get a little older, we appreciate some things more than we did in the past. Family becomes even more beloved and cherished. Friends are appreciated more. And, our thoughts turn to our Heavenly Father and how He cares so much for us and has given us the Greatest Gift of all. ~ Carl Wayne Hardeman, Editor Note: This month, From The Arbor, debuts as the section of our newsletter from which our Editor of the Month will introduce each issue, season, or theme, as the case may be. In our mind, we picture the monthly editor seated somewhere in the hills of Northeast Mississippi, in contemplative mood with pen and paper in hand, beneath the shade of a Bodock tree. Most likely, a glass of iced sweet tea is sweating nearby. For us, it’s an idyllic place, unaffected by the changing seasons. Readers may conjure up their own visions, but this is ours.
Smells of Christmas Poor Is A Relative Term
We planned for the Christmas holidays months in advance. As soon as the leaves started falling from the scaly-bark and black walnut trees, we were under them with our sacks, gathering nuts to be shelled for holiday goodies. While tromping the woods for nuts, we kept our eyes open for just the right cedar tree to be decorated with popcorn chains and sweet gum balls covered with foil from the inside of collected cigarette packages, and if we had foil left, it was carefully cut into strips for icicles. All year we kept our eyes open for colored paper and advertisements that could be cut into shapes for ornaments. The finished tree was beautiful, and the warm cedar smelled so good in the house! As Christmas Day drew closer, mama started her preparations for Christmas dinner, first making the flour-based starch for the table cloths and napkins. These were freshly washed and starched, sprinkled from a coke bottle with holes punched in the top, rolled to be dampened through and through, and then ironed with a flat iron heated on the top of the kitchen stove, and swiped over branches from a cedar tree. Talk about the freshly-ironed smell! And the teacakes—made with flour, eggs, sugar, and butter—placed on a special platter and "saved" for guests who might stop by. This was the season, too, when two special cakes were baked, a coconut cake and a pineapple cake. A special trip to town was made to buy the can of crushed pineapple and a whole coconut. The eyes of the coconut were pierced with an ice pick so that the coconut milk could be drained for later use before the shell was cracked and the meat carefully grated for use in and on the cake. But through all these preparations, there was a special smell permeating the whole house—one that we experienced only at Christmas time. A special smell of oranges and tangerines. We had an orchard with apples, peaches, grapes, and plums, but money had to be spent on oranges and tangerines and, consequently, they were bought only once a year. At our young ages, we were not astute enough to identify the scent as hidden fruit—it just smelled like "Christmas coming." Christmas morning and the arrival of Santa Claus! We awoke to race to the tree to see what Santa had brought. Three hoarded shoe boxes were aligned side by side with a name on each, and into each box was carefully placed an orange, a tangerine, a polished apple, a few English Walnuts, Brazil nuts, cream-filled chocolates, a pack of gum, and other similar treats. In a package above the boxes were Santa’s presents—in mine a handmade handkerchief with crocheted lace, a handmade blouse, a pair of socks, and—wonder of wonders—the most beautiful doll ever made by Santa’s elves! Whoever thought we were poor? On Christmas Day in north Mississippi we were the richest children in God’s world! ~ By Bettye H. Galloway—born in Lafayette County, Mississippi; reared, educated, and lived the majority of her life in Oxford. Bettye retired from state employment (primarily at the University of Mississippi) after 30 years and as executive vice president of a drug testing laboratory after 20 years. Click here to read Bettye's CV.
