The True Spirit of the Season

When the economy took a dive a few years ago, our family decided to simplify Christmas. My husband and I suggested to our adult children that since they were all experiencing the financial strain, we would curtail exchanging gifts. This included gifts to office staff, neighbors and friends. Only the small children in the family received but a simple gift from us. 

What a difference this made in how we spent the days leading up to Christmas! There was more time to bake cookies, play Christmas carols on the piano, relax and take in the spirit of the season. As a family, we picked names of needy children from a tree and bought gifts for them instead of ourselves. There was no longer the rush around town, shopping, wrapping, mailing, stressing and exhaustion. This has now become a tradition in our family and we have made a point to focus on those in need, reaching out in places where help is essential.

My brother Kip and his family were the blessed recipients of a group of thoughtful and generous friends who came to their aid after a stressful 2,000 mile journey from Mexico to Colorado. Read about what they experienced just a few nights ago,  on Christmas eve in their mountain town of Carbondale.  Kip's blog, Tacosandbeyond.com. tells the story of how a group of wonderful friends came together to create a magical Christmas, complete with a fresh live decorated Christmas tree and a pot of hot soup on the stove.  Their cold, dark, empty, newly rented house came alive with the grace and goodness of loving friends. This story will amaze you and inspire the giving spirit within you. The loving kindness of this small town community in the Rockies is unlike any I have ever known.