Keeping Christmas

 

Just a couple of days ago, it was Christmas Day. And now Christmas Day has come and gone for another year. Some people will be sad about that, and others are ready to move on to the next thing.

We had a quiet, but wonderful, Christmas Day. It was just the two of us this year. Although we missed our family, we loved hearing their voices on the phone and seeing pictures from their celebrations, as well as all the photos from family and friends near and far. We enjoyed a yummy steak dinner and too much coconut cake, and took a little journey down memory lane, remembering previous Christmases.....like the one in 2009 when the power went out and we had peanut butter and Ritz crackers for Christmas dinner! How blessed we are, and how thankful we are to our loving Heavenly Father for the Gift of Jesus!

But now it’s that time again. Time to pack away Christmas for another year.

For some, the process begins immediately after Christmas Day is done. For others, like me, it's a very gradual process. I'm not quite ready to give it up completely yet. We'll be enjoying the tree a little longer, at least into the new year, through the 12 days of Christmas. But this week I’ll be gathering up things, one room at a time, to be packed away again until next year. It's time to put Christmas away. That sounds a little sad, doesn't it?

Have you ever noticed how generous people become with their time and money during the Christmas season? They drop money in the Salvation Army kettles. They donate more generously to their church. They tip more generously in the restaurant. They give more freely of their time at homeless shelters and food ministries.

Then December 25 is past, and life gets back to normal. The generous Christmas spirit is put away until next year. That's so sad. There are still homeless people and hungry people and people with all kinds of needs who could use our help, not only in December but throughout the year. How sad that we seem only to think of them at Christmas.

We often hear about random acts of kindness, particularly during the holiday season. Then we don't seem to hear about quite so many of those kindnesses.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we were generous all year long?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we did our random acts of kindness throughout the year?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we kept Christmas all year long?

Not just in December.


“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” (Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol)

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me."  
(Jesus, in Matthew 25:40 KJV)