Matthew 1:18 - 25 and Matthew chapter 2
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Matthew Chapter 2
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,
18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
What is the meaning of Christmas?
Remember that this is Jesus's birthday. What better present could you give to Him than letting Him save you so that you can join Him in Heaven.
If you are already a Christian, you could try to make this Christmas season better for someone else. If you know that you will be getting Christmas presents this year why not think about buying or making a gift for someone that may not be getting anything. And remember that your present doesn't have to be brand new either. Someone that doesn't have a coat would appreciate a nice coat even if it is used. Someone that doesn't have a car would appreciate a car. Twice in my life I couldn't afford a car and someone stepped in and gave me one. There are many churches and other organizations out there that have a list of people who have great needs this year. You could be the person that God uses to make this a great Christmas for that person. You can even put a gospel tract in the package to tell them about the love of God if you would like to. This can be a great way to witness to someone and show tham God's love for them. This is another way that you can give God a birthday present this year.
Many people that I talk to today think they have a pretty rough life even though I know many people that have things a lot worse than they do. Sometimes I will even tell someone that they have a good life and they should be thankful for what they have instead of looking at what they want but don't have. I have seen people who have had their day ruined because they didn't get a certain birthday or Christmas present they really wanted. I have also seen people that were so excited because they had just one more day with a loved one that was dying or moving away.
If you have a non-dirt floor in the place you live,
If you have a window, a door and more than one room,
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation,
If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death,
If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep,
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace,
If your parents are still married and alive,
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful,
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder,
If you can read this message,
You are so blessed in ways
Stephen Eardley
Christmas was once a moveable feast celebrated at many different times during the year. The choice of December 25, was made by Pope Julius I, in the 4th century A.D., because this coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice, or Return of the Sun. The intent was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one.
The angels don't sing at the birth of Jesus
A Christmas club, a savings account in which a person deposits a fixed amount of money regularly to be used at Christmas for shopping, came about around 1905.
In Finland and Sweden an old tradition prevails, where the twelve days of Christmas are declared to be time of civil peace by law. It used to be that a person committing crimes during this time would be liable to a stiffer sentence than normal.
Charles Dickens' initial choice for Scrooge's statement "Bah Humbug" was "Bah Christmas."
Candy canes began as straight white sticks of sugar candy used to decorated the Christmas trees. A choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral decided have the ends bent to depict a shepherd's crook and he would pass them out to the children to keep them quiet during the services. It wasn't until about the 20th century that candy canes acquired their red stripes.
A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.
Frustrated at the lack of interest in his new toy invention, Charles Pajeau hired several midgets, dressed them in elf costumes, and had them play with "Tinker Toys" in a display window at a Chicago department store during the Christmas season in 1914. This publicity stunt made the construction toy an instant hit. A year later, over a million sets of Tinker Toys had been sold.
Originally, Christmas decorations were home-made paper flowers, or apples, biscuits, and sweets. The earliest decorations to be bought came from Nuremburg in Germany, a city famous for the manufacture of toys. Lauscha in Germany is famous for its glass ornaments. In 1880, America discovered Lauscha and F.W. Woolworth went there and bought a few glass Christmas tree ornaments. Within a day he had sold out so next year he bought more and within a week they, too, had sold. The year after that be bought 200,000 Lauscha ornaments. During the First World War supplies of ornaments from Lauscha ceased, so American manufacturers began to make their own ornaments, developing new techniques that allowed them to turn out as many ornaments in a minute as could be made in a whole day at Lauscha.
The first Christmas card was created in England on December 9, 1842.
The poem commonly referred to as "The Night Before Christmas" was originally titled "A Visit From Saint Nicholas." This poem was written by Clement Moore for his children and some guests, one of whom anonymously sent the poem to a New York newspaper for publication.
Santa Clause has two addresses, Edinburgh and the North Pole. Letters addressed to 'TOYLAND' or 'SNOWLAND' go to Edinburgh, but letters addressed to 'THE NORTH POLE' have to be sent there because there really is such a place!
The popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells" was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was originally called "One-Horse Open Sleigh."
Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850.
