Monthly Guide To Spread The Spirit Of Christmas

  1. If you received a gift that you don’t like, doesn’t fit or really do not want nor need it, instead of returning or exchanging, take to the Goodwill store on Ogden Avenue and make it a donation. You can even leave the tags on it so they know it is new. This way, you are helping both the person that will purchase it, but also the folks that work there. This is a way of re-gifting that works all year long.
  2. Visit a shut-in, or someone that can’t drive and offer to take them out for the afternoon. If they need to run some errands, take them to the store. This gift of time is an opportunity to befriend someone who may have no one else to talk to. If you don’t know someone like this, just contact the church office for suggestions.
  3. Give parents a verbal ovation. Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs in the world. But oftentimes, people are quicker to pass out parenting critiques than passing out deserved compliments. Try this, each time you get together with family or friends who have children, you pat those parents of their backs with compliments.
  4. Read name tags. Have you ever been to an event where you had to wear a name tag? Hours or sometimes days go by and a stranger walks up to you, calls you by name and starts a conversation. Naturally you are dumbstruck “How does she know my name?” Then you remember you met at the earlier event. It is obvious she read your name tag and took the time to remember your name. Calling someone by name is a gift that says “I care about you and am interested in you as a person”. When God calls us, he calls each of us by name.
  5. Brown bag it to work for a month. Instead of going out to eat for lunch, take the money you would spend and give it to someone in need, your church or your favorite charity.
  6. Reconnect by looking up an old friend that you have lost touch with. Facebook and the other social media now make this easier than ever. Is there someone out there you care about but haven’t spoken to lately? The next time you think about that person, reach out immediately. Don’t risk putting off the opportunity. This one will be a gift for the both of you!
  7. Invite a friend to church. People are in need of God all year long, not just at Christmastime. Bring them to a choir event, a youth group meeting or other fellowship time. The spirit of Jesus is here for them. We have been given the precious gift of God’s love. It is only logical that we not keep it all to ourselves.
  8. Kids, you can make a coupon. Print out or write up a work coupon and give it to your parents. They’re inexpensive and filled with meaning & thought. These work for birthdays and other holidays as well.
  9. Give your teenagers an opportunity to shine. In Psalm 112 it says “They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever”. Give your teenager some money or better still, have them use their own if they have it, and suggest he or she give it to a fellow student in need. To eliminate any awkwardness about giving money to someone from school that may be going through a difficult time, suggest that you child give the money to a guidance counselor and allow them to pass on the money as a gift from “a friend that just wants you to have this”.
  10. If you are baking cookies, try doubling the recipe. Drop the extras off at a friend’s house or the house of the new neighbor on the block. You can even leave the recipe with the cookies as an extra gift. This works great no matter what the season or month.
  11. Give someone a hug. A simple gift of connection to another human being.
  12. Say “Merry Christmas” to someone every day.

Now you may still be thinking, “Why is all of this important to me?” The answer is that God gave each of us the gift of salvation through the birth and death of His Son, Jesus. It is up to each of us to accept, through grace and faith, this gift. Part of that acceptance is the sharing of that great news of salvation! Our actions towards others is the sharing.

When considering all this, please keep in mind the following. Jesus was born in a simple, smelly stable. He grew up in the house of a carpenter and spent his youth and young adult years working in the carpentry shop. He never wrote a book, published a blog, hosted a TV talk show, or chaired a committee meeting. Jesus never won a lottery, ran for or held public office or went to college. There is no other person in history that has been written about more, had more movies, TV shows, documentaries produced upon or just plain discussions held regarding the meaning of his life. Billions of people have or will know about him. Everyone is able to go to heaven and spend eternity with him. All we need to do is accept it.

Merry Christmas!

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