True Meaning of Christmas … “Tell the Children!”

Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor.  I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house.  I opened the door to the front room and, to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree.  He placed a finger over his mouth so I would not cry out.

"What are you doing?" I started to ask.  The words choked up in my throat, as I saw he had tears in his eyes.  His usual jolly manner was gone.  Gone was the eager boisterous soul we all know.

He then answered me with a simple statement, "TEACH THE CHILDREN."  I was puzzled; what did he mean?

He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree.  As I stood there bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the children! Teach them the meaning of Christmas.  The meaning that children now-a-day's have forgotten!"

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle. "Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year around, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind.  All the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts toward heaven."

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR.  "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago.  God promised a savior for the world, and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of that promise."

He then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDLE.  "Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaced the darkness."

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. "Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love.  Real love never ceases.  Love is one continuous round of affection."

He then pulled out from his bag an ornament of HIMSELF.  "Teach the children that I, Santa Clause symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December."

     -- original source unknown; submitted by C. Neal Davis, Ph.D., ACFRE (12/22/11) nealpatdavis@hotmail.com

He reached in again and pulled out a HOLLY LEAF.  "Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality.  It represents the Crown of Thorns worn by our Savior.  The red holly berries represent the blood shed by Him."

            Next he pulled out a GIFT from the bag and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son ..."  "Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.  Teach the children that the Wise Men bowed before the Holy Babe and presented Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  We should always give gifts in the same spirit as the Wise Men."

Santa reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree.  "Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds crook.  The crook on the shepherd's staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock.  The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brothers keeper."

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL.  "Teach the children that it was the Angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth.  The angels sang Glory to God in the Highest, on earth peace, and good will toward men."

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, from his bag he pulled out a BELL.  "Teach the children that the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should bring man to the fold.  The bell symbolizes guidance and return."

Santa looked back at the tree and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes.  He said, "Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas, and to not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the ONE That Is, and I bow down and worship HIM, our LORD, our GOD.

I Corinthians 13 -- Christmas Style

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, sing carols in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

Be Mindful That Happiness Is Not Based On Possessions, Power, or Prestige, But On Christ And Relationships With People You Love And Respect

 -- original source unknown (submitted by C. Neal Davis, Ph.D., ACFRE (12/22/11)

13,372 (written) Prayers ... and still counting

It sounds rather simplistic, but I just "pray and write" ... about whatever is on my mind!  (I could say, "however God leads," but some of my prayers surely don't please Him as much as I wish they did) ...

On June 1, 1975, I began keeping two journals: "A Thought Journal" and "A Prayer Journal."  There are days when I don't write but, if so, I catch up; on other occasions, I write ahead.  Nevertheless, for these 36 1/2 years, I have an entry for every day. I have no particular discipline re: subject or length, but the "Thought Journal" entries are always at least one-page in length, sometimes longer; the "Prayer Journal" entries tend to be shorter, but can range from one line to a few pages.

I have a "Ten Things to Enjoy" (TTTE) mailing list; I send these items out on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month (35 editions per year).: On November 5, 2005, I put ten items together qand sent the combined list to five friends; I titled them "Ten Things to Enjoy" ... and the response was excellent; so, I continued to send these mailings on a regularly scheduled basis ... and have now been doing this for 6+ years -- (#CCXV -- or #215) was forwarded to my list of almost recipients as of December 20, 2011.

 On June 1, 2010, I began including/adding an item called "PDQ" (Prayers, Daily journal entries, and Quotations from one of the four books I have written); in other words, some "samples" of my prayers have been included with each edition of TTTE for the past 18 months [as you can surmise, though, 18 of 13,37 is a rather small sample].  My TTTE/PDQ mailing list has almost 500 names.  It began after I retired and, at age 75, it is one of the ways I minister and engage in interaction with people across the US and around the world ...

I'm afraid I am a much better writer than marketer; I sell very few books, TTTE/PDQ involves no income on my part nor expense on anyone else's part; it has been and continues to be a labor of love.

The Prayer Journal simply keeps me in touch with God and myself; for me, I need more than an intangible spiritual relationship.  I read voraciously, write extensively and, in the process, grow in knowledge, grace and, hopefully, wisdom and discernment.  I write in longhand on notebook paper and there are more than 100 loose-leaf volumes of "journals" in my home office in Oregon.

A little bit about me: I have been blessed beyond belief: born in the Arkansas Ozarks, educated (formally) in Missouri (BA, MA, Ph.D.), served at the Dean's level or higher for nine colleges and universities, eight of which were church-related (three kinds of Baptist, two UCC colleges, one Episcopal, one ELCA Lutheran); I am an Emeritus Professor and Emeritus Senior Vice President for Advancement and Marketing at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois; I am also an Emeritus member of the Board of Directors for Holt International Children's Services in Eugene, Oregon -- the largest adoption agency in the world.  My wife and I have been married for 54 1/2 years, we have six successful children (three of whom are Korean adoptees), seven grandchildren (two of whom are Korean adoptees), have had 60 foster kids (licensed in Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Virginia), etc.  Three of our children live in Oregon and three live in Virginia; and we spend six months in each state.  Although I have been a member of 17 Baptist churches in my lifetime, we presently belong to a Presbyterian church in Glen Allen (Richmond), Virginia and are Associate members of a Presbyterian church in Aloha (Portland), Oregon.   I have lived in ten states, visited all 50 states (often), been around the world twice -- including visits to 30+ nations.

To quote the final line in the blind, anonymous Confederate soldiers' poem, "I am, among all men, the one most richly blessed."

If you would like to receive "Ten Things To Enjoy"/"PDQ", just send me your e-mail address.  There is no charge ...

and remember to "Pray without ceasing ..." (I Thes. 5:15)

C. Neal Davis, Ph.D., ACFRE / nealpatdavis@hotmail.com

80 SW 172nd Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006 (April-September)

9710 Candace Court, Glen Allen, VA 23060 (October-March)