It's true, we all should try to be in the Christmas spirit all year round, but I think most of us find ourselves waiting for December. Then we wait for that first "Cold spell" to really help us get into the mood. We find ourselves singing carols and calling up old friends to wish them well. We try to remember those past holidays to help us rekindle feelings of warmth, caring and "Goodwill toward all men". Sometimes, we have a hard time finding that elusive spirit. I think it could be because we lose sight of what this time is really about.
I attended a social gathering last night and someone said something there that I want to share with all of you. I had just finished a good meal and was enjoying my coffee and feeling good about the company around me. A special guest stood up to say a few words. His message started out about how saddened he was ( Strange? - I thought to myself, where are we going with this?) to find so many places he visited full of decorations, garland, stuffed animals and such. Not a single place he went had any display depicting the REAL reason we celebrate this time of year. He stopped and spoke with young children ( The "future" of our world) and asked them what the reason for Christmas was. Their answer was Santa Claus (I think, I felt a small shiver run through me.).Well, not to take anything away from St. Nicolas and his good deeds centuries ago, but he doesn't even come in a poor second to the person we really should acknowledge.
Of course, the speaker's message was intended to remind us that JESUS is the reason for the season ! The birth of one innocent child in a lowly manger was the greatest gift that we could ever hope to receive. Wow! What a message!
I thought to myself - How can we bring that same message to the families we service? In their time of loss, it is even more important to remember our faith in God and in the resurrection. We need to be reminded of the great strength we can draw upon when we have our Faith, our Hope and the Love of Jesus, Our Lord and Savior.
Sometimes messages are best conveyed through symbols. Look to see some of those symbols in and around our office during the holidays. We wish to extend to everyone of our readers and our patrons our sincere prayers for a happy and holy holiday filled with a knowledge that no matter who we are - We Are Loved. Merry Christmas. And to all a goodnight.....