A Mother's Christmas

For most of us, Christmas is a once-a year occasion of joy and good will.
We wait for it all year and then it's over too soon.
For mothers, however, Christmas is an all-year occasion which starts almost
as the last of us falls asleep on Christmas night the year before ...
for mothers are the true spirit of Christmas.

From the moment a mother begins to plan the family's Christmas,
it becomes a labour of love and devotion.
Decorations and keepsakes carefully stored all year are retrieved and lovingly
returned to their proper place of importance.
Ornaments crudely made when children are young are painstakingly hung on
the tree, often to the utter embarrassment of their now-grown creators.
But without them, it wouldn't be Christmas at home, would it?

Time is carefully planned. When to shop? When to visit?
How to make sure the family spends Christmas together and still manage to
complete all the many other tasks and duties of the Season?
Mothers are the drum majors of Christmas who keep us in step.
All the while, they are marching double-time to complete their tasks.

Then the magical day occurs and the house is full of love.
Food seems to magically appear in abundance.
We know that mother has been preparing for the Christmas feast for weeks,
but it still amazes us that one person can do so much in so little time.
Then we look up from our plates and see Mother - her face aglow
with the pure and simple joy of having the family together and happy.
And deep inside, you know she has already started to plan for next year,

Without mothers, I am sure there would be no Christmas at all.

The Yuletide spirit fills this house
as all good friends draw near
to join in festive revelry
and have a glass of cheer.

The children's eyes are wide with what
their presents may contain
and mothers sigh as carollers sing
"Oh Holy Night's" refrain.

And I, content to watch it all
as Christmas eve draws nigh
to know what blessings I've enjoyed ...
where I belong ... and why.

I know the season will be filled
with happiness as such
as makes a person wonder how
he can deserve so much.

My cup o'er runneth with the kind
of fortune, good and true.
I only hope that I can share
a bit of it with you.

For 'neath the tree no presents lay
for me that can compare
with one that I get every day
so full of grace and fair.

The finest gift is mine before
I ever reach the tree.
She soft and warm and every morn
she wakes and kisses me.

The falling snowflakes gently lite
on barren, frozen grounds.
But inside on this blessed night
a warmth and joy abounds.

Here gathered all in peace and love,
our friends and family meet.
We're thrilled to hear the sweet sounds of
some carollers in the street.

And in the hearth the logs aflame
contribute to the mirth
of singing carols to proclaim
our hopes of Peace on Earth.

How warm the glowing fire appears
on this dear Christmas eve.
It bids us shed our doubts and fears
and helps us to believe ...

that all good things will come to they
who bear inside and show
good will to all who come their way.
You'll reap what you will sow.

The Yuletide is a special time
within the hearts of those,
who wearied from the ladder's climb,
survey the paths they chose.

Though Christmas comes but once a year,
and feelings oft expire,
remember well and hold it dear ...
the warmth of Yuletide's fire.

The spirit of Christmas is the elusive feeling of goodwill and joy
that comes when hearts join in celebration of being.
It is the conviction to share your life with those you love.
Christmas lives in a welcome you extend to friends and strangers.
It is in the sincere hope that all around you enjoy the season
in the company of their loved ones.

Christmas is charity - the kind that comes from the soul which
strives to share one's bounty with those less fortunate
without concern for praise or recognition. It is the knowledge that
although life is not perfect, we are fortunate indeed to enjoy
the wondrous delights of existence. It is the appreciation that we
have so much to share - and the freedom to do so.

At Christmas we take time from day to day living to reflect on the
good that is around us. It is time for family and friends, forgiveness
and understanding. It is a time for Peace on Earth and in our hearts.
Christmas is the time when we make peace with our God and He
gives peace to us. It's a time of renewal, a time of rebirth
and a time to rededicate our lives to being the best we can be.

Christmas is magic. It's born in the sparkle in a young child's eyes
as he first learns to dream. It's in the youth's heart as he seeks to win
the hand of his true love. It lives in a mother's smile as she prepares
her home for family and friends. It is in the face of the samaritan
who stoops to help a fellow traveller. Christmas is the face of God
smiling on those he has set forth on this earth.

Christmas and its spirit are not universal. That is a true pity.
For even the guns of battle have been stilled for its observance.
The spirit of Christmas can move the many to create great works
for the benefit of the helpless few. Its observance is a sacred trust
which we cannot overlook, lest our lives lose a special part of being.
The spirit of Christmas is the finest gift we can pass to others.