We cherish memories of ‘Christmas Past’

Some Christmas collectibles bring back pleasant memories from years gone by. I especially treasure three holiday notes penned by a former colleague whose desk abutted mine in the busy newsroom at The State Journal in Lansing, Mich., during the early 1970s.

We were young, eager reporters who covered our respective beats like badgers.

I’d lost track of Stan Morgan many moons ago, but I Googled him recently and learned that he had died in 2020 at his home in Dover, Ohio. He was a good man who was full of boyish mischief.

After his newspaper career, Stan became a social worker and a published poet.

I’m always moved when I re-read three Christmas messages that he wrote and sent to me while we had remained in contact.

 

“Snow, drifting gently earthward, a cool, white blanket, enhancing…the serenity of this time. May peace, beauty and love be constant companions for us all, and not obscure, lofty ideals take from some shelf of mankind’s conscience and dusted off each Christmas Eve.”

 

 “This year, kindle not only a yule log in the hearth but strike, also, a spark of love in your heart. Vow to capture the pure, innocent joy of a child on Christmas morn and keep it thereafter a glowing ember of happiness and caring that will warm your being forever.”

 

“This Christmas, let joy touch your spirit with the gentle grace of the snowflake. Smile, be tender, and let your eyes laugh with love.”

 

 

Merry Christmas 2024 and let there be Peace on Earth.