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December 4 - 12 Days of Holiday Inspiration . . .              (back)

12 Days of Holiday Inspiration 

On the first day of Christmas,  

My true love said to me . . .

Somehow not only at Christmas but all the long year through . . .  

the joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.  

On the second day of Christmas,  

My true love said to me . . .

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: 

the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. 

On the third day of Christmas,  

My true love said to me . . .

To my enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. 

To a friend, my heart. To a customer, service. 

To all, charity. To every child, a good example. 

To myself, respect. 

On the fourth day of Christmas,  

My true love said to me . . .

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. 

To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy,  

is to have the real spirit of Christmas. 

On the fifth day of Christmas,  

My true love said to me . . .

Christmas . . . is not an eternal event at all, 

but a piece of one’s home that one carries in one’s heart . . . 

On the sixth day of Christmas,  

My true love said to me . . .

Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love,  

a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men  

should prevail over all hatred and bitterness,  

a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives  

manifest the presence of God. 

On the seventh day of Christmas,  

My true love said to me . . .

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. 

-- Charles Dickens  

On the eighth day of Christmas, 

My true love said to me . . .

Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time 

with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is 

that we don’t quite know how to put our love into words. 

On the ninth day of Christmas,  

My true love said to me . . .

This is Christmas:

not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, 

but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, 

the Christ. 

On the tenth day of Christmas,  

My true love said to me . . .

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings,  

all the snow in Alaska won’t make it “white.” 

--Bing Crosby 

On the eleventh day of Christmas,  

My true love said to me . . .

It’s the warmth that comes to the hearts of men

when the Christmas spirit returns again.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, 

My true love said to me . . .

A Savior to watch and guide  

and love me through all eternity.  

  Happy Holidays & Warmest Wishes

December 11 - A Time for Love . . .               (back)

A TIME FOR LOVE

Christmas is a time for love,

A time for joy and peace,

A time to trim the Christmas tree

And a time to stuff the geese.

It's a time to come together,

However far or near,

To shed a little hope into

A world of sorrow and fear.

Yet Christmas could be all year 'round,

If only we would try,

To gently wipe an old man's brow

Or soothe a baby's cry.

If we could smile throughout the year

As we do on Christmas Day,
Just think what happiness we'd shed

Along life's weary way.

To give a gift of hope to one

Who otherwise has none;

To be a friend to somebody

Whom everyone else has shunned.

To be forgiving of our faults,

And our sisters' and our brothers',

To live in peace and harmony

With ourselves and with each other.

Ah, don't you see that Christmas

Is more than opening gifts;

It's more than singing carols

And rolling in snow drifts.

It's a feeling that can stay with you

Throughout each day, all year,

And all it takes is a loving heart.

And sometimes a sensitive tear.

Author Unknown

December 18 - A Birthday Celebration . . .                 (back)

A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!! 

Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ

Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25
but He's always around, so the date is flexible....

Time: Whenever you're ready.
(Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)

Place: In your heart...He'll meet you there.
(You'll hear Him knock.)

Attire: Come as you are...grubbies are okay.
He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about
new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

Tickets: Admission is free.
He's already paid for everyone...
He says you wouldn't have been
able to afford it anyway...
it cost Him everything He had. But
you do need to accept the ticket!!

Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a
far-out drink He calls "Living Water,"
followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!

Gift Suggestions: Your life. He's one of those
people who already has everything else.
(He's very generous in return though.
Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth,
Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness,
Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power,
Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more!
(All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.) 

R.S.V.P. Very Important!
He must know ahead so He can
reserve a spot for you at the table.
Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for future
reference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."

Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)!
Hope to see you there! Let us rejoice and be glad and 
share this with someone today!

December 25 - Dusting Off the Nativity Set . . .                   (back)

We have become so used to the Nativity scene that most of us have accepted the romanticized version rather than the reality. Here the Nativity set is dusted down to give us an idea what it really was like when Jesus entered human history as flesh and blood.

  Dusting Off the Nativity Set

The traditional nativity scene is so familiar that we tend to yawn our way through it. And to make matters worse, most of us have this preconceived vision of how things were on that first Christmas. Most of what we think we know comes from stylized Christmas cards, literature, art and children's illustrated Bibles. The romanticizing of Jesus' birth has done incredible harm to us grasping just how significant the birth of Jesus is for this poor, broken world. In the limited space available, let’s dust off the traditional nativity scene for cold, hard reality.

First, Joseph and his very pregnant wife, Mary, traveled to Bethlehem with Mary riding on a donkey. Right? Wrong! You won't find any reference to a donkey in Scripture. Joseph was probably too poor to own a donkey so it is more likely the journey was on foot. Pretty hard going when you are soon to give birth.