The Joy Of Christmas More Than Happiness
To so many these days, Christmas is not a joyous time, to some it is even an unhappy time, and often it becomes a real drudgery. Today’s world tries to take the "Joy" out of Christmas and substitute "Happy" instead. We all desire to be happy, but this is not what the song says. There is a vast difference between happiness and joy! My former pastor, Dr. Adrian Rogers, often said that happiness is a result of surroundings, happenings, and circumstances; however, joy is a result of a relationship; a relationship with God. The basis for this song, "Joy to the World," was taken from Psalms 98 and gives assurance of the victory over sin and damnation that the Lord has secured for his people; a victory of everlasting life for all who will accept and believe. Happiness is not to be thrown out, there’s nothing wrong with being happy. However, our happiness depends on the things around us; a new grandchild, better job, new widget, good doctor’s report; all happy things, but not real joy. We are not happy when the economy is down, gasoline is too high, taxes are unfair, government out of control, but we can experience joy. Happiness is flighty at the very best; it comes and goes, often very quickly. Real joy, on the other hand is stable, and can be relied upon. It is based on something we could not do for ourselves and is unchanged by circumstances. No matter how badly this world would like to change it, joy is God’s everlasting gift. It is a gift presented to all who will receive, simple as that, so simple a child can understand; so complex even a scholar may stumble at its depth. Our deep down joy springs from this gift of everlasting life. There is no change in our joy regardless of circumstances; bad times, heart breaking times, calamities, even holocausts; joy still abounds in the believer. Corrie ten Boom, in her book "The Hiding Place,"** tells of experiencing this joy even among the horrors of a World War II prison camp. Although her family was killed and she and her sister, Betsie, were freezing and starving in prison, they shared the real joy of Christ with their fellow inmates. Because of the cruelty and harshness, her sister died while there in Ravensbruck Prison. Upon seeing the corpse of her sister, Corrie said there was a youthfully radiance about her face, her hair was in order, and the stressful look of prison life was gone; something she had not seen since before they were arrested. She knew it came from knowing the joy of the Lord. We who trust in the Lord can experience joy even when the world is falling down around us. Joy is ever present and can be called upon even when happiness has fled like the morning dew. Truly, the reason we celebrate Christmas is because of the gift we have received in the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, so that we might know that wonderful, everlasting, joy He brings. As the song says, "Joy to the world, the Lord is come; let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare Him room, and Heaven and nature sing." Especially at this season may all who will accept the Joy of Salvation and sing "Joy to the World." ~ By Ralph Jones, Managing Editor
Wise Men Seek The Savior The individual upon whose birth we mark the passage of modern time came into existence by way of a most unusual, even miraculous, means. He was born in a shelter for livestock, and lived a life of relative obscurity. So miraculous was his birth that scholars of theology, professors and members of the scientific community, students, rich and poor alike, continue to debate, questioning his birth and the method by which he was conceived in his mother's womb. So lowly was his existence and so obscure his presence in the world, that the world took little note of him during his lifetime. Yet, so great was his influence on society that a new religion was founded upon his example and teachings. Today, we divide history into two categories, the span of time that occurred before him and that which has transpired after him. In the hillsides overlooking the city of Bethlehem in the Biblical region of Judea, shepherds were tending their sheep when a supernatural being, an angel, surrounded in brilliant light, stepped into their midst and spoke to these astonished and understandably frightened men. First, the angel quieted their fears and then told them where the long awaited Savior had been born. In what must have been the most spectacular display ever seen by man, the night sky opened, as might a curtain for a Broadway performance. In that instance, a multitude, perhaps thousands, of angelic beings joined the first angel and lifted their voices in praising the God of creation and declaring his glory. Afterwards, the heavenly visitors vanished behind the veil of darkness of the night sky. The shepherds left their flocks of sheep, hurrying off to find the newborn child.
Our present-day tradition of giving gifts during the Christmas Season stems from the example set by the Wise Men whose gifts complement Earth's greatest gift from the Creator, that of his son. The Wise Men soon learned that the king in the palace, where they had first stopped and expected to find the newborn king, was jealous and so protective of his right to the throne that he wanted to kill the baby. Being Wise Men, they chose to take a different route back to their homeland rather than risk being captured and tortured by the jealous king. As far as we know, they made it safely home. The baby and his parents fled to Egypt and thus escaped the plan of the jealous king to have their son killed. Later, the same family returned and settled in the province of Galilee in a village called Nazareth. The young child grew up and apprenticed as a carpenter under the tutelage of his mother's husband. Afterwards he would become a remarkable teacher, one who taught that God loves everyone and everything in his creation. His followers would later teach that God loved the world so much that he gave his only son to die for the sins of the world in order that all who would believe in the son might not perish in condemnation but have life eternal. His teachings were so different from that of the religious leaders of the day that they sought his death. Yet, numerous