“If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees—alone or with loved ones—give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His Spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments. He will take you by the hand and His promises will be kept.” Howard W. Hunter
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RAOK: Write a nice comment on your friend's blog or fb wall
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Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_PeUWgc1KU
The first Noel, the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds
In fields as they lay
In fields where they
Lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night
That was so deep
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
They looked up
And saw a star
Shining in the the East
Beyond them far
And to the earth it
It gave great light
And so it continued
Both day and night
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
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No matter how busy you are or how much you need to get done this holiday season, give your wallet a break and enjoy some of these fun ideas: Share some of your ideas with us in the comment section.1. Have a pot luck supper. We did pot luck soups, and had a group of friends over and talked and laughed and had a great, no stress evening
2. Drive around and see the lights. If you see some lights you really enjoy, stop, run to the door in your best elfish style, put a thank you card on it or a candy cane, just a little something to let them know all of their work was appreciated :)
3. Go to a church service. Acknowledging the true reason we celebrate Christmas can be a joyful experience.
4. Smile :) sometimes we get so busy that we forget to stop and enjoy the moment. Smile. It will relax you and brighten the day of the person you smiled at.
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extracted from https://www.democraticunderground.com/107461
J. P. Zenger
Milton Hershey was 79 years old. He had built from scratch a model town, a chocolate company that employed thousands, and an orphanage that housed and provided education for 1,500 children (which included my orphaned dad at this time). Mr. Hershey had just suffered a severe stroke after the divisive labor strike. It was Christmas Eve during one of the worst years in the Great Depression.
Because of the stroke, Mr. Hershey's doctor had ordered him to stay in his home. A nurse was often posted by the doctor to make sure he didn't sneak out. This was a big change for a man who had been constantly on the move everyday - visiting his farms, the orphanage, his many businesses and his sugar operations and a second orphanage in Cuba.
His wife had suffered serious illnesses and had never been able to have children. Soon after his beloved wife died decades earlier, Mr. Hershey had quietly donated almost his entire fortune to the orphanage. (The gift was not publicly revealed until several years later, by an investigative reporter in a front page article in the New York Times.)
His home was actually only two rooms in an upstairs corner of the Mansion. He allowed a club to use the rest of the building.
On a snowy Christmas Eve, Mr. Hershey had sent his nurse, driver and housekeeper home to be with their families, leaving him alone and in poor health in the large building.
Before Mr. Hershey's driver went home for the night, he convinced Mr. Hershey to go for a short drive around town. Mr. Hershey had not been out for some time and was very disappointed to see so little activity around the town. No one was out on the street and most of the homes seemed empty. Even the churches were dark and quiet on Christmas Eve. He was driven back to his home, feeling depressed. There seemed to be so little Christmas spirit in the town he had built.
His driver suggested he get some fresh air on the balcony. Mr. Hershey walked out and saw some candles below.
Hundreds of people from the choirs of every church in Hershey were below - singing "Silent Night." They had hidden their cars on a side road so they would not be noticed.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Hershey" yelled the son of one of the chocolate workers. Mr. Hershey waved, but was speechless. He finally yelled out "And Merry Christmas to you, son!"
Mr. Hershey recovered, was rejuvenated and went on to lead the company and the orphanage MHS for another 8 years, including the years of World War II, when the company's products included a vitamin- enriched melt-resistant chocolate for the troops.
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The orphanage was renamed the Milton Hershey School and today continues to provide completely free education, housing and medical care (and college funds) for 1,800 needy kids. That school continues to be largely funded by the annual profits from Mr. Hershey's candy company.
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