First Corinthians 13 [Christmas Version]

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, 
but do not show love to my family, 
I'm just another decorator. 

If I slave away in the kitchen, 
baking dozens of Christmas cookies, 
preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime: 
but do not show love to my family, 
I'm just another cook. 

If I work at a soup kitchen, 
carol in the nursing home, 
and give all that I have to charity; 
but do not show love to my family, 
it profits me nothing. 

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, 
attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, 
but do not focus on Christ, 
I have missed the point. 

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. 
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse. 
Love is kind, though harried and tired.. 
Love does not envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. 
Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. 
Love does not give only to those who are able to give in return; but rejoices in giving to those who cannot. 
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. 
Love never fails. 
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust; 
but giving the gift of love will endure. 

For that is the true meaning of Christmas.

The "W" in Christmas

The "W" in Christmas


Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.


My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."


I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher.
She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.


So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer.


So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken a back by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.


Those in the front row center stage held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.


As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete, "Christmas Love."


The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".


The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".


Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.


In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.


For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:


"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"
And, I believe, He still is.

Christmas at the Gas Station

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through.  "Not without something hot in your belly." George said.   "You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away.


"But Mister, please help ..." The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."


George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I gave 'em the truck, their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand new ." George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.


George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to
himself.. So he put a new one on.


"Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car anyway.


As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Please help me."


George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.


"Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You hang in there, I'm going to get you an ambulance."


The phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio.


He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."


George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain."


George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked.   "None for me," said the officer.   "Oh, yer gonna drink this.  Best in the city. Too bad I ain't got no donuts." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.


The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.


"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.


"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."


The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!"


The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here now."


He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pea shooter away."


George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week."


George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."


He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Bein' stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."


The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you.. It just went off. I'm sorry officer."   "Shut up and drink your coffee " the cop said.   George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.


"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"


"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.


Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."


George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.


"That guy work here?" the wounded cop continued.   "Yep,"  George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."


The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"


Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy ... and you too, George, and thanks for everything."


"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems."


George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go, something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."


The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."


"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."


George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours."


The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.


"And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said. "Now git home to your family."


The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."


"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."


George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?"


"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"


"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."


The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.


The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. "That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."


George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.


"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."


The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."


George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.


"You see, George ... it's My birthday. Merry Christmas."


George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus"


Merry Christmas!!

The Secret of Santa by Betty Werth

On Christmas Eve, a young boy with light in his eyes,

Looked deep into Santa’s, to Santa’s surprise,

And said as he nestled on Santa’s broad knee,

“I want your secret. Tell it to me.”

He leaned up and whispered in Santa’s good ear,

How do you do it, year after year?

“I want to know how, as you travel about,

Giving gifts here and there, you never run out.

How is it, dear Santa, that in your pack of toys

You have plenty for all of the world’s girls and boys?

Stay so full, never empties, as you make your way

From rooftop to rooftop, to homes large and small,

From nation to nation them all?

And Santa smiled kindly and said to the boy,

“Don’t ask me hard questions. Don’t you want a toy?”

But the child shook his head, and Santa could see.

That he needed the answer. “Now listen to me,”

He told the small boy with the light in his eyes,

“My secret will make you sadder, and wise.”

“The truth is that my sack is magic. Inside.

It holds millions of toys for my Christmas Eve ride.

But although I do visit each girl and each boy

I don’t always leave them a gaily wrapped toy,

Some homes are desperate, some homes are bad.

Some homes are broken, and children there grieve.

Those homes I visit, but what should I leave?

“My sleigh is filled with the happiest stuff,

But for homes where despair lives, toys aren’t enough.

So I tiptoe in, kiss each girl and boy,

And pray with them that they’ll be given the joy

Of the spirit of Christmas, the spirit that lives

In the heart of the dear child who gets not, but gives.

If only God hears me and answers my prayer,

When I visit next year, what I will find there

Are homes filled with peace, and with giving, and love

And boys and girls gifted with light from above.

It’s a very hard task, my smart little brother,

To give toys to some and to give prayers to others.

But the prayers are the best gifts, the best gifts indeed.

For God has a way of meeting each need.

That’s part of the answer. The rest, my dear youth,

Is that my sack is magic. And that is the truth.

In my sack I carry on Christmas Eve day

More love that a Santa could e’er give away.

The sack never empties of love, or of joys.

‘Cause inside it are prayers, and hopes. Not just toys.

The more that I give, the fuller it seems,

Because giving is my way of fulfilling dreams.

“And do you know something? You’ve got a sack, too.

It’s as magic as mine, and it’s inside of you.

It never gets empty, it’s full from the start.

It’s the center of light, and of love. It’s your heart.

And if on this Christmas you want to help me,

Don’t be so concerned with gifts ‘neath your tree

Open that sack called your heart, and share

Your joy, your friendship, your wealth, your care.”

