I.
First, our Bishop asked ward members if they’d be willing to make Christmas gift baskets anonymously for families in our ward. I thought this sounded so fun. I’ve never made a gift basket for anyone! Although it was all anonymous (I don't know what family I had, nor do they know it came from me -- although I did know the "type" of family so I could plan accordingly), I had a great time hunting things down. I included hot cocoa, a gift card, Hershey kisses, mixed nuts, a jingle bell ornament, chocolate-covered cherries, and of course fruit, among other things. The hardest part, seriously, was finding cellophane. Did you know it’s sold in a roll just like wrapping paper?
Shame on me for not getting a finished photo. I wrapped it with a beautiful red ribbon. I hope whoever received my basket had their spirits lifted.
II.
On more personal note, I got a new nativity set at the end of November and debated what to do with my old nativity. I had the thought to give it to someone – and not just in a general “wrap it up and hand it over” way. My nativity had 12 pieces – so I decided to do the 12 Days of Christmas for someone! It’s a family; I know the mother the best and the kids are seriously so sweet. I’ve been going over to their house every day for 11 days now, leaving a tiny wrapped figurine on their doorstep, then sneaking off. Whimsy is my partner in crime; she knows the family, too.
The most exciting part, for me, was finding scriptures and quotes to go with each figurine. Of course Mary and Joseph are accompanied by scriptures from Luke 2, but the final baby Jesus (given last, tomorrow) is accompanied by a quote from The Living Christ, the declaration given by the First Presidency of the Church a few years ago. It is so beautiful. I hand wrote all the scriptures on little cards Whimsy made, and I’m lucky this one all fit. I wrote small. The final day said:
"We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world. … Of Him the Prophet [Joseph Smith] also declared: 'And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father — That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God' (D&C 76:22–24). …We bear testimony that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son."
Awesome.
(this is what 12 gorgeous handwritten cards for someone looks like)So, tomorrow is the “big reveal.” Whimsy and I will go see our friend together to give her baby Jesus and the box the nativity came in. I’m so excited!
III.
This year I had a friend who was on bedrest at the end of a rough pregnancy. I really felt like some of our other friends and I could help with Christmas preparations... but what? So we went and got her a tree! She had her stand and tree skirt and stuff out and ready (before the bedrest decree), she just needed a tree delivered.
I used my powers of persuasion on my friends and found someone with a big van who was willing to help, and we delivered a tree and lunch and fun one Monday morning. She emailed us later and said her husband and daughter were happily decorating a tree "delivered by some angels." Awww, that felt so sweet. In subsequent news, she had that baby just a few days later. A new healthy baby girl. Yay.
IV.
My gifts for my office co-workers and visiting teaching sisters this year were little pumpkin loaves. Thanks to Megan for the great idea (I'll have you know I added chocolate chips to your recipe). The loaves turned out well, and I loved the ornaments I found at JoAnn's that I attached to each one. I wrote out a nice card, too. I had a great time putting it all together. I wish I had a picture of all 10 of them side by side!
(Note, I only have two teeny loaf pans... so I had to bake these two at a time! And they take 45 minutes to bake, each session! I am a crazy baker this year, seriously!)
Anyway, my point in this post is that it has all just meant something different this year. I feel better. Maybe I've bitten off more than I can chew (sometimes I feel a bit stressed out driving to the same house for 12 days in a row!!), but I feel good about myself. I feel like I'm doing something better, and making Christmas more about service and love than about myself. I'm in a weird place emotionally right now, so I think helping these friends was really for me; it has been what I needed most of all.
It's made Christmas come alive for me. I know Christmas is about Christ, but isn't it really about what Christ did -- served others more than He served himself? It's about seeing the faces of others light up when we've thought of them, or helping someone in need, or being a friend at the perfect time. Christmas is about love. It feels good to feel that.
More later.
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