CORBIN —
The music of Christmas and especially the ringing of bells help to bring a rush of images and memories of the Christmas Holiday Season. Mine include a vivid memory of the first Christmas tree I can ever remember. My family history is filled with stories from Stinking Creek in Knox County. There is something special about the place that we each call home. I have also discovered that the moments and memories of that place have a unique way of filling our lives even with the passing of time. I was at my grandparents’ home on Acorn Fork and I was so disappointed that they didn’t have a Christmas Tree. I was named after my dad’s father and being his name sake carried privileges that my other cousins could not claim. One benefit was being able to ask my grandfather for a tree to decorate and he didn’t disappoint me. We loaded up in the truck and drove up the road into the mountain and we picked a tree to decorate. I have so often thought of my tree picking skills and for the record I have never had a live tree since the one me and grandpa pick that Christmas. It did have green pine needles and I liked it so it was cut down, loaded up and back to the house we went. When we brought it in the house I remember well my grandmother saying, “Hobert what kind of tree is that”? My grandfather said “that’s the one that Timmy wanted”…and the rest is history. My grandmother and I created strings of popcorn and I made a paper chain hooked together that we hung on the tree. It was perfect for me, but today I know that tree lacked a lot compared to the Christmas Trees one can purchase today. The good news is that back then isn’t today, and I only wish I could sit next to the coal stove with my grandparents once more.
The account of the First Nowell at the birth of Jesus provides an opportunity for each of us to look back at another time and place in history too. The Angel said that the First Nowell was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay keeping watch over their sheep. The Angel said that particular night was a cold winter’s night that was so deep. If you grew up in a city you expect to see lights from the streets poles, apartments, homes and businesses. I imagine that First Nowell night as one out in the country. Standing on the porch of my grandparent’s home the only light you would outside is the light from the well house or the pump house as some might say. A light there was very important. Its purpose was to help keep things from freezing through a cold winter’s night. If it did freeze then sometimes banging on the pipe might help break up the ice that had frozen in the lines. The First Nowell of Christmas was the light shining in the east that was beyond them far, and it was going to continue to shine both day and night. And it was by that light that wise men came from a country far too, as they sought to seek for a king. The wise men had committed to follow the star wherever it went. The traditional English carol The First Nowell concludes with “let us all with one accord, sing praises to our heavenly Lord. Who hath make heaven and earth of naught and with His blood mankind hath bought.”
Christmas offers to me and you the most unique of opportunities. It is a chance for each of us to to connect with our personal family history. I believe the number one reason people like to go home for Christmas is to remember things that use to be. A chance to recount the stories of ‘our people’ filled with laughter and memories that are cherished and enjoyed each time we share them. Christmas is also an opportunity to look into the future from history. Luke chapter 2, verse 11 says “A Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” Family, history and faith are important to me. It could be that all of this means nothing to you. I hope not, and I pray you see the Star this year and begin a new history.
Until then...
Editorials
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Tim Mills
Discussion
The First Nowell
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Will Main Street ever trust Washington again?
The scandal at the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department spying on the Associated Press came at the same time that I have been reading Moises Naim’s excellent book The End of Power.
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Mistreatment doesn’t warrant story
The man strode into the office with a purpose. He had been wronged, and he wanted the newspaper to do something about it. But regrettably, I had to inform him that we couldn’t help him.
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Controversies expose policies we should evaluate
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The world could use a little more ‘Tebow Time’
I try to leave the sports writing and opinions to my friends, Les and Chris, here at the Times-Tribune, but as a big sports fan, the occasional story will grab my attention.
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Compliance cars and souls
Within 12 years, it is projected; about 16 percent of cars on America’s roads will be zero-emission vehicles (ZEV).
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KY Mountain Laurel Festival - Reflecting Pool
Kentucky is a most unique Commonwealth for many reasons.
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Coal problem worth tackling in Washington and Frankfort
Despite hysterical cries from radical environmentalists, neither Sen. Rand Paul’s Defense of Environment and Property Act nor Sen. Mitch McConnell’s Coal Jobs Protection Act would allow activities that bring harm to Kentucky’s wildlife or waterways for the sake of propping up the coal industry.
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Dress appropriately for the situation
I stopped in a fast-food restaurant this week for a giant sweet tea, and while I waited in line I saw a girl in her early 20s filling out a job application.
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Life lessons from a lawyer’s lawyer
One of the great moments of my life was sitting next to legendary Louisville attorney Frank Haddad at a luncheon when he found that he had received the first Peter Perlman Outstanding Trial Lawyer award from the Kentucky Academy of Trial Lawyers.
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Strange weather the new normal
A lost weekend with endless rain. Two inches of hail in the northern part of Laurel County. Knee-deep grass. Cool, dreary days. And now, perhaps record-low temperatures and frost Sunday night.
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