This is day 3 of looking at the suggestions made by H. Jackson Brown, Jr., Rosemary Brown, and Kathy Peel in. “The Little Book of Christmas Joys.” In this book they make “432 things to do for yourself and others that just might make this the best Christmas ever.” And so, I pass on some of their suggestions in the spirit of Christmas that the joy of this wonderful season might surround you and lift your spirit, as well as all those who you touch in and through your life. Some of their suggestions I have edited and/or added to for the sake of this blog.
· Remember the bubble lights your parents used to decorate Christmas trees when you were young? They are available again. Buy a couple of strands for old time’s sake. Or, recapture one or two of the other “old” traditions from your growing up days like painting pinecones to hang on the tree.
· Include a family photo with Christmas cards sent to relatives and friends you don’t see often.
· Let a child decorate a small Christmas tree just the way he/she likes it for his/her bedroom.
· Start a collection of Christmas cookie cutters.
· Refuse to let heavy traffic and long lines dampen your Christmas spirit.
· Wear a Christmas apron while cooking in the kitchen during December.
· After attending a holiday party, be sure to call or write the host to say “thank you” for a wonderful time.
· Fix yourself a cup of hot cocoa and read “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost.
· Give a donation every time you pass Salvation Army bell-ringer. Remember to say “thank you” to the volunteer bell-ringer.
· Find something special to wear on Christmas day and then make that a part of your Christmas tradition.
· Regardless of the temperature, if you have a fireplace, have it blazing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
· Wrap a gift in an odd-shaped package so the recipient can’t guess what it is.
· Make a friend of an enemy this Christmas.
· Pay for the Coffee of the person standing behind you at Starbucks, Dunkin Donut or wherever you purchase your morning coffee.
· On a clear night, find the bright North Star and recall the story of the Wise Men – best to do this on a very cold evening so that you have to snuggle under warm blankets.
· Teach children to look at the gift tag before they open the present so they will know whom to thank.
· Be a generous given.
· Be a gracious receiver.
· Make it a daily practice during the holiday season to do something nice for someone without telling them you did it.
· Read “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” the night before Christmas.
· Read “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson. If you have children/youth in the home, take turns reading and read the story over several nights.
· Send Christmas cards with encouraging messages to military personnel on duty overseas.
· Record your young child singing Christmas carols on a cassette tape. Send it to grandparents who live far away.
· Set out a bowl of walnuts, tangerines, and pecans in the family room.
· Buy the biggest red candle you can find for the kitchen table. Light it every night at dinner during the holidays.
· Attend a children’s Christmas pageant.
· Share a plate of homemade cookies with a family in your neighborhood.
· Visit someone who lives by himself or herself.
· Open Christmas cards as a family activity each night at the dinner table. Read the messages aloud. Or, save all the cards until Christmas eve and open them all at once as a way of celebrating the joy of Christmas.
More suggestions to come tomorrow.
Quote for today: “God was in Christ hugging the world – embracing – nurturing it back to health.” Source unknown.
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