wise men sought his counsel and believed him to be God's son. Others, as eye witnesses to his miraculous deeds, concluded him to be God's son. An observant Roman soldier, who helped crucify him after the religious leaders staged a mockery of a trial and influenced the Roman authorities to condemn him to death, commented, "Surely, this man was the Son of God." A small group of shepherds near Bethlehem and later a handful of scientists were among the first wise men to seek out Jesus, the "King of the Jews," known also as "LORD," "Savior," "Messiah," and "The Prince of Peace." Because of his ability to heal all manner of infirmities, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual needs, Jesus was sought by other wise men during his brief life on Earth. Though he never sought glory for himself, he has been honored and glorified through the lives of countless wise men. His birth, we celebrate as Christmas; his death and resurrection we commemorate as Easter. For centuries, wise men have sought him, and even unto this day, wise men still seek him. ~ By Wayne Carter, Associate Editor
Going To Mammaw's Remembering The Ride
We crowded into the hardware store's old pickup that Daddy borrowed for the 100 plus mile ride, usually late Friday night after Daddy got off work. Daddy drove. Jeanette and Brenda and Tommy stood or sat between Daddy and Momma, who had the baby, Amy, in her lap, along with Tommy, sometimes. I sat at Momma's feet. It was a little snug, but it was by the heater. It seems we had more cold weather those days, but the truck heater with all that body heat kept the truck cab warm and the inside of the windshield fogged up. Our first point of interest was Duncan Tankage, a rendering plant for dead horses and cows, which turned them into glue, tallow, hides, and who knows what else. Like the smell of chitlins, that was a smell you will never forget. I remember all of us laughing and trying to hold our breath or nose and saying: "shooey". The occasional skunk made its impression, too, along the way. Momma called them polecats. Daddy said they were two-tone kitties with a fluid drive. We laughed because he did, but we didn't know why. Our last leg of the trip was old TN22 from Jack's Creek to Milledgeville. That was before Jack's Creek had the best BBQ in this part of the Milky Way. The road was both hilly and crooked. Daddy would always ask Momma how she ever got out of Milledgeville the first time. She said she used a path a drunk Indian had laid out. Just before Milledgeville was a series of three "whee" hills. Daddy would get up enough speed to sail a few feet past the top of each hill. It took our breath. We loved it. I knew when we were near Mammaw's house. Daddy cracked the truck window to smoke and keep the inside of the windshield from staying fogged up. I could smell wood smoke, an aroma I cherish to this day. Granddaddy burned wood he could cut instead of coal he had to buy. Soon we pulled up in the bare dirt yard under the giant oak tree near the huge, to me, chimney. The yellow porch light was on. They were waiting up for us. Mammaw would hug us all and cry. Granddaddy would greet Carl and Rubye and the kids and invite us in. His old dog Roxey would greet us on the porch, too. Soon we were all in bed. Momma and Daddy and Amy slept in the other bed in the big room with the fireplace. Mammaw's and Granddaddy's bed was in the other corner near the fireplace. We children slept in the other bedroom under quilts nestled deep in feather mattresses and feather pillows. A wood stove kept us warm long enough for us to go to sleep. There was no plumbing. Mammaw kept a slop jar (chamber pot) in the hall between the two main rooms, and Granddaddy said we could also go to the outhouse in the chicken pen. Next morning was always exciting, as Santa somehow knew we were here instead of at home, and had made a special delivery, since it was often the weekend before or after he visited Union City. I was suspicious. We each had a stocking with candy and fruit and nuts, and a toy and some article of clothing. One year I found a bag of nuts and bags of fruit in the kitchen, where Mammaw cooked on a wood stove. The nuts and fruits exactly matched what we had in our stockings. I got even more suspicious. Finally it was time to go home. Mammaw always had a large collection of home canned goods for Rubye and the kids, knowing we needed them. She and Aunt Cora also shared their extra government commodities. We needed them, too. I don't remember the ride home. I suppose we children all slept. But the memories of those Christmases will always be with me. ~ Carl Wayne Hardeman, Editor
Unforgettable Days Pearl Harbor Brought Changes As the Christmas season draws near each year, I never fail to remember one particular year that shaped my life forever. The date was December 7, 1941. Late that Sunday afternoon I was in my bedroom dressing for the evening services at the First Baptist Church in Oxford, Mississippi. Suddenly the soft music from the radio was interrupted by an agitated-sounding voice announcing that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. I went into the kitchen where my mother was preparing supper and asked, "Mama, what is Pearl Harbor?"
"I think," she replied, "that Pearl Harbor is a place somewhere in the Hawaiian
Islands. Why?"
At any given time I had one pair of "good" leather shoes reserved for school
and church. As soon as I got home each day, I had to change into sandals
made from pressed cardboard which required no ration coupons. These
were sufficient but, as I found out the hard way, a trip into the yard in
the morning dew caused them to melt and one turn too many with the key on
my roller skates pulled the soles off them! ~ By Bettye H. Galloway
Pontotoc Christmas Fireworks, Fruit and Fun Wasn’t Christmas fun when we were youngsters? With the arrival of the new Sears catalogue, we could find all sorts of things for "Santa Claus" to bring. Most of us boys wanted "Cowboy" things; play guns, cowboy suits, hats, and anything else that would "transform" us into a real cowboy. The girls wanted dolls, doll clothes, play utensils, dishes; sometimes even real clothes, shoes, and such. How could anyone want clothes for Christmas?