The light in the small boy’s eyes was glowing.

“Thanks for the secret. I’ve got to be going.”

“Wait, little boy,” said Santa, “don’t go.”

Will you share? Will you help? Will you use what you know?”


And just for a moment the small boy stood still,

Touched his heart with his small hand and whispered,

“I will”

By Betty Werth

Letter from Jesus about Christmas

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own... I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santa’s and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks was. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up... It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary-- especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself.
Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take
care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to
work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in
your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all
those whom you love and remember:

I LOVE YOU,

JESUS

May God Bless You Always

Santa Clause - The Real Story

I remember my first Christmas party with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb:
"There is no Santa Claus," she jeered.

"Even dummies know that!"

My grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns. Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites I told her everything. She was ready for me.

"No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days.

'Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker.

He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat. I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.

"Yes, "I replied shyly. "It's ... for Bobbie." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, From Santa Claus" on it -- Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.

Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus", she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie.

Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

Anonymous

Christmas Angels

'Angels' in Greek mean 'Messengers'. In Bible, heavenly angels are mentioned as messengers of god. Christmas angels are perhaps the most popular form of angels that are used in our celebrations. Angels are believed to be immortal, who live in Heaven, and act as intermediaries between God and Humankind. Traditionally, pictures and poems on angels portray them having human bodies with wings sprouting from their backs. 'Wings' are said to symbolize Innocence, Virtue, Purity, Peace and Love, which place them above Humans though they are still under God. It was the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of Christianity, which first mentions that angels had a human body and angel wings and could fly.

According to the New Testament, when people are sorry for their sins, angels rejoice. In Bible, nine ranks of angels are mentioned with Seraphim and Cherubim angels on top. Angels are headed by a chief angel known as an Archangel whose name is Saint Michael. We all have our guardian angels or angel guardians who protect us, look after us and comfort us in times of distress. It was in 1100 to 1200 AD when Christian doctrine about angels evolved rapidly, as in the teachings of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Saint Thomas believed that angels fill the gap between God and mankind; they are countless and immortal. According to Saint Thomas, angels have perfect knowledge except things that can depend on human choice and things that only God knows.

They were quite instrumental in birth of Jesus Christ and hence, play an important role in Christmas celebration and festivities. Angels were the ones that brought us the news of the birth of the Christ child. Gabriel, the heavenly Christmas angel brought the divine news to Mary and revealed that she was chosen to bear God's son. Another angel informed Joseph that he should marry Mary and look after the Christ. According to a legend, God appointed a small group of tiny angels, who were just learning their angel ways, to watch over Joseph and Mary on their journey to Bethlehem. Tiny angels did all they could and tried to do their best but could not help the couple to find shelter in the inn in the over-crowded town. Finally, they had to make do with the inn's stable.

They were so excited that they were to witness the birth of God's Only Son that flew closer to earth and sang sweetly. The fastest among them caught sight of the newborn child from stable's roof and instantly understood their mission was to herald the birth. They were so filled with joy and mirth that they burst into a glorious thanksgiving song that reached the heavens and was so melodious that it could be heard all over the Earth. A Christmas angel appeared to the shepherds near Bethlehem about the Christ Child's birth too. We still see Christmas angels singing and playing music in Nativity scenes who look so cute and benevolent that they catch young one's attention and fascination instantly.

Getting Through Christmas by Garden Angel

Suggestions for getting through Christmas:
 1. The Golden Rule: Pace yourself. Try this, do 2 things at once for 15-30 mins each job and switch when time is up. Example: sit down and wrap presents, stand up and decorate the tree. Make cookies and write Christmas cards. Get the idea do something standing then something sitting.

2. Keep things simple: Pear down your expectations of the holidays. Do you really need to decorate every inch of your house? The days of the Norman Rockwell paintings are over. Settle on simple and cozy. Instead of the big dinner do a pot luck, no theme just what ever they want to bring. I have done this for 3 yrs now and we love it. No turkey or ham just munches and fun relaxing times. We set out the food as everyone gets there and when someone is hungry they grab a plate and munch.

3. Delegation: I always use the store scooters for shopping. I know pride comes in there but I drop pride when I can get home and not be in so much pain. For stores that don't have scooters delegate to someone who will be going there anyway or shop online.

Yes, significant other can do some of the shopping. lol Give them a list and see how well they do. I have found men are great for errands as they go in the store, get and go. Unlike ladies who wander for hours and forget why they came in the store in the first place.

I have dinners (I order pizza) and invite family over and together we put up my tree, unload my snowman collection and help shop or wrap misc presents. We have even done this for cookies. If family isn't close invite close friends over, then help at their house in return. It will be fun and helpful at the same time.

4. Start early: Don't wait till the last min. Start making lists as early as possible. Get your shopping on line done. Gift cert can be bought any time and online. We do our name picking on Labor day so everyone can get it done slowly. Who ever is hosting the gathering draws names and lets everyone know who to buy for.

