A Christmas Blessing

For most of us, Christmas is a magical time of year.  Picture a crackling fire, warm blanket and a mug of hot cocoa shared with someone you love as you admire your twinkling tree with an array of presents underneath. This is the stuff Christmas memories are made of.

 

But this isn’t the case for everyone in our community. This holiday season give a gift that multiplies; returning priceless joy and contentment to you. Consider making a Christmas memory for those among us that won’t experience the joy of the season. There are people living in our midst who are homeless, shut in, living in nursing homes, sick in hospitals or who are in some way disenfranchised.  These people can be left out in the bustle of the season; some will not get a single gift or visitor this Christmas. Instead of being forgotten, they can become the heart of treasured Christmas memories.

 

As a little girl my mother would dress us in our Christmas best, and take us to a local nursing home where we distributed gifts we had been allowed to purchase at the mall. That shopping trip was a highlight of our Christmas.  Bundled up in toques and mitts we raced through the stores at the mall hunting for treasures.  We were encouraged to pick out the gifts ourselves.  We selected things like warm fuzzy slippers, classic board games and puzzles.  I can still smell the fancy teas and sweet smelling soaps and lotions we had chosen.  Making cookies and hand drawn pictures for their bulletin boards were also special tasks for us children.

 

For those seniors, this visit was magical.  As we delivered gifts into soft wrinkled hands we would often look up into tear filled eyes.  The gifts were beloved, but I believe the greatest gift was the reminder they were not forgotten.  I am certain that for us children the memory of making their day was the biggest gift of all.  This wonderful gift has continued on and become a family tradition with our children.

 

This holiday season, make someone else’s day and you will be doubly blessed; give your family the gift the keeps giving!

Merry Christmas!

xoxo

Layna