Mistletoe, a traditional Christmas symbol, was once revered by the early Britons. It was so sacred that it had to be cut with a golden sickle.
The boy quickly replied, "That's right, lady. The last time I found a lady's purse, she didn't have any change for a reward."
When the hymnals arrived, he eagerly examined them and was delighted to find no brash advertisements on or inside the covers. The next Sunday, his flock began to sing from the hymnals. All went well until the third song, in which the congregation lifted their voices in unison to the melodious notes of:
Hark the herald angels sing,
The downfall of Turkey, the break-up of China and the overthrow of Greece!
It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling
like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't
been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted so bad that
year for Christmas.
We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured
Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.
So after supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in
front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old
Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I
wasn't in much of a mood to read scriptures. But Pa didn't get the
Bible, instead he bundled up and went outside. I couldn't figure it
out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't
worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.
Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and
there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up
good, it's cold out tonight."
I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for
Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no
earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores,
and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing,
especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very
patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do
something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap,
coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I
opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't
know what.
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house
was the work team, already hitched to the big sled.
Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short,
quick little job. I could tell. We never hitched up the big sled
unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the
seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him.
The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on,
Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front
of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on
the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high
sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with
just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going
to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards on. When we
had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed
and came out with an armload of wood---the wood I'd spent all
summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all fall
sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I
said something. "Pa," I asked,"what are you doing?"
"You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow
Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband
had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the
oldest being eight.
Sure, I'd been by, but so what? "Yeah," I said, "why?"
"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging
around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of
wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back
into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I
followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if
the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt
to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a
big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me
and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he
was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a
smaller sack of something in his left hand.
"What's in the little sack?" I asked.
"Shoes. They're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks
wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this
morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't
be Christmas without a little candy."
We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I
tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now
was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks
and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we
could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa
buying them shoes and candy?
Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer
neighbors than us. It shouldn't have been our concern. We
came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the
wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour
and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a
timid voice said, "Who is it?"
"Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a
bit?"
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She
had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were
wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all.
Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp. "We
brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of
flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her
the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and
took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her
and one for each of the children---sturdy shoes, the best, shoes
that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from
trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down
her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something,
but it wouldn't come out. "We brought a load of wood
too, Ma'am," Pa said, then he turned to me and said, "Matt, go
bring enough in to last for awhile. Let's get that fire up to size
and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back
out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and, much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks and so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy filled my soul that I'd never known before. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference.
I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people. I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord himself has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his children to spare us." In spite of myself, the lump returned to my
throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never
thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen
mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was
sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth, save
One.
I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma
and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I
thought on it. Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we
left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he
had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand
for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.
Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up
to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go.
I could see that they missed their pa, and I was glad that I still had mine. At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey
for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two older brothers and two older sisters were all married and had moved away.
Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to
say, "'May the Lord bless you,' I know for certain that He will."
Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. So, Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."
I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Just then the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children.
For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a
block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.
.
Welcome to our Christmas page. This is just a little page with things that I hope will help you to remember why we celebrate Christmas. We have the story of Christmas from the books of Matthew and Luke. Next I have some thoughts about Christmas and this season. The last thing we have are stories and other things about Christmas that you may enjoy.
God Bless You during this season. - Brother Hugh and the staff of Make it Clear Ministries.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Luke 2: 1-20
Christmas is not all about the gifts that we get each Christmas morning. We tend to get caught up in buying presents for other people and get frustrated with everything and other people. Especially if you can't find that perfect gift because it has sold out everywhere.
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour. It is about God having a plan so that we could go to Heaven when we die instead of dying in our sins. The first step of His plan was to put on human flesh and come to earth. He was born of a virgin and lived among us for thirty three years. Jesus Christ then lived a perfect sinless life while He was here. This is something that only God Himself could do. This is why He did this Himself instead of trusting this to anyone else. If Jesus had a single sin in His life, He couldn't have died for our sins but would have had to die for His own sins. Then He died on the cross of Calvary to pay for our sins. If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Saviour you can trust Him and the payment that He made on the cross for you. Then you can go to Heaven when you die.
