Celebrating Christmas was not a tradition associated with my childhood. But if it were up to me, it would have been :) Not only was I mesmerized by the decorations and the beautiful gift wrapping, but I truly loved the spirit of giving and people just coming together.
When my husband and I married, he was serving in the youth ministry and I was a Sunday School teacher. We were always surrounded by young people who we loved dearly. That’s when the Holy Spirit downloaded an amazing idea which I shared with my husband: “None of us have plans on Christmas. What if we just invite everyone over? We can cook breakfast and coordinate a gift exchange. It will be a great way for us to have fellowship with each other.”
My husband thought it was a great idea and I ran with it! We invited all of the youth in our church. I assigned everyone a Secret Santa. Then, we went on the BIGGEST grocery shopping trip of our four-month married life.
Christmas morning came and we were at my husband’s parents’ home. A group of teens insisted that they wanted to join us to cook and they showed up at 4 am all bundled up and ready to make pancakes, eggs, and bacon. There was so much excitement in the air as Christmas music played and we were all talking and laughing.
By 9 am, everyone started trickling in. I literally remember it as if it was just yesterday. My heart increasingly felt fuller as there were about 80 smiling faces situated in every nook and cranny, eating breakfast, and conversing. Love and laughter permeated the atmosphere. I fondly remember the gift exchange as many who were paired together did not know each other well. But their gifts demonstrated thoughtfulness and care. What a blessing to love on others and to share in the joy of God’s love with others!
I thank God for that tradition which began 19 years ago. For me, It will always be a Christmas to remember. Indeed, “How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the fragrant anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head and ran down onto his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew on Mount Hermon, on the mountains of Israel.” (Psalm 133:1-3a TLB).
~Joyce
