This time of year as we celebrate Christmas and pull out the trees, decorate, bake, watch Christmas movies, listen to Christmas music, and the list goes on and on, one of my favorite things to do is pull out all the Christmas stories. Paul and I pull out our book and read through it every year. This year we have even started to read them together. I love every Christmas story. I could never really pick out a favorite, but one stands out every year. I have even used in my primary lessons, sharing time, and young womens. I even found out tonight, of all nights (since I was planning on doing this post) that this is also one of Paul's favorites. So I thought I would share this story tonight. Hope you enjoy.
TEACH the CHILDREN
Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened...I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree.
He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone.
Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement. "TEACH THE CHILDREN!" I was puzzled; what did he mean?
He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten."
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle. "Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven."
He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise."
He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. "Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness."
Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. "Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection."
He then pulled from his bag and ornament of HIMSELF. "Teach the children that I, Santa Claus symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December."
He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF. "Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly represents the blood shed by Him."
Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that he gave..." "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. Teach the children that the wise men bowed before the holy babe and presented him with gold, frankincense and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit of the wise men."
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. "Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds' crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper."
He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. "Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men."
Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL. "Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return."
Santa looked back and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship Him, our Lord, our God."
This is my favorite time of the year. Christmas is definitely in the air. Have you ever noticed that there is a scent to Christmas? Its all the evergreen and fires burning and wintertime smells. You also have the smells of the wonderful baking going on. Everyone you see is happy and cheerful. It's the time of year when its about service, santa, decorations, etc. I have to say though its not ALL about santa and gifts. The main focus should be the birth of our savior. This is the time of year where we should reflect on the birth of christ and what his life was like. One good word to sum it up is Service. I love this time of year. We can get out our Christmas movies and music. I've been listening to Christmas music since Dec. 1st. I love finding new music for the year. This year my favorite CD to listen to is Faith Hill's Joy to the World CD. It is amazing and if anybody is looking for a new holiday CD I reccommend this one. I've also been watching Christmas movies. I love Christmas Shoes and all the other movies. What do you do to get you into the season spirit? I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Remember the true meaning of Christmas. Have fun. Love you all.
I so can't believe its already December! It seems like only yesterday it was the new year. This is my favorite time of year. So my husband and I have started a few traditions during our marriage. We have decided to get out and put up our Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. The other day when I was pulling our Christmas stuff out of storage I also came across a few boxes of stuff from growing up. I set the decorations aside and went through some of those boxes since apparently this is the only time of year I really go through our storage. I think I'm kind of sentimental when it comes to this stuff but I love going through my stuff. It brings back a lot of great memories. Pictures are my favorite things to go through. I also had trophies from dance and many other little objects. In the past couple of weeks I have also gotten in touch with some of my old friends and people from my past. I have enjoyed getting reacquainted with old friends. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my life. Putting up our decorations, also got Paul and I talking of our favorite Christmases and childhood memories. It was great talking about our first Christmas with each others families and things we have done before we were together. We definitely have things we want to take from our own family traditions and work them in with our future family. It will be fun to see what we can come up with, but that is something to look forward too. I think this time of year is when people start thinking about there pasts, families, traditions, friends, and hopefully they also remember the birth of our savior. After all, that is what Christmas is all about. It's late, i'm tired, and I'm rambling on. I'll bring this blog to a close. Happy Holidays everyone!
I like to think of myself as a happy person. I love to be happy and I hope everyone loves to be or wants to be happy. This past week, with preparing for Thanksgiving and the holiday season I've tried to come up with a list of things I'm grateful for. This list actually made me realize how happy I am and that you can find happiness in the simplest things.
An example of this is I just got new bedding and it is like my favorite thing in the whole world. Who knew that new bedding could make somebody so happy? It may sound funny but I think being able to pick out something new and completely different than what you are use to has it perks. Don't get me wrong, I liked my old one but I felt like it wasn't me, anymore. I didn't actually get to have the chance to get my own for my husband and I when we first got married. My sweet sister-in-laws actually had the key to our apt. when we first got married and were on our honeymoon. They brought all of our wedding gifts home. I thought that was amazing, but it didn't stop there. They actually put most everything away and made our home feel like a home. We didn't have our bedding or bathroom stuff. They went out and bought a new bathroom and bedding set. I think they did an amazing job knowing our colors and our taste. Anyways besides the point, I just wanted a new bedset. Ours was quickly fading , plus being in a small place doesn't allow you to do too much with decorating and all that. I think after almost 4 years its time for a change. I started with the bedroom. And i'm totally in love with the new bedding. Its completely different than what we had. I just think its amazing how the smallest things can make people feel happy. I know its totally random but oh well. Happy Holidays everyone!
Hey everyone!
This entry is totally random, but I thought since I have some free time I can come up with an entry. Nothing new is happening yet. I can't believe its already November. I'm so not ready for winter weather but I guess its too late. For me, this is the first snowfall of the year. I was in Iowa when the first one actually came. I have to admit though that its beautiful. I just hate driving in it. Its been kind of fun being here in our office where its nice and warm watching the storm come and go today. I just hope it doesn't continue. I've been thinking today, nothing really new, that this is the month of Thanksgiving. I love this time of year. We have a lot to be thankful for and to be honest a lot of us probably don't think much about it til now. I think I'll end this post on some of the things i'm most thankful for in my life. I'm thankful for my family, especially my husband. I couldn't ask for a better husband. I'm thankful for my religion and for the savior in my life. I'm happy to have the knowledge that families are forever. I'm grateful for our freedom. My list can go on and on but you get the idea. Anyways I hope you all have a Happy November! Enjoy the holiday season.