Life is 5% of what comes your way and 95% of what you make of it. It is all about how you view things. It's the old question "Is the glass half full or half empty?" Here is something that may get you to think about your life and just how good you have it. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did when I found it. I also hope that it will make you think about what a good life you actually have compared to others. You may be more blessed than you realize.
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness,
you are more blessed than the million who won't survive the week.
you belong to the upper half of the world’s most prosperous people.
you belong to the upper 20 percent of the world’s richest people.
you are ahead of 500 million people.
you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world.
you are richer than 75% of this world.
you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
you are very rare, especially in the United States.
you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.
you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.
you may never even know.
The Christmas Commandments
Index
Author Unknown
Fun Facts
The Christmas season begins at sundown on 24th December and lasts through sundown on 5th January. For that reason, this season is also known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.
The Bible never tells us that there are 3 wisemen that come to see Jesus from far away. We get that number from the gifts that they bring.
The wisemen don't see Jesus at the manger like the shepherds do. The wisemen arrive to see Jesus much later when they are in a house and Jesus is a young child at that time. When Harod realizes that he has been tricked by the wisemen he sends his soldiers out to kill every boy that is 2 years old and younger.
In France, Christmas is called Noel. This is derived from the French phrase "les bonnes nouvelles," which means literally "the good news" and refers to the gospel.
Canada issued a stamp with the Mercator map "Christmas 1898" inscribed. Post offices in England and the Netherlands also issued stamps with Christmas-related themes. In the US, postcard artist Ellen H. Clapsaddle designed Christmas themes for stamps. However, none were special Christmas issues. The first postage stamp for Christmas was issued in 1937 in Austria.
England has only known seven white Christmases in the entire twentieth century. According to the records of the Meteorological Office in London, snow fell on Christmas Day only in 1938 and 1976. (The definition of a white Christmas in England is when one snowflake falls on the roof of the London Weather Center.)
In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday.
Before settling on the name of Tiny Tim for his character in "A Christmas Carol," three other alliterative names were considered by Charles Dickens. They were Little Larry, Puny Pete, and Small Sam.
During the Christmas/Hanukkah season, more than 1.76 billion candy canes will be made.
Animal Crackers are not really crackers, but cookies that were imported to the United States from England in the late 1800s. Barnum's circus-like boxes were designed with a string handle so that they could be hung on a Christmas tree.
In an effort to solicit cash to pay for a charity Christmas dinner in 1891, a large crabpot was set down on a San Francisco street, becoming the first Salvation Army collection kettle.
Santa's Reindeers are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph.
The Puritans forbade the singing of Christmas carols.
The first commercial Christmas card sold was designed by London artist John Calcott Horsley. He was hired by a wealthy British man to design a card that showed people feeding and clothing the poor with another picture of a Christmas party. The first Christmas card said, "Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you." Of the original one thousand cards he printed for Henry Cole, only twelve exist today.
The northern European custom of the candlelit Christmas tree is derived from the belief that it sheltered woodland spirits when other trees lost their leaves during winter.
More than three billion Christmas cards are sent annually in the United States.
Silent Night was written in 1818, by an Austrian priest Joseph Mohr. He was told the day before Christmas that the church organ was broken and would not be prepared in time for Christmas Eve. He was saddened by this and could not think of Christmas without music, so he wanted to write a carol that could be sung by choir to guitar music. He sat down and wrote three stanzas. Later that night the people in the little Austrian Church sang "Stille Nacht" for the first time.
Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition.
The first decorated Christmas tree was in Riga, Latvia in 1510.
The first Christmas tree retail lot in the United States was started in 1851 in New York by Mark Carr.
The first printed reference to Christmas trees appeared in Germany in 1531.
In 1895 Ralph Morris, an American telephonist, invented the string of electric Christmas lights similar to the ones we use today. The actual strings of lights had already been manufactured for use in telephone switchboards. Morris looked at the tiny bulbs and had the idea of using them on his tree. The new lights proved safer than the traditional candles.
For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.
Christmas trees remove dust and pollen from the air.
In 1856 Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, was the first President to place a Christmas tree in the White House.
Teddy Roosevelt banned the Christmas tree from the White House for environmental reasons.
The Canadian province of Nova Scotia leads the world in exporting lobster, wild blueberries, and Christmas trees.
