Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given — when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes. ~Joan Winmill Brown
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RAOK: Instead of posting negativity online, spread some encouragement
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtZRl7HJ4DI
Beautiful video
Hallelujah (Light Has Come)
BarlowGirl
Hm my Baby
Heaven sent you to me
All the worlds been praying
Who will Save?
But who am I
That here tonight
I hold the one
Who'll Bring us life
Hallelujah,
We've been found
A child is born
To save us now
Hallelujah light has come
A Savior who will set us free
A Promise for those who believe
Do you hear the Angels
Sing for you my baby
Men and kings have come to
Bow to you
But here in my arms
So close to me
The son of God
Now all can see
Hallelujah We've been found
A child is born to save us now
Jesus Hallelujah light has come
A savior set us free
So praise to God on high
He has heard our cry
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Christmas Pinwheel cookies
Make your favorite sugar cookie recipe. Divide dough in half. Add red or green food coloring to one half of the dough, leave the other half plain. Mold each color into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill at least an hour. On parchment paper, roll each half into a 6 by 12 rectangle. Stack one on top of the other. Roll up into a log, like you would for cinnamon rolls, then roll the log in sprinkles until well coated. Wrap in plastic and chill. Heat oven to 350 degrees, line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Slice the cookie dough into to rounds 1/4 to ½ inch thick. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack to cool.
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Christmas
Every time a hand reaches out
To help another... that is Christmas.
Every time someone puts anger aside
And strives for understanding
That is Christmas.
Every time people forget their differences
And realize their love for each other
That is Christmas.
May this Christmas bring us
Closer to the spirit of human understanding
Closer to the blessing of peace!
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Keep The Christmas Spirit
So remember while December,
Brings the only Christmas Day.
In the year let there be Christmas
In the things you do and say.
Wouldn't life be worth living
Wouldn't dreams be coming true.
If we kept the Christmas spirit
All the whole year through.
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We had no one at the library this afternoon, and to pass the time, I typed ‘Christmas news articles’ into a search engine to see if there were any story ideas in the news. One of the articles out of Ohio caught my eye. I thought “this could be a great story,” so I wrote it. Whether it’s great or not depends on you I guess. The basic events are true. I fictionalized peoples names and statements.
Exercise in Love
“162.00 dollars ... 163.00 dollars ...164.00 dollars .... We made $164! That makes $194.00 total, said Meghan joyfully There’s enough money here for something nice for each of the kids.”
“Lit,” said Jamal.
“I’ll lock it in my desk tonight, then you can take it to the bank after school on Monday.”
Monday morning, shrieks of “Oh, no! My desk! My desk!” rang through the halls. Miss Melissa Magonigle’s students hurried into her classroom. As they rounded the corner, they saw her desk drawer, broken to pieces, laying on the floor. The money was gone.
Her desk was just one of many that were robbed over the weekend, but it was the hardest to accept. Her class had planned and successfully completed a fund raising project to help a local family in need. It was too late to start again. What would they do? All but $30.00 of the money they raised was gone. It was over. Miss Magonigle was sad and disheartened. Her students were angry. Throughout the day, her students told and retold the story in every class.
“Melissa, I heard about the money. I’m so sorry. This isn’t much, but maybe it will help”, a fellow teacher said as they walked through the parking lot. She handed her a twenty.
The next morning, a teacher approached her holding out a ten dollar bill. “I hope they find out who did this and that you get the money back.”
“Here, Melissa, take this, I hate to think of kids going without at Christmas”.
“I couldn’t believe when the kids told me about this in class yesterday. Let me help.”
“Rotten luck, so sorry to hear it. Here’s a five.”
All day long teachers handed her money. Students who were not in any of her classes handed money to her in the hallway. Parents came into the office and asked if they could give money to Miss Magonigle to help the needy family. Within 24 hours, the fund had over $800.00 in it. What could have been a disaster, turned into an exercise in love.
This Christmas, I hope we will remember to give with a heart full of love. 2 Corinthians 9:7 - Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
