“Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.” Helen Steiner Rice
It is most certainly true that the spirit of Christmas must live in our hearts each and every day of the year. It is our mission as Christians to bring ‘Christmas’ to the whole world over, including our neighbors right next door.
Sometimes, just the simplest of things can mean so much to someone else. And yes, we can do these things anytime. But whenever we share our blessings, there is this incredulous gift that we discover; Christ is with us in every detail of our lives, and when our hearts are infused with his love, anything is possible.
It seems that when it comes to sharing blessings, there really are no little things. No gift is ever too small. No act of love is ever wasted.
When my daughter was a little girl, her favorite thing at Christmas was picking out the gifts for the Angel tree at church. It seems a small thing, and yet the joy on her face was unmistakable every time. I can still see that little upturned face, so earnest, as she tried to stretch the dollars to find the most perfect gift.
When the bells ring for the Salvation Army and we drop our coins in the bucket, it seems almost a futile effort; and yet, all those quarters and dollars add up throughout the season and help so many people. Watch the faces of the bell-ringers as you empty your coins; their eyes mirror their happy hearts.
Food Lion supermarkets run their campaign of giving throughout the holiday season. For five dollars, you can buy a box of food to feed a family because Food Lion has matched your giving. It is only five dollars! Often, as you look at the cashier, piling up the boxes at check-out, their smiles tell a happy story.
I love to bake cookies at Christmas and it is a time-honored tradition for so many people. Of course, I give them to friends and family. Oddly, the times I have given cookies to people who certainly did not expect to receive a box, we both were elated. It seems, that when we take a recipient by complete surprise, we both enjoy the gift!
Love is in all the little details of life, as well as in the really ‘big’ things. We each make a difference whether it is a smile we give to a stranger who looks sad, or the phone call we make to someone who really needs to hear from us…on Christmas, or any day.
I do wish you Christmas blessings, and may it last throughout the year. Every smile counts; every kind act makes a difference. We change the world, one day at a time, when ‘Christmas’ lives in our hearts year-round; the blessings just seem to overflow, day by day, pouring down from heaven on everyone we meet.
Merry Christmas!