A thought for the Holiday

A thought for the Holiday's

Now that Thanksgiving is over and we all have given our thanks to God for our bountiful meal it is time to make our plans for the Christmas holiday. There is joy in the air everywhere you look, seasonal music, decorations of multitudes of light and animated figures adorn many a lawn. It almost seems that there is a contest going on in the neighborhood to see who can have the largest light bill, or who can drown out more stars with the brightness surrounding their home.

I started to think about this last week as I was driving home from my job. What is it we are celebrating now. It can't possibly be the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Could it? Did I miss something in the true meaning of Christmas somewhere in my youth, or am I just getting old and no longer understand the reasoning behind it. This all confuses me. When did we remove the Nativity to make way for the giant blow up grinch doll, or the fifteen foot tall snowman? I remember in my younger days seeing houses decorated for the season with simple candles in the window and a wreath on the door. Simple things indeed but with true meaning to the holiday.

I would like to offer some ideas to everyone that will perhaps put the TRUE meaning back into this joyous time of year. First and foremost, be thankful too your God for what you have been given this year. Did you get a new home or were you blessed by Him with a new baby? Did you finally get that position at your work that you had been praying for, or that long overdue raise? Did a loved one recover from an illness this year that no one thought would be possible? All these and so many other things to be thankful for. Take a minute and think. Did you remember something that happened to you, for you? On Christmas day ( not Xmas day ) we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, shouldn't we at least thank God for that?

Not all religions believe in the birth of the Savior but I am sure there are plenty of things to be thankful for. How do we thank Him? Do we light up our homes so bright that He can't even look down on us without being blinded by the light? Or do we make offerings in His name? How can we properly give our thanks to One so powerful, who needs nothing from us but our love? In these times you can't even donate to the Salvation Army anymore because the businesses have asked them to leave their stores.

There are still so many things we can do however. Drop a donation in the box at your church, or give an anonymous donation to a local charity. Look into your own neighborhoods, even your own families. Did someone lose their job in these hard times, or have they lost a loved one recently. Offer your support, your love. You dont have to shower them with gifts or fill their bank accounts with money, invite them to dinner or just stop by and offer a helping hand with something they can't do for themselves. Go through your closets, look at all those clothes you haven't worn in months. Give them to a local clothes drive, they are in every city. Or even better, give them directly to that homeless man or woman you pass every day on the street. If every adult man and woman gave just one article of clothing to the homeless charities in their city they would not have enough people to give them too, and that is actually a good thing. Just a thought, but if you shiver and shake simply walking to and from your car in the winter, how do you think that person sleeping in the park feels? Yes a coat would be nice, or even a blanket. These are all simple, painless things we could do to show God that yes we do appreciate that gift He gave us on this Christmas day.

So this year when all is settled down and the shopping is done enjoy your Christmas with your family and friends. Look at your small children, see the pure joy in their eyes as they come into the room and see all the presents Santa has brought to them. Cherish the wonderment of the children, but tell them why we celebrate this day. Tell them the story of Christmas, that a man Joseph and his wife Mary traveled many days to find a place to rest, that they were turned away by many but finally offered the shelter of a stable. Tell them of the star in the east that guided the three kings, tell them of the little drummer boy who they have heard of in the song. Tell them of the Angel sent by God Himself to tell Mary of her child. Tell them everything. But most of all, tell them Jesus was born on this day and that is why we have such a joyous celebration.

And then after everyone has finished their monumental meal and dishes are cleared for dessert, maybe you could even sing happy birthday to the Child who was born and died for all of our sins. If you do this and it happens to rain or even snow you can tell the children they have made God so happy that He is crying tears of joy, He knows we understand the true meaning of Christmas.

It is just a thought.