A Sunday School Christmas Card

Good morning!
​Merry Christmas!

This year has been a very strange year, with lots of changes. The Sunday School Christmas Program is normally presented the Sunday before Christmas, which would be today. This morning, we would like to share Christmas greetings and Christmas memories from members of our church, some favorite Christmas songs, and the Christmas story. Grab a warm drink, find somewhere cozy, and enjoy our program this year.

---

---

---

Choir Christmas Play

The choir's annual Christmas play was done for 22 years. These pictures are from the last several years.

---

A favorite song for Christmas programs. 

​This snowy picture shows our church at the top left.

---

Advent Candle Lighting

Lighting the Advent candles every Sunday has always been one of my favorite things leading up to Christmas. Every Sunday becomes quiet and thoughtful. We are reminded to consider the promises made to us, the peace that we will receive, the joy we experience, and the love we share. When I thought we might not be able to meet for worship this year, I decided that I still wanted to be able to light candles at home!
​Christine

---

---

Christmas Greetings

At our house we either make or buy a birthday cake for Jesus each year.  Here is a picture of ours last year.  Also our picture lighting the Advent candles. We are sad we can't be with everyone this year but please know we are there in our hearts.  Merry Christmas!
​From John, Barb and James

---

We want to wish everyone a blessed Christmas. Rise above today’s chaos and diversions to enjoy your blessings and the Gift of Christmas Day!  This picture was taken at one of the Christmas Eve services and oh how we miss the beautiful music and voices brought to everyone during this joyful season!  Rejoice in memories and thank God for all the photos we can share and enjoy. Merry Christmas!!  Kenny and Becky.

Martha says Merry Christmas too!

---

Merry Christmas from our family to yours,  Linda and Tom Miller ​

---

---

Children's Christmas Party
and
​Caroling

Each year, we have a small Christmas party right before Christmas for the children. Then, everyone goes caroling at The Grove (formerly Kade's). This is a favorite yearly activity for the children and for the residents!

Having been a member of North Buffalo for 66 years I have many many memories.  It was hard to come up with only one but I cherish memories of past Sunday school classes when we had many more children than we do today.  The children would make Christmas decorations for the Christmas tree.  The anticipation and excitement of making decorations for Jesus birthday was joyous.  They would take these decorations they created and with sparkling eyes and joyous smiles would hang them upon the tree as a gift to Jesus.  They were so very proud and excited to be a part of decorating the tree.  I am sorry I do not have a picture from one of those trees to share with you but it was a joyous time.  
​Linda

---

The Story of Christmas

---

Christmas Greetings

Merry Christmas to ALL!
​from Bryan, Garnet and Christine

---

We wish a blessed and merry Christmas to all of our church family.
​From the Fisher family

---

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!

from Frank and Nellie Baker

---

Sunday School Christmas Program

Another tradition has been the Christmas pageant during Sunday School hour on the Sunday before Christmas. A perennial favorite song among the children for that program has been "With a Star That Bright," about the Wise Men. We'd like to share that with you again this year.

---

---

Christmas Eve

A North Buffalo Christmas Eve Candlelight Service of 50 years (or so) ago!
​
Well, Christine and I were talking about memories that make an impression on you when you are young.  And I shared these memories with her, not really thinking of our virtual Christmas Program.  But later Christine asked me to write this down to share.  And it seems very fitting to share now, given that Rev. Scott has gone on to the sing in the heavenly choir this Christmas!  And I’ll share another little fun Christmas Eve Memory too. (There are really too many!)
I think maybe we are very impressionable around 9 or 10 or so years old, I know I was, and maybe that’s why these memories are so vivid to me.  Rev. Scott always prepared a beautiful Christmas Eve Service, and to me they seemed very reverent and mystical.  This one stands out in my mind very much.  
For this particular Christmas Eve, Rev. Scott moved all the chairs out of the choir area, and he put three medium size fresh cut evergreen trees there, and dressed them only with small white lights.  The pulpit was moved over to the right hand side.  The walls were hung with antique punched tin candle holder lanterns with candles burning in them.  There was just one light for the readers at the pulpit.  I don’t remember that there was any light on the choir, who were sitting over to the left (where we normally put the Christmas tree now.)  Rev. Scott always emphasized memorizing the music, and so maybe they didn’t need much light.  He always told us in the junior choir that he wanted us to be “looking up like angels” when we sang.  So I suppose that was true for the adult choir too!
The program was the entire Christmas scripture, from the prophecy through the arrival of the magi.  Interwoven were lovely hymns and poems. Rev. Scott sang bass (of course), and read some of the poetry.  The scripture was all read by Mr. Smith.  As a child I was impressed with how well he read, and his fine deep voice.  I can picture him well, with his white hair and white beard and dark suit.  
In the dark sanctuary with just one light on the readers and Bible at the pulpit, the three small trees, and the hanging lanterns, it seemed that everything else in the world fell away.  We could have been worshipping outside.  And it seemed very easy to feel the mystery, even for a pre-teen child, the great mystery of God coming to earth that first Christmas in the person of Baby Jesus to save all of human kind.  And then we passed the candle light from one to another, as we still do now, and the dark sanctuary was slowly filled with light on the faces of all our dear congregation.   
And for another fun memory!  Rev. Scott loved including the youth and children in so many ways, and including things any of us suggested.  I remember one of the Christmas Eve Services when we sang a “brand new” recently published (1969) Christmas Hymn.  We sang two verses of “Pass it On” as we lit each other’s candles and passed the Light of Christ’s love through the congregation.  And then we sang Silent Night after everyone’s candle was aglow.  
OK, that was fun to share!  I hope you each can remember a Christmas Eve service of your own when the love and light of Christ felt so close you could wrap it all around you.  God Bless you all.

Lisa

---

---

From all of us at North Buffalo ...

We hope that you enjoyed a little trip down memory lane. Thank you to everyone who shared pictures, videos, greetings and memories.