“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown,” states Linus in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” following his reading of the Gospel of Luke, as touching a holiday moment as one could wish for during this time of peace on earth, goodwill toward men. Which is why, for this, my third installment of Punching the Clock, I found myself searching for that elusive holiday spirit, a search which led me to New Berlin’s Chase Memorial Nursing Home on Christmas morning and my good friend Father Chuck (otherwise known as Reverend Charles G. Taylor), as kind, caring and gracious a man one could ever hope to meet.
And while I’ll be the first to admit this wasn’t necessarily “work,” so to speak, volunteering for a couple of hours at Chase Memorial was about as inspiring as you can imagine; chatting with the residents and staff; singing along as we ran through some heartfelt renditions of “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful;” and celebrating Christmas with a group of people who may not have anyone to celebrate with other than Father Chuck, myself, and their fellow residents.
Needless to say, the holidays can be a lonely time – particularly for the elderly – and it should be noted that visitors are always welcome at Chase Memorial, so feel free to stop by.
With that said, it was absolutely amazing to see the smiles and general camaraderie our visit brought with it, enough to put this (at times) dour, Scrooge-esque reporter in the mood for Christmas. And it must be said that it was an experience that taught me a valuable lesson: we reporters often spend a lot of time covering local community events, yet far too often fail to participate in such events. In other words, it’s easy to forget how important something as simple as an informal Christmas Service is to those individuals who made their way down to the home’s recreation room, just as it’s easy to forget how – sometimes – just being there is enough to bring out that rare smile and a bit of welcome conversation.
Father Chuck, however, said it best when he stated, “This is my favorite place to be on Christmas. The staff, the residents, everyone is so, so nice. And this is my favorite service ... this is my Christmas present to myself.”
The residents, needless to say, were overjoyed by Father Chuck’s (and mine, to a lesser extent) presence, many thanking the reverend repeatedly for his time and willingness to spend Christmas morning with them. Said one, “This is just so nice for Father Chuck to come do this on Christmas Day every year.”
As for me, I spent my time prior to and following the service chatting with residents and members of the staff at Chase Memorial, all of whom are extremely friendly and easy to approach. A number of residents, in fact, are obviously fans of The Evening Sun and New Berlin Gazette, considering they had all manner of questions for me on local happenings and stories they had read in either paper. And that, honestly, is one of the best gifts I could have received, knowing that people actually do read our stories and do care about our local communities, even if they – the residents at Chase Memorial – are so often (and sadly) overlooked.
Regardless, at the conclusion of Father Chuck’s service, the good reverend asked those attending what was next on the agenda. For most? A bite for lunch. For Father Chuck? A nap on the couch (a statement followed by general laughter). As for me, you ask? Well, let’s just say I was definitely in the Christmas spirit following my visit at Chase Memorial and I was more than ready to exchange gifts with the family and spend the day together at mom’s house. It made for a very Merry Christmas.
With that, I give you that same portion of the Gospel of Luke, as read by Linus, which Father Chuck – much to my delight – included as part of yesterday’s Christmas Service:
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.’”