OK Solberg: 00:00

I wanna again welcome you to The 405 Coffee Break. Guys, get you a cup of coffee, glass iced tea, bottle of water. Let's see what's happening. Is it Christmas Eve? I think it is.

OK Solberg: 00:09

Spring wheat $5.53 a bushel. 550lb steer calf $4.07 a pound, and a butcher hog in Iowa 67¢ a pound, and a lamb that's fat in Billings weighing a 100lbs will fetch you $2.39, But guys, there's more, much more.

OK Solberg: 00:32

Yes, it is. Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas for unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 So so what is your tradition for Christmas Eve? Do you open your presents tonight, or do you wait until tomorrow morning? Now as I was growing up, we always opened our presents on Christmas Eve and then went to Dodson on Christmas Day.

OK Solberg: 01:03

Out in Harb in my growing up years, I have many fond memories from my childhood. Now my earliest Christmas memory is waking up in my father's arms in the church I now serve, and I had a nice rubber ball as a present. It was the Christmas program at Elim Church and I was a little tyke and I fell asleep in my daddy's arms. You know, it's a warm and cherished memory. And I wanna tell you this, the little homemade manger that we still use in the Christmas program, well, it was there.

OK Solberg: 01:39

That night I was sleeping in my dad's arms way back in 1960. The major the manger is a heirloom of the church. Guys, it's still there made out of an old apple box and I was believe it was built by Ernest Bergsago and Elaine's grandfather Elias Bergsago. You know Conrad's father and Goodran's father-in-law. The Apple box major has small legs on it to elevate it up and those legs are made from pine wood only three quarters of an inch wide and only three eighths of an inch thick and about 20 inches long so they look like sticks about the size of a wooden mixing spoons handle.

OK Solberg: 02:25

Now the reason I'm going into so much detail is I want you to know miracle it is that those legs haven't been broken for being used several weeks each year for over seventy seven years. Now I'm guessing it was built about 1948. That little manger has been on the platform with kids of all ages including even nursery children and all it would take is one small child to trip and stumble into that little manger and one of those legs would have snapped in two. But it's still standing. It's a Christmas miracle, a reminder of over three quarters of a century of celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus.

OK Solberg: 03:11

Other Chris Christmas memories I have from my childhood is Christmas Eve, and all 5 of us children are so excited to open our presents. Man, let's do it. Let's do it. Let's do it. Man, we'd been looking at those gifts under the tree for weeks now.

OK Solberg: 03:28

And finally, it's the day. It's the day to open them. I remember well, my father Ingwald, he would eat real slow like because he wanted to make it last and add a little impatient banter for his children. He'd finish the meal and then he'd want a cup of coffee and we knew it was his call so we'd watch him sip that coffee and sip that coffee and fine finally, there it is empty. And our dad would laugh, that belly laugh and say, I think I'll have one more cup.

OK Solberg: 04:04

And we'd all groan, but our dad wasn't being mean. It was making it last. He was making it last and making a memory for all of us. Finally, it was done and then one by one we opened the presents. You know, in a year or two a different routine was established out at our house.

OK Solberg: 04:25

We had a dusk till dawn yard light outside the big picture window. And after much pleading, the decision had now been enshrined in the law book and the decision was that we could start opening presents when that yard light flickered on. Guys, you should have seen us. Noses stuck to the window waiting and waiting. And like they say, a watched pot never boils.

OK Solberg: 04:54

Well, it took so long for that yard light to come on. And finally, that 1st flicker and there was yelling and hooping it up the yard lights on the yard lights on let's start opening presents. Those days are long gone yet the memories linger. Our children are now grown up and they have children and they're all doing their Christmas Eve tradition and it's ho ho ho and mistletoe and joy to the world, but I still watch to see if the yard light's on.

OK Solberg: 05:29

So until next time, as you go out there, remember now, don't be bitter.