Christmas Traditions:

The Reynolds Family
Manchester, New Hampshire

Frank, Myra, and their eight month old son, Nathan Reynolds arrived in Manchester, NH, to minister with Manchester Christian Church (MCC) in June 1980. Most of their belongings were stored in the Bedford (MA) church house until they could find a place to live. Frank was finishing a degree from Lincoln Christian Seminary, and they had spent several months raising financial support in Virginia and North Carolina for their move to New Hampshire.

At Christmas time for several years, the Reynolds family went back home to Virginia. They would load up their growing family after services on the Sunday prior to Christmas day and head south. One family memory was made the year their van broke down in Connecticut on Christmas Eve. Myra was expecting at the time, and they felt like Mary and Joseph trying to find someplace to rest. They were able to locate a motel for the night and on Christmas day limped on into Virginia where a mechanic was able to fix their van.

As the family grew, Frank and Myra decided that trying to visit with all the extended family at Christmas was too hectic not only for them, but most of their Virginia family as well. So they changed their Virginia trip to Thanksgiving or summer. One summer they discovered that renting a campground on the Virginia/North Carolina border for a week provided a convenient place for family and friends to come and enjoy one another. This also provided an opportunity for Frank and Myra to begin some new Christmas traditions with their growing family back in Manchester.

Frank remembers:

One of the first family Christmas traditions that we began here in New Hampshire was adding a new piece of the Nativity scene each year. We intentionally bought a set that the children could play with, which, of course, they did. One year we lost baby Jesus. Then there was the year our son James mixed his G.I. Joe characters into the set.

Another tradition we enjoyed was having a stocking for each child. With seven stockings it was a really special time for us to reflect on the different personalities with which God had blessed us in our children. Much care was taken in selecting items to reflect each individual child's interests as we filled those stockings at Christmas.

A favorite Christmas tradition for the whole family was that each year we would go to a local tree farm, pick out the tree we wanted, and cut it down. Of course, we would sometimes hear, "Do we have to?" but as the children grew older, they would come to us and ask when we were going to go pick out and cut down the family's Christmas tree. One year after Matt and Bethany were married, they were unable to fly in until Christmas Eve, which fell on the weekend. So I went to the tree farm in advance and paid for the tree we wanted because they would not be open when we came to cut it down, but Matt and Bethany did not know we had paid in advance. So when they arrived, we loaded up two vehicles and drove to the tree farm. Of course the tree farm was closed. So I said, "We'll just go cut a tree down anyway. They have plenty of trees. They won't miss one." Matt and Bethany could not believe what we were doing. Bethany told Matt to do something. Matt told Bethany, "He's your father. You say something." What a surprise for them to learn that I had already paid for our tree and made arrangements ahead of time to be on the property. It is a memory that still makes the Reynolds family laugh to this day. Every year we still go out to the tree farm and take a family picture.

Question:  What are you looking forward to this Christmas?

This Christmas is totally new and different. Our first grandchildren, Ellie and Eva (twin girls), were born on May 24th which also happened to be our 32nd wedding anniversary. On October 31st of this year, our first grandson, Carter, was also born. With these precious gifts from God, this year we will begin new Christmas traditions, and we already have their stockings.

Question:  How has the Sunday morning that focuses on Christmas changed since you have been here?

Christmas has changed significantly. Earlier in my ministry, there would have been a Christmas Eve service that relied on my planning and ideas. Back then it was mostly MCC family, and they graciously endured my lack of creativity. Now, God has blessed us with many gifted people who continually create a fresh presentation of the Christmas message. The MCC family is now excited to bring their extended family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and others who have yet to make a decision for Jesus Christ. What a blessing it is to see many of those individuals who are invited to attend our special Christmas services return in the New Year. This has become one of our most treasured Christmas traditions.