Tis the season to be jolly and spread the joy of Christmas!
Jesus is the reason for the season, of course, and I think He’s the basis for what many think of as the magic of Christmas and the spirit of Santa. You see, Santa embodies what Jesus taught – thinking of others, being more concerned with giving than getting, and showing love to everyone around the world. I saw a picture recently of Santa kneeling before Baby Jesus’ manger with his head bowed. That says it all for me. Santa knows Jesus comes first, and even Santa bows down to Him.
With that said, how about ideas for sharing the Christmas Spirit? I’d love to hear what you and your family do to celebrate Christmas and keep Christ in the heart of the holiday.
We begin by doing a lot of decorating. My husband covers the house with lights and the grounds with various decorations. This year he added chunky light-up candy canes that line both sides of the driveway. It will serve as a great landing strip for Santa’s sleigh! On the front door we hang a cross-shaped wreath. It’s about 3 feet long, greenery wrapped around a metal cross frame with a red bow in the center. After the outside decorations are done, I put candy canes in our newspaper box that have the poem of the Candy Cane legend attached for passersby to take. All who walk by or drive by are welcome to take candy canes! I also keep candy canes in a basket at our front door for all guests who come to our door.
Giving candy canes this way led me to become a Candy Cane Crusader. I keep mini candy canes in a baggie in my purse to give out to folks I meet as I go through my day – the people at the registers when I shop, those in offices who help me, kids I catch being good, kids who are being more fussy than friendly, and anyone else who seems to need a candy cane…even grumpy grown-ups smile when given candy canes! I pray over the candy canes before putting them in my purse, asking for God’s blessings upon those who will receive them. Sometimes I pray later, too, for those I think about. I hope you’ll be a Candy Cane Crusader, too! For more about this go to www.Proverbs31.org and go to the archives for Dec 07. You can find more of what I wrote about this. And give this a try! It’s fun!
A friend shared yesterday that she continues the tradition in her family of having a birthday cake for Jesus.
Another friend shared that they got their own advent candles and light one each Sunday to teach and remind their family about the meanings of Advent.
What about you and your family? It would be great to hear from all of you and share ideas!
In case you live near us, our lights aren’t finished yet, but when they are, you’ll have to come by and be sure to help yourselves to candy canes! Merry CHRISTmas!
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December 11, 2008 at 5:46 am
Kin Robles
I like the Matthew 25 version of Christmas… reaching out to a stranger. This is a lonely time of year for far too many of God’s children. Giving can be some much more than a carefully wrapped package. A smile on the street to greet a frowning face can change the day for someone who needs a little love. peace
FROM RENEE: Thank you, Kin! It’s great to hear from you, and I wholeheartedly agree. As joyful as Christmas can be for some, it can be a very sad, lonely, and even depressing time for others. The day I wrote the post you responded to I was still caught up in the ‘fun stuff’ of getting ready for Christmas. After re-reading this post today I see that, except for sharing Christ’s love by giving out candy canes, I failed to discuss ways we can give the gifts that really matter…those of the heart…like touching others with a heartfelt smile. May many be blessed by you today, and may many smiles be yours in return! God bless you. Shalom!