Growing up with three older brothers, it wasn’t uncommon for Cissie Graham Lynch to hear what you might call “a clatter” on Christmas Eve.
“They would get on the roof and stomp like reindeer,” Cissie said. “They’d ring jingle bells, yell ‘ho, ho, ho’ outside my window.”
So, did she fall for it?
“Oh absolutely,” Cissie said. “Until I was way too old.”
Now, the daughter of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association President Franklin Graham and granddaughter of Billy Graham has a little girl of her own. And while no one has climbed up on the roof (yet), Cissie and her husband Corey are excited to create Christmas traditions for their family.
“As a mom, I ultimately want my daughter to understand what it truly means that Jesus Christ came to this earth and took on flesh to take our sins away,” Cissie said. “But I also want to have traditions from reading certain Christmas books to hot chocolate. I want her to experience the love and joy that Christmas represents.”
Part of that joy comes from an annual visit to Christmas at the Billy Graham Library, which kicked off Monday evening.
Cissie and her 1-year-old daughter Margaret traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, from their home in Fort Myers, Florida, for the opening night events.
As a crowd of media and visitors gathered between the live nativity and the cross-shaped entryway of the Billy Graham Library, Cissie read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2. Margaret toddled around on the grass, mesmerized by the goats, camel and donkey (who occasionally made his own raucous contribution to the Christmas carols that followed).
While visiting the Library at Christmas is a tradition for Cissie, it was Margaret’s first time. Between the animals and the horse-drawn carriage rides, she seemed to be having a pretty merry time. And even if she can’t understand the meaning of the live nativity yet, she’ll grow up with memories of the true Christmas story—and her family’s history of sharing that story with the world.
“As a mom, it’s so important for me to be able to teach her the true meaning of Christmas and the greatest love story of all,” Cissie said.
Some of her own childhood memories were formed inside the cozy mountain home of her famous grandparents, Billy Graham and his late wife, Ruth.
“I have memories of Christmas, sitting around my grandparents’ massive fireplace, reading the Christmas story,” Cissie said.
“And I’ll always remember my grandmother’s crazy stocking stuffers—a ball of rubber bands or a bunch of paper clips—nothing fancy from my grandmother,” she laughed. “Just whatever she could find in her junk drawer.”
Margaret won’t get the chance to meet her great-grandmother this side of heaven, but her family is excited to teach her all about her heritage, starting with a visit to the place that bears her great-grandfather’s name. And Cissie invites visitors from Charlotte and beyond to create their own memories at Christmas at the Library.
“For me, every year this event gets more special because it started a tradition here in Charlotte,” Cissie said. “You’re here in a big city, but you come onto the grounds and it’s peaceful.”
“You have the music playing, the live nativity, the carriage rides,” she added. “And you get to experience the true meaning of Christmas, and that’s Jesus Christ.”
Plan your visit to Christmas at the Library.
Check out more coverage of the opening night festivities.
