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Show V still remember their gift of love ' memory of that experience is indelible. in-delible. Another tradition that my family and I have started is that each family fami-ly member gets to decorate his own little gingerbread house because we couldn't decide how to decorate just one and keep everyone satisfied. For the last few years, the family members get to decide whether they want to keep their house or leave it on the doorstep of someone they want to do something nice for. It's a wonderful feeling to leave a beautiful beau-tiful little cookie house on a deserving deserv-ing doorstep on a crisp Christmas Eve. Last year, we convinced a friend of my 1 2-year-old son to sneak his family pictures and snapshots to our house where we created a video tape of the pictures with Christmas music in the background. When the family opened their gift, it was one of memories and love. One of the memories I cherish most is a simple letter written by a teen-age boy, a friend of my son Scott. It simply stated, "Thank you so much for all the things you've done for me. For taking me to your cabin and sharing with me.' I can still see the note hanging on the bulletin board at out home. Words and actions will be remembered re-membered long after toys and trinkets are broken. Take time out to really express your feelings and your love. They may be appreciated more than you know. By Suzi Davis As a child growing up, I was not the product of a totally loving home. I felt the love of my mother but there were also problems which disrupted our family life, mainly divorce and illness. Since my mother died when she was 32, 1 was shifted to many different relatives' homes which left me to survive the best that I could. Living in Compton, Calif., now a very bad area, I lived with my father and stepmother for one year. It was here that I had a profound experience experi-ence which has stayed with me through the years. It was an ordinary or-dinary experience and probably one that my children are fortunate to have often. It was Christmas time, and a friend in an apartment nearby invited in-vited me to her apartment. I remember re-member running up the stairs on a dreary California December day. It was smoggy and chilly but as I stumbled into the narrow kitchen, it smelled wonderful. But even more than that, it felt wonderful. Everything was cheery arid decorated. dec-orated. I had never been a member of a family that would bake cookies together, and I felt so welcome. I remember thinking, "When I grow up, I want my house to feel like this. Since then, I have come to realize that the "wonderful' feeling feel-ing in that home was love. That Christmas I was given some presents, but the only thing I remember re-member clearly was that feeling and gift of love. Now, over 30 years later, I have been lucky enough to have a family of my own including six 'children (ages 10 to 23), a Brittany Brit-tany spaniel, a wonderful husband, and love in our home. I have always wanted to share love with others because it is the most meaningful gift others have given me. Our family has done many things to show love to others, but often I think we receive as much love as those to whom we give. We have enjoyed doing the "12 Days of Christmas" for some of our neighbors. Beginning on Dec. 12, gifts are taken nightly and left anonymously on the doorstep until Christmas Eve. The children love to take the gifts and ring the doorbell without being caught. On one occasion my eldest daughter wanted to do this tradition with a friend who lived across town from us. Going across town got to be a chore because of the bad winter but our little blue Capri would make it every night with happy teens and Christmas offerings. Everyone would always come home aglow. One Christmas Eve, we were designated as the deliverers of a Sub for Santa offering our church had assembled for a needy family in Farmington. Approaching the rundown run-down home confirmed the need of help. Nothing can describe the gratitude of these good, unsuspecting unsuspec-ting people. Their Christmas was to be meager but true joy was experienced experi-enced here. My family came home again glowing like Christmas trees themselves . . . love shared. No one can remember what gifts they got for Christmas that year, but the |