Christmas Presents in the Snow

Christmas Presents in the Snow
copyright 2005 by Cindy Appel

There was something I could do as a big sister to protect my younger sibling from pain.

In the dim autumn light, I took my six year old brother by the shoulders and lead him away from the snow drifts in the front yard. These snow drifts contained the charred remains of our Christmas presents which Mom had bought early this year and hid in the attic over the garage where the fire began.

The firemen had thrown the secreted gifts out into the yard the night before as they chopped holes in the roof to get at the fire. The fire had started with a stray spark from the water heater and spread upward into a crowded crawl space overhead.

I felt a sickening knot in my stomach as I spied the half-melted Barbie Country Camper I had begged my parents for sticking half way out of the pristine snow. I sighed. No Santa Claus this year, I reckoned.

But there was to be a Santa Claus that year. God watched over my family and showed us his love through the helping hands of friends and neighbors. As an eight year old I didn't understand the magic of rental insurance, but, after a few rough weeks spent in motel rooms, we were able to rent another home and replace some of the things we had lost. The insurance even paid to have all our smoky clothes dry cleaned.

I remembered how hard we laughed when we discovered out starched underwear! Mom was no June Cleaver, but she never did anything quite that crazy with our laundry. We couldn’t stop giggling. It was a relief to be able to laugh about the silliness of starched underwear after the horror of being awakened in the middle of the night and unceremoniously rushed out the door clad only in pajamas, running barefoot in the falling snow, a pure, white snow that would baptize the smoldering remains of our roof by next morning.

Since that time, fire and Christmas have become forever linked in my mind. One type of fire I observe at Christmas is the fire which blazed from afar in the Star of Bethlehem, a heavenly fire flooding the night sky with its light and warmth, hovering over the manger where baby Jesus lay. Another fire of sorts is the fact that Jesus’ birth into the realm of men is a perfect example of God's love, a love that "only takes a spark to get a fire going" in our hearts according to the words of a popular Christian folk song.

Sometimes during the Christmas season when all seems cold and lost like it did to me on that snowy November morning after our house caught fire, I remind myself that God's fire burns within the hearts of all who love Him and follow his Word. "Is not my word like fire?" declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23: 29a, NIV) Whether it’s cold outside--or inside--we need to wrap ourselves in the warmth of His Spirit each and every day.

I try to do this through prayer and Bible study, but in the hectic holiday season I realize how much better it is if I make myself slow down and gather with fellow Christians to loudly proclaim to the world, "God’s fire burns within our hearts! Jesus is born! Jesus is Lord!"

As a Christian I know I need to focus less on buying presents that can easily be lost in a house fire. Instead, I need to focus my energies on sharing gifts of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23, NIV).

These gifts were given to us by our loving Father long ago on a similar wintry night in a stable in Bethlehem. And the best thing is knowing how these “Spirit gifts” warm a heart all year round.

With God’s eternal fire burning in my heart, remembering something as sad as Christmas presents in the snow will never again take away my joy. God’s fire burns within me--Jesus is Lord!

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NOW AVAILABLE!
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/best-xmas-gift.htm

THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT
by
Cindy Appel
A Wings of Faith Children's Book
Guardian Angel Publishing
Illustrations by Kevin Scott Collier
ISBN: 1-933090-19-7

In a day and age of generic "Happy Holidays", young Jake learns the real meaning of "Merry Christmas.". This picture book makes an excellent present for that special child/grandchild in your life.

To order, click on the link below:

http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/best-xmas-gift.htm
An excerpt from THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT:

“What is it, Jake?
Haven't you had fun today”
“I don't know, Grandma.” Jake sighed.
“What’s Christmas about anyway?”

“I mean, everywhere people are getting ready for the season,
but why do they do it? What's the big reason?
The shopping and bustling and rushing and noise
can't be over one silly old man who brings children toys.”


Merry Christmas!!

Thanksgiving All Year 'Round

The more I think about it the more I wonder… Why do Americans only celebrate one day of “thanksgiving” per year?

Are we not “thankful” the other 364 days of the year?

Do we not have more than one day’s worth of “thanks” to give the Creator for the blessings He’s bestowed upon us?

Are we in it only for the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and cranberries?

Are we in it only for the four day long weekend and all the great football games on TV?

Is it because we lack manners that we don’t give thanks to our Maker more often?

Or is it (and I suspect this is the root cause)we EXPECT to be blessed materially, financially, physically, mentally, academically, spiritually, etc., because we DESERVE it by virtue of being Americans living in the twenty-first century?

I hate to break the news to you, but NO ONE deserves to be blessed because of where or when they were born.

The Pilgrims had it rough. More than half of them died during the first winter after they landed on these shores. If anyone “deserved” a break from a life of grueling hardship and sudden death, I’d say it was these poor souls.

But they didn’t expect a break. They didn’t expect to be blessed because of who they were and where they were. But, in the end, they were blessed. They survived.

And they gave thanks to God for being able to draw breath for another day and for the help their Native American friends gave them in teaching them how to fish and plant corn.

Looking back at that moment in time, shouldn’t we feel a bit ashamed of ourselves for crowding shopping malls to buy things we don’t necessarily need after a day of stuffing our stomachs with an overabundance of food our waistlines don’t necessarily want?

Here’s a radical idea: Let’s replace our current “Turkey Day” with a national day of prayer and fasting. Most of us could go without food for twenty-four hours and suffer few ill effects. In fact, our physicians and fitness trainers may just love us all the more for it.

Instead of watching football or hitting the early Christmas sales at the mall, perhaps we could all spend some time with our family and friends… sharing with each of them how thankful we are for them being in our lives. (Including the non-communicative teens. We can express our thanks that at least we see them on occasion, even though they rarely confide in us anymore.)

If you get the chance to help out at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen this holiday season, consider yourself lucky. Consider yourself blessed. You are learning a valuable lesson firsthand—what it’s like for the vast majority of the world who experiences an empty stomach more often than not.

Let those images of hungry folk stay with you for a while. They will remind you to give thanks year ‘round because you have a home and a turkey of your own.