In 2007, 23% of real Christmas trees sold were from chain stores, 9% by non-profit groups. 12% from retail lots and 21% from choose and cut farms.
The modern Christmas custom of displaying a wreath on the front door of one's house, is borrowed from ancient Rome's New Year's celebrations. Romans wished each other "good health" by exchanging branches of evergreens. They called these gifts strenae after Strenia, the goddess of health. It became the custom to bend these branches into a ring and display them on doorways.
The poinsettia, traditionally an American Christmas flower, originally grew in Mexico; where it was known as the "Flower of the Holy Night". It was first brought to America by Joel Poinsett in 1829.
Long before it was used as a "kiss encourager" during the Christmas season, mistletoe had long been considered to have magic powers by Celtic and Teutonic peoples. It was said to have the ability to heal wounds and increase fertility. Celts hung mistletoe in their homes in order to bring themselves good luck and ward off evil spirits.
The Lost Purse
A lady lost her handbag in the bustle of Christmas shopping. It was found by an honest little boy and returned to her. Looking in her purse, she commented, "Hmmm.... That's funny. When I lost my bag there was a $20 bill in it. Now there are twenty $1 bills."
The Hymnals
A British clergyman struggled along with a small congregation in a small neighborhood. A commercial firm offered to supply free hymn books, provided they could insert a bit of discreet advertising into the hymnals. The pastor was reluctant but finally agreed.
Hanson's pills are just the thing;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
Two for men and one for child.
The hobby horse
A grandfather bought a hobby horse by mail order as a Christmas present for his granddaughter.
The toy arrived in 189 pieces. The instructions said that it could be put together in an hour. However it took the old man two days to assemble the toy.
Finally, when it was all put together, he wrote a check, cut it into
189 pieces and mailed it off to the company.
Christmas Turkey
What disasters could happen if you dropped the Christmas turkey?
What denomination?
A woman went to the Post Office to buy stamps for her Christmas Cards. "What denomination?" asked the clerk.
"Oh, good heavens! Have we come to this?" said the woman. "Well, give me 30 Catholic, 10 Baptist ones, 20 Lutheran, and 40 Presbyterian."
Jesus is BETTER than Santa Clause Anyday!
Santa Claus lives at the North Pole...
JESUS is everywhere.
Santa Claus rides in a sleigh...
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa Claus comes but once a year...
JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa Claus fills your stockings with goodies...
JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa Claus comes down your chimney uninvited... JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited.
You have to wait in line to see Santa Claus...
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa Claus lets you sit on his lap...
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa Claus has a belly like a bowl full of jelly...
JESUS has a heart full of love.
All Santa Claus can offer is HO HO HO...
JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa Claus says "You better not cry"...
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."
Santa's little helpers make toys...
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa Claus is a "jolly old elf"...
JESUS is the King of Kings.
Santa Claus may make you chuckle but...
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa Claus puts gifts under your tree...
JESUS became our gift and died on a tree.
Who started Christmas?
Who on earth started this nightmarish Christmas thing?
This morning I heard a story on the radio of a woman who was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After hours of being jostled and pushing through crowds in first one store and then another, and dealing with a sucession of exhausted, often down-right rude sales clerks, she had finally had all that she could take of it. She headed for the elevator.
She was feeling what so many of us increasingly feel during the holiday season. She was overwhelmed by the pressure to respond to every invitation to a party or housewarming, making sure not to forget anyone on the card list - and being sure to send cards to everyone we forgot, who sent us a card. It just isn't fun anymore. It is taking all year to pay off the bills after buying the perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list.
Finally the elevator doors opened and the car was already packed. She pushed her way in, dragging her two kids and all the bags of "stuff" she had purchased. When the doors closed she finally exploded, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be strung up and shot."
From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't worry. We already crucified him." For the rest of the trip down, the elevator it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
This year, you have the freedom to change your experience of the "Holy Days". Make it a point to keep the One who started this whole "Christmas thing" in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. Can you imagine, if we all did this, just how different our world and our experience of life would be.
Christmas 1881
A Christmas Story
Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their
means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors.
It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from
giving, not from receiving.