At my birth, a sweet lady in Randolph made us a small stuffed Santa Claus as a gift. This little guy had a bright red suite with white cotton accents. His smiling face was simply drawn onto the fabric with crayons. That jolly little fellow graced our tree for twenty years or more. During this season even the grocery stores took on a festive aroma. Special fruits would begin to arrive; tangerines, coconuts, grapes, pecans, Brazil nuts, raisins, walnuts, and other delicates. Oh, how delicious the stores would smell. Each area of the country probably celebrated Christmas somewhat differently. Looking back on it, there is not a lot of logic for fireworks but we enjoyed them just the same. Firecrackers, sparklers, bottle rockets, and roman candles were our favorites. My favorite was the roman candles. Family and friends would go outside to watch the bright and colorful fiery ball shoot out the end of the wand into the night sky. A sizzling, swooshing kind of sound was made for a few seconds then, "WHUMP," a brightly colored ball of fire flew skyward, then another and another. After four or five shots it was all over, but my, my, how exciting it was. Often you could hear someone "set off" an entire pack of firecrackers and hear the repeated, POW, Pow, Pow… about twenty shots in very rapid succession. Us boys of "Happy Hollow" were much too frugal to do that, shooting them one at a time made them last much longer. How the fireworks tradition got started, I have no idea, but it sure was fun. During the night on Christmas Eve, Santa came to see all us youngsters. Some years the picking’s were slim, but our "wanter" was much smaller than today. One year when I was about nine, my "want list consisted of only three things, an inexpensive "Westclox" watch, a flashlight, and some fire crackers. Going to sleep on Christmas Eve was an impossible thing. It seemed that no matter how tightly ones eyes were held shut, sleep would not come. Seconds stretched into minutes, and minutes into hours. Would this night ever end? The old sand man would finally find me and sleep would overtake this lad. However, it did not last very long because at about four o’clock in the morning I would venture out on the cold floor to see if Santa had come. Crack the door just a little and there before sleepy eyes was the most beautiful Christmas tree, a cute little Santa nestled under its branches and the presents I had wished for. Was it just me or do you remember the wonderful aroma of oranges, tangerines, apples and candy, of cedar and the "new" smell of toys and things? It would only be a minute before Mom would be there with a blanket for my shoulders. Dad would stop by for a moment then head for the kitchen and light the stove for heat. How much would it be worth to you, just once more, to awake and be five or six years old on Christmas morning; to experience once again the excitement of the presents and to refresh those distinctive Christmas smells associated with that morning; to hear the Christmas story read once more from the Bible about the greatest gift of all time? No greater gift could be given to us by God Himself than the gift of His only son, Jesus. A gift of eternal LOVE ~ By Ralph Jones, Managing Editor
No Skates Christmases Unfulfilled
The Christmases of my childhood were filled with excitement. In the days prior to television, the Sears Roebuck catalog, Christmas Issue, was a wonder to behold. I spent hours flipping the pages of the toy section, always wishing for more than my family could afford to provide. But, that’s only natural for most children, who have little concept of what it takes financially for even the basic provisions, let alone a lot of extras. The Christmases of my childhood spanned several years as well as several cities. I spent my first three Christmases in Pontotoc, my birthplace, and while I have no recollection of any Christmas presents, I’m sure Santa left a toy or two, as I can remember playing with some toy trucks or cars in a sandbox or in the bare dirt in our yard. The next couple of Christmases came along when my family lived in Corinth, Mississippi. I remember a tricycle that I received from Santa and vividly remember falling head over heels down a set of concrete steps with it and hitting my head on the concrete sidewalk. (Yeah, I was a city boy, and apparently an awkward one.) Fortunately, my hardheadedness prevented serious injury. I was five when Dad’s job with Kroger required him to relocate to nearby Iuka, Mississippi. Iuka would secure itself in the annals of Carter history as the city where I began my formal schooling and attended my first-remembered religious service at Iuka Baptist Church. Of the three years my family lived in Iuka, I remember my brother and I got an electric train set one Christmas that Dad played with as much as we did. While Christmas food memories are few, I remember our popping corn on the range of our electric stove and stringing popcorn for tree decorations. One year, Santa brought a giant, five-pound stick of peppermint candy that lasted us for weeks afterwards. Iuka is the place I remember having first experienced eating saltine