Eugene St Martin Jr

Christmas Once upon a time there was an old groundskeeper for the tennis courts named E.C. He helped look after the tennis courts both clay and hard courts for the Y.M.C.A. and he helped look after the players. Now this old groundskeeper while pushing his wheelbarrow came upon a ghost of an old tennis player - actually the ghost of the old-wise tennis player that he had known years ago. The groundskeeper had been thinking about the meaning of Christmas. So when he saw his mentor, he asked ?What is the meaning of Christmas.' E.C. said that the newspaper that morning had said that there was only fifteen more days to Christmas. And there were all those sleek advertisements asking us to buy this or that. ?What is the meaning of Christmas? The old tennis player replied Christmas celebrates the birthday of Jesus Christ. There is a mass and services in the various churches to celebrate His birthday. The old tennis player went on to say, ?I remember my parents told a story describing a Christmas Eve night for them in the old country... the country where they came from in Europe. It seems on that Christmas Eve there had been a new snow fall. And yet the night sky was clear. One could really see a beautiful star above. The night was quiet. Now my parents lived in the countryside among the small hills. They primarily raised their own food and raised a few animals. Oh yes, each parent had certain crafts they could make with their hands. On that night all the neighbors as well as my parents made bonfires. These Christmas fires as they were called helped light the way for people to go to Christmas Eve mass. So my parents started out for Christmas mass. They walked using a small donkey to bring some supplies and gifts with them. Along the way they met up with other neighbors and their families all going to the small town to Christmas mass. All the while the bright beautiful star seemed to lead them on their way. Oh it was still cold, though magical and mystical in that night as they stepped one step at a time through the snow. My parents said some people started singing... in part to keep warm and in part because their hearts were bursting with joy. They were thankful to Jesus for what He had done for them and for all people.