It's that time of the year..

5287467323_9899c2c410 by suecfar, on Flickr

Silent Monks Singing Hallelujah

When I was a teenager still living at my mom's house, we would always have a fresh tree. We decided to get an artificial one. My older brother came to visit and he walks up to the tree...grabs the end of a branch, breaks if off...smells it and says..."ahhhh yessss that's a fresh smelling tree".

Same brother another story. I was the youngest of 5 and therefore got the most gifts lol. I was also the most excited or maybe you could say a pain in the butt. I would pester them about what was inside the gift boxes and ask to open one early. My brother said okay fine, you can open 1. I rip the paper off and its a 24 pack of cheese slices lol.....to teach me a lesson to not pester.

christmas child by maurineelden, on Flickr

http://snowdays.popularfront.com/index.html?id=1279949

Make a snowflake online !

melting snowman by thedecoratedcookie, on Flickr

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens

This time of year, I realize I am still here, still breathing, still loving, and after some of the documentaries I have seen about other places in the world, I am grateful for what I have instead of worrying about how good my gift is for somebody else. The gifts some Irish volunteers have given to a hospital elsewhere and their patients and crew, far outweigh a pair of jeans or a lego set.

What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.
Phyllis Diller

If you haven't got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.
Bob Hope



Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don't quite know how to put our love into words.
~Harlan Miller

Christmas Prayers at Grandmas

Two young boys were spending the night at their grandparents. At bedtime, the two boys knelt beside their beds to say their prayers when the youngest one began praying at the top of his lungs.

"I PRAY FOR A NEW BICYCLE ... I PRAY FOR A NEW X-BOX ... I PRAY FOR A NEW DVD-PLAYER ..."
...
His older brother leaned over and nudged the younger brother and said, "Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn't deaf."

To which the little brother replied, "No, but Gramma is!"

Puppies for Christmas

snow ploughs, no more sidewalks, and road salt

clevet kid

Stress; fights; disappointment; cynicism; blasphemy.

Understanding, patience, and new beginnings

Raindeer Game Shows by suecfar, on Flickr

Tomy by khaled alnaim, on Flickr

sweater_grandma_made_for_christmas_ by suecfar, on Flickr

CHRISTMAS COTTAGE - 4 by sandydg350762, on Flickr

fake by auntnanny, on Flickr

An Empty Box
Author unknown

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3 year old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father: an empty box.

He yelled at her, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside it?" The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh, Daddy, it is not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy." The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and begged for her forgiveness.

It is told that the man kept that gold box by his bed for years and whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each of us as humans have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, friends, family or God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.