March 2, 2000


GIFTS


For you this Christmastime I wish
So many precious things,
Not only gifts in packages
Secured with tinsel strings
But treasures that are richer far
Than any gold can buy--
A scarlet leaf from Autumn's hills,
A bit of starry sky,
Health and peace, Loved ones to share
A hearth fire burning bright,
And in your heart the Song that Rang
Across the world that night.
Elizabeth E. Barnes





LIVING CANDLES


If you left, the Chrismas spirit
Tucked away upon the shelf,
Take it down and start the season
By the giving of yourself.

Just by saying,"Merry Christmas"
With a smile upon your face,
You can make some person happy
And the world a better place.

If life's hardly worth the living,
Find yourself a worthy cause;
Take that basket to the needy;
Make believe you're Santa Claus.

If the spark of faith is feeble,
You may well be reconciled
If you read the Christmas story
To a lonely child.

If you're someone who is looking
For a mission to fulfill,
Be a living Christmas candle
On the world's wide windowsill.

Reginald Holmes







SPECIAL THINGS TO DO ON THE DAYS
LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS

Wake everyone up with a hearty, "Merry Christmas!"
Turn on the Christmas tree lights while getting ready for school and work.
Serve breakfast on Christmas china.
Pack a candy cane or a piece of holiday chocolate in your family's lunches.
Play Christmas music to start the day with cheer.








SNOW SCENE

The snow is falling softly now
On every naked branch and bough;
Like lace, the flakes gently descend.
See how the roads that twist and bend.

Have almost lost identity
Beneath this sparkling majesty;
Their snow-white ermine capes have donned;

The mountains, regal in repose,
Release me from my daily woes;
On every naked branch and bough,
The snow is falling softly now.

Georgia B. Adams







THE NATIVITY

And she brought forth her firstborn son,
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in a manger;
because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds
abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo the angel of the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them,
fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:7-11, 13-14







CHILDHOOD CHRISTMAS

The tree with its candles cheerful and bright
Has etched itself deeply in memory's sight.
The toys were not many, the fare was not grand,
But I was the luckiest child in the land.

The snow sparkled sharply outside the door,
And the house a bright mantle of icicles wore.
But the inside was warm with the love that was there
With a spirit of giving and wanting to share.

The popcorn was strung and the cranberries too;
The shabby old ornaments even looked new.
The story of Christmas was read to us all,
And the carols we sang I still can recall.

Then snuggled in bed on a cold Christmas night
And up with first of the sawn's faintest light.
Yes, there stood the tree, the most beautiful ever;
It was and it is and it will be forever.

June R. Collins




HISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE

The Christmas tree originated in Germany in the sixteenth century. It was common for the German people to decorate fir trees, both inside and out, with roses, apples, and colored paper.
It is believed that Martin Luther; the Protestant reformer, was the first to light a Christmas tree with candles. While coming home one dark winter's night near Christmas, Luther was struck with the beauty of the starlight shining through the branches of a small fir tree outside his home. He duplicated the starlight by using candles attached to the branches of his indoor Christmas Tree.
- Dianna Platner, Ph. D.










CHRISTMAS SLED

Oh for the winters that used to be,
The winters that only a boy may see !
Rich with snowflakes' RUSH and SWIRL.
Keen as a diamond, pure as a pearl,
Brimming with healthful, rollicking fun,
Sweet with their rest when the play was done.
With kindly revels each day decreed,
And a CHRISTMAS SLED for the royal steed.

Down from the crest with a shrill HURRAY --
Clear the track there ! OUT OF THE WAY !
Scarcely touching the path beneath;
Scarcely admitting of breath to breathe.
Dashing along with leap and swerve,
OVER the crossing, ROUND the curve,
Talk of your flying machines ! Instead,
Give me the SWOOP of that Christmas sled.

Author Unknown





THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU
CAN GIVE ON CHRISTMAS

Your time - Volunteer to help those less fortunate.
Your love - It's the thought that counts.
Your life - Jesus was born that you might be saved.
Your Lord - Share Jesus with your friends and family.





SLEIGH RIDE



Beside the heart the sleigh bells hang
And wait my touch to sound again
That Joyous ring that once we heard
As prancing steed tossed high his mane.

Our songs were gay, our laughter rang
Across the fields of glist'ning snow,
For we were young with carefree hearts
Those Christmas Eves of long ago.

"We're going home. We're going home."
Those singing bells would seem to say
As round the bend to lanterned door
Our cutter sparked its icy way.

And now the holly spray I twine
Between each shining silver bell.
I'm glad I lived in sleighing years
That only in my memory dwell.
Martha D. Tourison






HISTORY OF THE CANDY CANE


In the late 1800's, a candy maker in Indiana wanted to express the meaning of Christmas through a symbol made of candy. He came up with the idea of bending one of his white candy sticks into the shape of a cane and incorporating several symbols of Christ's love and sacrifice. First, he used a plain white peppermint stick. The color white symbolizes the purity and sinless nature of Jesus.

Next, he added three small stripes to symbolize the pain inflicted upon Jesus before His death on the cross. He added a bold stripe to represent the blood Jesus shed for mankind. When looked at with the crook on top, it looks like a shepherd's staff, because Jesus is the Shepherd of man. If you turn it upside down, it becomes the letter "J", symbolizing the first letter in Jesus' name. The candy cane serves as a lasting reminder of what Christmas is really all about.

Dianna Platner Ph. D.





CHRISTMAS IS MORE


Christmas is more than candle-lighted trees
Or stockings hung to bulge with mysteries,
More than a glowing fire on home's bright hearth
Or warm goodwill encircling the earth,

More than the joy of friendship and good cheer
Mirrored in eyes this magic time of year,
Or carols sung, or precious gifts we choose.
These things belong, but Chrismas is good news
Of God's own love to us, a sacred place
With starlight shining on a Baby's face,
And seeking pilgrims of all centuries
In reverent silence gathered on their knees.

Christmas is all of these, and vastly more -
Hearts that are glad to worship and adore.

Berniece Ayers Hall




Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and
Frosty the Snowman,
Deserve pages of their own.
Just click on Rudolph or Frosty to go to their pages !








A CHRISTMAS WISH
FOR ALL OF YOU

I wish you the joy of Christmas,
The spirit's sweet repose.
I wish you the peace of Christmas
To make the old year's close.
I wish you the hope of Christmas
To cheer you on your way,
And a heart of faith and gladness
To greet each coming day.

Author Unknown




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