crackers with peppermint candy and the same place, where I discovered the pleasure of snacking on peanuts parched in an iron skillet atop our coal-burning "Warm Morning" heater. The next city of my childhood was Starkville. We didn’t live in Starkville much more than six months, and, as I finished the second grade there (after completing the fall semester in Iuka), before starting the third grade in Okolona, there are no Christmas memories of our time in Starkville. One of the years we lived in Okolona I received a cap pistol with a leather holster, something that allowed me to play-act somewhat more realistically like my cowboy heroes, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. But, Okolona is also remembered as the next place in a long list of places where there were no sidewalk skates under the tree on Christmas Morning. I had asked for sidewalk skates as early as my fourth or fifth Christmas, but I never got them. I never got the bicycle I asked Santa for either, but at least I had friends who would ride me on their bicycle. However, sharing a pair of skates requires a skill set most children don’t possess. At some point in my life after my family moved back to Pontotoc, where I started the sixth grade, I picked up a used bicycle. As I recall, I was almost old enough for a learners permit to drive a car, so my cycling years were short lived. One of my happiest childhood Christmases came after we had returned to Pontotoc. I finally got a BB gun. It served me well for several years, and though my mother worried herself sick that I’d shoot my eye out, it never happened. While, I recall a few disappointments from the Christmases of my childhood, overall, there was enough joy in that which I did receive to last until the next Christmas, or at least until the next Christmas catalog from Sears arrived in the mail. ~ By Wayne Carter, Associate Editor
A Lasting Gift Peggy And David I am a brother in law of Ralph Jones, and this is my Christmas story. My wife, Peggy and I were married on December 20th, 1956 in Longview, Texas. Our first Christmas as a married couple was celebrated with my family at my parents’ home in Longview. Every one had a gift or two, as usual. Peggy had one, a stick with a string attached that led out of the front door; I had one like hers that led out the back. We rolled the string on our sticks and met in the garage, we were each others Christmas present! I still have that girl and the memory. I don’t know if Ralph has ever heard this story before. He wasn’t in the picture at that time. ~ By David Stewart Note: Ralph states this is the first time he’s heard this Christmas story.
Christmas Quiz Test Your Bible Knowledge In the spirit of the season and as a means to test your knowledge of the Bible, we share the following quiz: 1) As long as Christmas has been celebrated, it has been on Dec. 25th. True or False 2) Joseph was from a) Bethlehem b)Jerusalem c) Nazareth d) Egypt e) None of the above
3) Mary and Joseph were married when Mary became pregnant. True or False
4) Mary and Joseph were married when Jesus was born. True or False
5) A manger is a) A stable b) A wooden hay storage bin c) A feeding trough d) Unknown
6) Who saw the Star in the East? a) Shepherds b) Mary & Joseph c) Three Kings d) Both a & c e) None of the above
7) How many angels spoke to the shepherds? a) One b) Three c) A multitude d) None of the above
8) What is a heavenly host? a) The angel at the gate of heaven b) The angel who invites people to heaven c) The angel who serves drinks in heaven d) An angel choir e) An angel army f) None of the above
9) What is Frankincense? a) A precious metal b) A precious fabric c) A precious perfume d) None of the above
10) What is Myrrh? a) An easily shaped metal. b) A spice used for burying a body c) A drink d) After-shave lotion e) None of the above
11) How many Wise Men came to see Jesus? Write answer:
12) What does "Wise Men" refer to? a) Men of the educated class who were astrologers b) They were Eastern Kings c) They were smart enough to follow the Star d) They were "sages".
13) The Wise Men found Jesus in a a) Manger b) Stable c) House d) Holiday Inn e) Good mood
14) The Wise Men stopped in Jerusalem a) To inform Herod about Jesus b) To find out where Jesus was c) To ask about the Star they saw d) For supplies e) To buy presents for Jesus
15) Where do we find the Christmas Story to check up on all these ridiculous questions? a) Matthew b) Mark c) Luke d) John e) all of the above f) Only Matthew & Mark g) only Matthew & Luke h) Only Matthew, Mark & Luke
16) Joseph took the baby Jesus to Egypt a) To show him the pyramids b) To teach him the wisdom of the Pharaohs c) To put him in the reeds by the water d) Because he dreamed about it e) To be taxed f) None of the above
17) Which are statements true about the real St. Nicholas: a) He was the Bishop of a Church in Anatolia b) He gave gifts to the poor c) He is the patron Saint of Russia, of children and of sailors d) He is known as Father Christmas in England, Grandfather Frost in Russia and Pere Noel in France e) He is known as a great cross-country skier and snowboarder in Norway.
