I remember as a child the days leading up to Christmas, the anticipation, the wonder, and the joy of it all. I remember the families coming together, the food that was shared, and Oh, the presents!
I remember one Christmas in particular, that stands out above all the rest.
A family had moved into our rural neighborhood, and I quickly became friends with all of the kids. It was a great summer, and we loved to “hang out” at the new family’s home.
As Christmas drew near, I noticed a lack of decorations and a tangible sense of uneasiness surrounding this new family that I had grown to love. I wondered what was wrong.
One day, I overheard the father say to his wife, “I don’t know how we can get any gifts this year” as I peaked around the corner, I could see tears in his eyes! The father was confined to a wheelchair, and the mother had yet to find a good job.
I realized that this family would not have any Christmas at all, and that was why everyone seemed so sad. I remember going home that day with a very heavy heart, and now my Christmas was going to be sad too.
I talked to my dad about this and asked him what we could do. My dad suggested that maybe we could look around and find some good things to give this family for Christmas.
So, we began to search through our home, all of us got involved. We found lots of good things, some were even new! Dad called the other families in our neighborhood, and pretty soon, everyone was in on it.
The whole neighborhood got involved
I will never forget the night before Christmas, when we took a pick-up truck that was overflowing with wrapped gifts, covered with bows, and drove up to my friend’s house.
We knocked on the door, and when it opened we created a line from the truck to the door and started passing gifts into the house.
The father came wheeling out on the porch in his wheelchair, tears streaming down his face; we were all crying…tears of joy and hope.
What a Christmas! I will never forget it!
What are you doing this year for Christmas? Is there a family who needs some love in your neighborhood? Why not create a memory this year for Christmas?
Do some brainstorming, and see if you can’t start something. Perhaps you can make a difference in someone’s life this year.
Remember . . . Jesus is the reason for the Season!