| Sunny Side Up Nov. 20, 2002 �2002, Kathleen Gibson A DOZEN WAYS TO CRAFT A TRULY CHRISTMAS SPIRIT Christmas. Quiet joy or endless rounds of draining activity? I choose the first and here�s how. There�s very little �last minute� in this list�so start early! 1. Concentrate on the season�s reason�the celebration of Jesus� birth, and don�t feel guilty for wanting to simplify. You can�t get much simpler than a stable and a baby! Ignore the societal hype that insists you must be glamorously decorated, gifted, partied, and fed. 2. Challenge a friend or relative to memorize the Christmas story from Luke 2 with you. You�ll be amazed at how it deepens your celebration of the Holy Birth. 3. Invite for coffee at least three people you�ve never had over before, with the express purpose of sharing what Christmas means to each of you. Discuss ways to add meaning to the season. 4. Mention to your friends and relatives that you�re re-thinking your gift giving. Dock your �duty list.� Donate money or one gift per person in your home to support a local or world relief agency. Volunteer to man a Salvation Army Christmas kettle for an hour. 5. Keep your holiday food simple. How much turkey does one really need? Make lasagna ahead if it will bring more quality time together. Plan a cookie exchange, a potluck, a hot dog roast. Dare to be different. 6. Don�t send out of town cards this year. Wait until after Christmas and take two months to answer all the out of town cards you received with a personal response or a New Year�s letter. It will mean so much more than a hurried card with just a signature inside. Most people are thrilled by after-Christmas greetings�they help fill the void left after the mailbox empties. 7. If you know someone who�s had a recent grief, invite them over for coffee to share the spirit of your Christmas-ready home. If you�re the grieving one, make Christmas a season of quiet reflection, rather than exuberant celebration. Take time to write out your memories and work through your emotions. Perhaps spend time on a photo or memory album. 8. If you can, get out and admire the Christmas lights often. If you have a tree inside, sit and meditate in its light each evening after the house is quiet. Jesus called himself �The Light of the World.� Meditate on all light means and does. 9. Reread a favorite book from your childhood. If you have small children, choose a meaningful book to read aloud during the Advent season. Make it a holiday tradition. 10. Fill your life with joyful Christmas music from Remembrance Day onwards. If you play an instrument, make some of your own! Go caroling with friends. 11. Find someone who�ll be alone on Christmas day and invite them for dinner. 12. Extend the spirit of Christmas by using any Christmas cards you receive as prayer reminders. Put them in a box and draw one card each day after Christmas. It�s �soulwork,� but you�ll never regret it�I haven�t. |