Answer Sheet Christmas Quiz 1996 Version 1) False…2) C…3) False…4) True…5) C…6) E 7) A…8) E….9) C…10) B…11) Unknown…12) A 13) C…14) B…15) G…16) D…17) A,B,C,D Count up the number correct and grade yourself as follows: 14-17 correct ~ You're a walking Christmas Encyclopedia! 10-13 correct ~ You listened most of the time in Church 7-9 correct ~ Read any Christmas cards lately? 4-6 correct ~ Where have you been living? Iraq? 1-3 correct ~ Let me tell you about the first Christmas
Bubba Bodock Humor We are thankful for good-natured blondes, especially since they are among the few subsets of humans we’re still allowed to poke fun at. A Blonde is watching the news with her husband when the newscaster says, "Two Brazilian men die in a skydiving accident." The blonde starts crying to her husband, sobbing "That's horrible! So many men dying that way!" Confused, he says, "Yes dear, it is sad, but they were skydiving, and here is always that risk involved." After a few minutes, the blonde, still sobbing, says, "How many is a Brazilian?" -------------------------------------------------- You DO know what would have happened if it had been three wise WOMEN instead of 3 wise men, don't you? They would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought disposable diapers as a gift.
R. Jones '08 All rights reserved copyright 2008
Our Mission It is our desire to provide a monthly newsletter about rural living with photographs of yesterday and today, including timely articles about conservative politics, religion, food, restaurant reviews, gardening, humor, history, and non-fiction columns by folks steeped in our Southern lifestyle. Copyright © 2008 The Bodock Post. Return to home page. Open This Issue with MS Word
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Greater love has no one than this, that
one lay down his life for his friends."
As the Great Depression slowly came to
an end, north Mississippi families were not poor—we just didn’t
have any money. There’s a big difference. We were rich, and the richest
part of the year was the smell of Christmas.
Joy to the World! The Lord is Come*
so says the song we love to hear and sing. It is one of those songs we just
automatically begin to hum and sing about this time of year. Folks who believe
little or nothing about the "why" of the season sing it as a "traditional
song." But, it is much more that just an early piece of verse by Isaac Watts
and set to music by George F. Handel in the sixteen hundreds. It contains
the very essence of why we celebrate Christmas.
Meanwhile, in a country far to the east
of Judea, a group of astrological scientists observed a new star in the heavens.
In their studies they determined the new star to be the one predicted in
their ancient texts that would point them to a most important king. According
to records that have been preserved for centuries, we know them as a group
of scientists called The Magi, whom we commonly refer to as the "Three
Wise Men," (though the texts do not state there were only three). They began
a journey from their eastern country to find the prophesied king, bringing
with them expensive gifts for the baby, and upon visiting him they bowed
before him in reverence of his kingly status.
My first memories of Christmas were at Granddaddy
and Mammaw's home in the country near Milledgeville TN. We lived in
Union City TN. Daddy worked in a hardware store and Momma worked sometimes
in the new high school cafeteria. We always went home for Christmas. Daddy's
family didn't do such things. (Right: A Hardeman family picture from 1946.
Carl Wayne, Dad Carl, Brenda Sue, Mom Rubye, and Jeanette)
Ration books were issued to each member
of the family and coupons were required to purchase many items including
meat, sugar, gasoline, soap, and leather goods (I still have my personal
ration book dated 1942. It has only two coupons missing since money
was required for the purchases, and money was also very scarce).
The smell of a real
Christmas tree pervaded ones nostrils whenever they entered any home. Many
folks cut their own cedar tree in a nearby pasture. We did not have lights
on our tree during my younger years, but we took pride in its decorations
nonetheless. Aluminum icicles that had been removed from last year’s
tree, laid out flat, rolled in newspapers and stored in the trunk, were gingerly
hung on the tree, one at a time. Carefully wrapped ornaments were hung along
with pinecones or sweet gum balls painted in holiday colors. Aluminum foil
that had been meticulously peeled from cigarette and chewing gum wrappers
was used to cover cardboard stars. Upon finishing, we thought it was about
the prettiest tree ever.
The Christmases of my childhood were
happy ones, and I seem to remember always getting one of the gifts I asked
of Santa Claus. While there was more to Christmas than stuffed stockings
or presents under the tree, getting gifts was more important to me at the
time than trips to Grandma’s house or whatever it was we were having
for Christmas Dinner.
