The Outward Expression of Christmas in the Heart
Thought of the Day:
“I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the word seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.”
Taylor Caldwell
Thinking Outside of the Box:
When something is “big” within us, it fills us and it spills out. We just have to share it. And so it is with Christmas. Christmas fills up all the empty places in our hearts, and for some reason, when we can’t take the time to be kind or thoughtful the rest of the year, we spill over with love and generosity at Christmas. That is the expression of Christmas.
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost–To heal the broken–To feed the hungry–
To release the prisoner–To rebuild the nations–
To bring peace among brothers and sisters–
To make music in the heart.”
Howard Thurman
The catch is how to make it last. We shouldn’t allow 
one season, one brief period of time, be the only time we express those qualities. They are just too important. The greatest gift we receive at Christmas is the ability to love one another, even when we aren’t so lovable, or even feeling so loving. But there is a greater gift; this isn’t a time-dated gift and you may open it any time of year that you like!
Some Last Thoughts:
“Mankind is a great, an immense family… This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas.”
Pope John XXIII
“Let me give Christmas away, unwrapped, by exuberant armfuls. Let me share, dance, live Christmas unpretentiously, merrily, responsibly with overflowing hands, tireless steps and sparkling eyes.”
Linda Felver
“It is the personal thoughtfulness, the warm human awareness, the reaching out of the self to one’s fellow man that makes giving worthy of the Christmas spirit.”
Isabel Currier
“Of course, this is the season to be jolly, but it is also a good time to be thinking about those who aren’t.”
Helen Valentine
“To celebrate the heart of Christmas is to forget ourselves in the service of others.”
Henry C. Link
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