Good morning! It's Val the helper-elf here again this morning! I hope everyone is well on their way to having a happy and safe and fun Christmas! I do hope this journal is providing you with a lot of ways to make your Christmas richer and more enjoyable! Today I wanted to talk about something that is very near and dear to my heart every year. We have eleven days left until Christmas Day. Most of us have all or at least most of our shopping done. I was wondering WHO you have left on your Christmas list and am going to challenge you to put someone very special on the top of this list... JESUS! Every year I put Jesus on my Christmas list. How do you give to Jesus you ask? Well, in the Bible Jesus says when you give to others you are giving to Him. When you give even a glass of water to someone who is thirsty you are giving him something to drink. I find this concept very amazing!! It has made giving for me much richer over the past years as I have realized this. I know some of you already put Jesus on your list as I have heard from you. Many like to keep this gift anonymous - between just them and God. I was going to keep my Jesus gift anonymous, but for the sake of this entry, I will give you a glimpse of what I am doing this year for my gift for Him. My boyfriend and I have befriended an elderly gentleman in my neighborhood who has no living relatives. It appears he has not many friends and will have no Christmas. He is 80 or 81, I believe. We are going to visit him on Christmas Eve and bring him a few small things and make sure he knows he is loved. One can do something so small as to try to smile more than usual, put money in an expired parking meter, bring food to a food drive, donate clothes, or decide to make it more personal just between them and Jesus and no one else. The possibilities are endless! Imagine if everyone did this!
There are other ways to keep Jesus the focus of Christmas. When my children were small we used to make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Him "Happy Birthday". We also set a place at the table for Jesus at Christmas dinner. It is a tangible way to help the little ones understand the meaning of the day. Do you have any traditions like these? If you do, share them with us in the comments section! If you would like to share some ways that you have put Jesus on your Christmas list, too, we would love to hear from you!
Poll: Christmas Isn't Christmas Without...
game: A Christmas Puzzle
Gospel reading: Matthew 11:11-15