5. Get plans ready asap: Who is hosting, who is going where, who will help with shopping, what everyone will bring? My family is the most disorganized bunch so my job all the time is to keep them on task and up to date on changes. Thanks to email we are all connected and I don't have to make tons of calls to everyone. Normally I send out a who, what, and where email in Sept when the name drawing is done. Reminders and update go out each month.

6. Rest don't stay up all night worrying about things. Write things down and put the note where you will see it in the morning. Sleep and down time are important if you are going to make it to new yr. When you plan your schedule for the week plan a whole day of nothing to regroup and rest. Things will get done faster and with less stress if your rested.

7. Make a list of who you are shopping for and what before you leave for the store. Search the sales, clip the coupons, set limits on cost for each person and stick to it. Everyone is short on money and sticking to your budget and planning are a must when money is tight. In my family we pick names and buy for all the kids (ages 0 to 16), we only have 5 so it's not to bad. I figure out what I have to spend, this yr only 300 for all the presents and divided by 9, around 30 bucks each. I made my list and hit the store and got it all done in one stop. Difficult ppl get a gift cert for that amount and I chose not to sweat it.

8. Enjoy and share: Remember this is a time to spend with those you love. Tell them you love them. Live, laugh and love.

9. Remember the true reason for the season. Go to church or whatever and rejoice in whatever faith you have.

10. Take care of you, need I say more.

Here is a website with great additional ideas for the holidays. http://flylady.com/pages/HolidayCruising3.asp

Where did Family go?? by Garden Angel

Where did the "family" go in Holiday celebrations?

When I was growing up it was a given that you would be home for the holidays. Relatives would come and spend the day eating great food, talking, playing cards and just spending time as a family at Thanksgiving and Christmas. We would gather friends, extended families, in-laws and co workers and share the time of love.

On Christmas which is my favorite holiday. Family would come from all over to spend the day at my grams. Everyone would bring their signature dish to share. Others would come early to help cook. The cooking part took weeks to prepare and anyone who lived close would drop in to help. The big dinner was always around noon. After dinner the men would go watch football. The women would be in the kitchen doing dishes, cleaning up and getting snacks and desert trays ready for later. When the kitchen was clean and tidy the women would put the little kids down for a nap or the older kids would play board games. Then the adults would gather around the huge dinning room table and play cards, talk and catch up on each other. There was no fighting, or bickering, and no one laid around watching TV, that was turned off after 1 game. Later those trays would come out and we would all get ready to go to candle light service at grams church. Then it was home to bed to wait for Santa. It was a long wonderful day filled with family, friends and love. No presents were exchanged that day, just fun, family, love and the spirit of God.

Early in the morning we would go in the living room to see all the presents and try to wake up everyone so we could open them. Once the ceremony of opening presents was over and the wrappings picked up, we would have a big wonderful breakfast. After we would watch football or our favorite holiday shows and play with new toys till dinner. After dinner the best thing would be to get in the car and drive all over looking at Christmas lights till bed time. This was a day to relax and be with our personal family.

Those are the best things I remember about Christmas as a child. Christmas was filled with family, smiles, tons of unbelievable food, church and presents. Where did that go?? When did it all change? What's with this modern Christmas?

It's cold and impersonal. To many ppl to see on one day. To much rushing to get to other things. Dinner is reduced to a piece of meat, potatoes and a salad. No one gathers now without a TV blaring away and video games humming. And very few will spend any time at all at church celebrating the true meaning of the whole holiday, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you even say a prayer over the Christmas dinner? Do you say happy birthday to Jesus, and thank God for such a wonderful gift of true love? What is all this rushing around house to house, party to party, store to store get us?

Our families are a gift from God. Our friends are a gift from God. Our parents understood this and taught it to us yr after yr. What happened?

If we have extended families why can't we invite them over? If your married why do you have to split up and go to each families house. Pick a house and gather as one, then change the next yr. Do your best friends have someone to spend the holidays? If not, invite them to your family gathering and share in the spirit of love.

Christmas is a time to forget silly squabbles, past hurts that are ancient and differences that don't mean a thing. It's a time to gather together and reconnect as a family. Times are very hard now. So many have lost so much. Gather together as a family in Gods name. Remember friends come and go in our lives but family is forever and a gift from God.

Share the love you have with friends, and family now this yr for some may not be there in the future, and you would have missed the opportunity to share the love of this wonderful season with them. Forget the presents under the tree, turn the TV and video games off, and give the gift of love this yr. Honor those who are no longer here. Invite, call or send a card to someone who has made a difference in your life and thank them for being there when you needed a friend. Pray for those who are so far away at war.

Instead of opening presents open your heart to your family and friends. For all the pretty presents under the tree will never be as great as the gift of Love.