December 21, 2012

Readers share their favorite Christmas memories

Mother celebrates Christmas with the birth of her fourth child

By Mary Harless Moody (Special to The Criterion)

My favorite Christmas memory will be 40 years old this Christmas morning.

When I began timing my labor pains during the 11 a.m. Mass at St. Mark the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis that Christmas Eve morning, I knew it wasn’t false labor because I was already three days past my due date.

I had a pretty good idea that my baby was going to be born on Christmas Day.

I timed my labor pains all day on Dec. 24 and told my husband, Bob, that we were going to be making a trip to the hospital soon.

We put our three children—6-year-old Beth, 4-year-old Bobby and 2-year-old Amy—to bed a little bit early on Christmas Eve.

I hugged Beth, Bobby and Amy a little tighter than usual because I knew that I probably would not be home in the morning to see them opening their gifts.

About 11 p.m., my dad brought my mom over to stay with the kids while Bob and I went to the hospital.

Rebecca Anne arrived at 3:30 a.m. on Christmas morning.

I was feeling pretty sorry for myself after Bob went home to relieve Grandma and Grandpa, and be with our children when they woke up.

But when the nurse brought Becky into my room for her 7 a.m. feeding, I was overcome with love for our beautiful 7-pound baby girl, who was “gift wrapped” in a precious red receiving blanket with a white reindeer on it. I wasn’t lonely any longer.

When I look back on that special Christmas morning, I humbly liken myself to another young mother who was far from home on that first Christmas morning so many years ago.
 

(Mary Harless Moody is a member of Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish in Indianapolis.) †

Local site Links: