Christmas Joy

We didn’t have a lonely Christmas thanks to the generosity of church members who hosted “ open house” on the eve and on Christmas Day. Even the heavy rain on the eve did not dampen the Christmas spirit. As with open houses, there was lots of food and barbecued meat too so everyone had their fill.

Our grandchildren returned on Boxing Day. Their flight was
delayed so it was quite late when they reached home to be greeted
by a lovely Christmas tree with all the presents waiting underneath.

However they were too tired to open their presents
and kept that on hold for the next evening after their mum returned from work.

The joy of seeing what lies beneath the wrappings does not diminish with age. The children were just as excited looking for their gifts and handing ours to us.
Cookies and biscuits for their granddad and a labour of love in the form of sudukus painstakingly collected over a year and pasted into a book entitled “The Surprise” was a great gift much appreciated by him.
He dived into the book straightaway that evening.

I received a lovely purse from Japan where they had been for a short holiday for the snow,
an unusual luggage tag,
silky pyjamas and a set of embroidered towels.

This year we gave the grandchildren books as they are voracious readers. I also gave my daughter a book and was very pleased when she said that she had been wanting that book and was waiting to buy it the following month.
So she was delighted with her gift and her dad gave her a pretty hairclip which matched her clothes.

The giving of gifts is a traditional practice associated with Christmas and it is the spirit of giving and receiving that is more important than the gift itself. The sharing of the occasion imbued with “peace and goodwill to mankind” goes a long way to foster friendship and goodwill.

It is regrettable that Christians are still persecuted in some countries. Respect for one another’s religion and the right to practise one’s religion should be instilled into the young so that peace will prevail within and among nations. The message of Christmas is love and has always been. Those of us who can celebrate Christmas in joy and without fear are blessed and have much to be thankful for.