by Jeanette Divine
Those who know me fairly well realize that Christmas is my favorite time of the year. My husband, David, is blessed to hear ‘Joy To TheWorld’, among other beautiful Christmas songs, playing in our car or home almost every day starting in October. To me there is no other music I would rather listen to.
Christmas is the time of year that Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. |
The decorations, festivities, and gift giving are expressions of our love and devotion to Him, as well as to our family and friends. The excitement and joy, which surrounds us at Christmas time, reflects, on a much smaller scale, the magnitude of the celebration that will take place when we see Him in person some day.
My Mother made Christmas exciting and beautiful for her family. It was the one time of year that she went ‘all out’ with decorations and gifts for the four children. My Dad helped her put twinkle lights around every doorway in the house. We didn’t have a fireplace, so the strings of tiny lights provided a warm glow to the rooms when all the other lights were turned off. The gifts weren’t elaborate or expensive by any means; our parents didn’t have money to spend on such things. We never thought about the cost of a gift; we just enjoyed opening the packages and knowing Mom and Dad put loving thoughts into their gift choices.
The presents I love to give and receive at Christmas time are not contained in a box secured with ribbon and a pretty bow. They are heartfelt gifts of love, fellowship, kindness,and compassion. When David and I plan a Christmas trip to my sister’s home we usually limit the gift giving to things we can find in one of the dollar stores. Our ‘real’ gifts to each other are the joy-filled occasions of being together and sharing each other’s lives. Some of the best times with my family have been spent making construction-paper rings to decorate the walls or the stairway banister.
Delivering favorite homemade delicacies to folks in nursing homes or caroling down the avenue with a group of friends are two ways women can share Christmas with others. Inviting a soldier or two from the local military base to join you and your guests for Christmas dinner will bless you as well as the soldier. Your home church may have a few members who don’t have a place to go for Christmas and extending an invitation to join you on that special day may very well start a whole new church ministry.
Women are the heart beat of the family. We have the awesome privilege of making a house a home. Christmas time is a wonderful opportunity not only to bring the true meaning of this celebration home, but also to share our healthy culinary creations with our families and friends. Eating healthy, nutritious food will help to keep our immune system strong during the fast pace of the holiday season. We want to have abundant energy while enjoying this exciting time of year. So, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus and plan our Yuletide activities may we not only savor good health, but also, may our hearts be blessed with peace, love, and joy.
Merry Christmas!
Jeanette Divine is a Hallelujah Acres Health Minister, and a Staff Writer at Hallelujah Acres Headquarters. You may contact her at jdivine@hacres.com.
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