Next there is the story of "no room in the inn" for a tired and obviously pregnant woman. It sounds very unfair until you understand what the inns were like. Rural inns in the first century were not like hotels as we know them. They were not much more than a large room sheltered by four walls and a roof. The center of the room was designed to house animals. Around the outside, a low platform was built for the people to sleep. There were no beds, no privacy. Families slept where they could find a space. The inn was crowded and noisy. It was probably a compassionate innkeeper or his wife who directed Mary and Joseph to the stable behind the inn. If tradition is correct, the "stable" was simply a cave, one of many scattered throughout the area.

Our Christmas card "vision" paints the "stable" in a warm glow. In reality it was pretty dreadful. Imagine coming upon a young woman giving birth in an abandoned car in some city alleyway and you come closer to the way it really was. Although Mary and Joseph had some privacy, they were very much alone. At a time when Mary needed help and care as at no other time in a woman's life, no one was there to help except Joseph. No family member, no midwife. In Luke's Gospel (2:7), there is careful reference to "Mary gave birth", "She wrapped him in strips of cloth to comfort and warm him", "She laid him in the manger." She did it. Mary is a young woman and Jesus is her first child, but she did it all herself.

The stark reality of this scene in contrast to the romanticized version is very important. Once we pull away the fuzzy cottonwool, we realize we have a totally different nativity scene than the one that is fashionably imagined. When God came to Earth, he bypassed the palace of Caesar Augustus. He came into this world unimaginably poor and lonely and virtually unnoticed.

It is possible that is how you feel as you read this article. You are maybe out of work or even worse, out of hope. You are not alone. When God came to Earth for you, he came lower than you could possibly be right now. You may think that nobody cares and that nobody understands your situation, but you are mistaken. Our God knows what it is like in the pit of despair. He has been there.

In contrast to the loneliness and poverty of Jesus' birth, there is an incredible scene of glory unfolding in front of some shepherds (Luke 2:8-9). "I bring you good news," an angel tells some terrified men, "of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." That announcement did not come to Caesar Augustus or to the high priest of Israel. The angel did not burst in on worshippers in the local temple. He came instead to pretty "ordinary" folk on a hillside who had hearts open enough to receive the message. It seems, to perceive what God is doing, you need to have a fairly simple outlook on life and an open heart. A good question to ask yourself. How do you see things?

Today although many declare "Jesus is the reason for the season", it is contradicted by our frantic activity and obsessive concern with gifts. So, how can we genuinely celebrate Jesus' birth. How can we extend our joy about God coming to Earth beyond a few weeks in December? One suggestion comes from the shepherds who saw the baby and went out and spread the word. They became witnesses! They had good news to tell, just like we do. They could not remain silent. Like our world today, the shepherds knew their world desperately needed to hear their message. One way to celebrate Christ's coming is to imitate the shepherds in spreading the word about Jesus Christ.

There is also another way to keep the joy of Christmas in our hearts. Be "amazed" by it. The people who heard the shepherds’ story were "amazed" at what they heard (Luke 2:18). Most of us have probably lost that sense of wonder and awe. The fact the God of the universe stepped down into human time and space to be our Savior is just cause to be amazed and to be filled with Holy wonder.

This Christmas is yours to do with what you want. It can be a time of extravagant excess or you can make it a time for refection. You can make it a time to be like Mary and "treasure up all these things and ponder them" in your heart (Luke 2:19). Maybe your Christmas will be more beautiful than ever.

God Bless,
Have a beautiful and Holy Christmas
from “Just a Minute Web Team”

at http://justaminute.faithweb.com/subs_come_go.html

December Bonus - Mary's Dream . . .                   (back)

Mary’s Dream

I had a dream last night, Joseph,

And it confused me so;

It seemed a celebration of

Our son’s birth, yet, I don’t  know.

Six weeks it took them to prepare,

They decorated all;

They bought a multitude of gifts

At a place they called a "mall."

Each gift they wrapped in lovely paper

Topped with a pretty bow,

Then placed it ’neath a tree that seemed

Inside their house to grow.

The tree they decorated, too,

Its branches filled by hand

With sparkling ornaments and balls,

And, Oh! It looked so grand!

Bright lights were twinkling everywhere,

Among the branches green,

And at the very top they placed

An angel figurine.

So beautiful it was, and yet,

Something was very wrong;

Excitement grew as they exchanged

These gifts, midst food and song.

None of the gifts were for our son,

His name was never spoken;

There was such joy and laughter there,

And yet my heart was broken.

Such trouble gone to for someone

That they seemed not to know;

Our son was not invited, Joseph,

And, oh, it pained me so.

And I felt so very strongly that

Had he come anyway,

He would have been intruding, and

Would have been turned away.

My tears, they flowed for Jesus, midst

Such joy, such jubilation;

How sad to not be wanted at

One’s own birthday celebration.

I’m so relieved ’twas just a dream,

Joseph, how bad I’d feel

Had I awoke at morning bells

And found it had been real!

©November 29, 2004

Linda E. Newman

GramLin99@aol.com