Christmas Without You!

Christmas without you here with me,
can never possibly be the same.
But I carry an Angel within my heart;
one so precious, who has your name.

An Angel forever watching over me,
at Christmas time, and over the year.
Although you can’t be here anymore,
inside my heart, you are so very near.

There is no special present for you,
wrapped up under my Christmas tree.
But I have a greater gift to give to you;
all the love you can still feel from me.

No, Christmas time without you here,
could not ever possibly be the same.
But, I have had the precious gift of you,
and the memories and love, will remain.

©Pamela Hall ~ September 15,1999

This very moving poem was written by Pamela
  in remembrance of her Mum who passed away
September 15,1999 

To contact Pamela Hall, please click HERE



A letter to Santa

I'm writing a letter to Santa, to ask him if he could take
my present to someone else where it will do more good.
I'm writing a letter to Santa, I've been good you see,
but there's another kid out there somewhere, less fortunate than me.
I'm writing a letter to Santa to tell him "thanks a lot",
for all the joy he's given us, and the presents we've got.
I'm writing a letter to Santa to ask if only he could
say "Happy Birthday" to Jesus as a Christmas present from me.

Written by Donna Schleck - 19th November 1991.



The following story was sent to me to remind us all of the true meaning
of Christmas and giving with love. I am sure it will touch your heart as it did mine.

True Spirit of Giving with Love

It was only four days before Christmas but the spirit of the season hadn't caught
up with me, even though cars packed the parking lot of our local department
stores. Inside the store, it was worse. Shopping trolleys and last
minute shoppers jammed the aisles.

"Why did I come today?" I wondered. My feet ached almost as much as my head.
My list contained names of several people who claimed they wanted nothing
but I knew their feelings would be hurt if I didn't get them a gift.
Buying for someone who had everything and deploring the high cost of items,
I considered gift-buying anything but fun.

Hurriedly, I filled my shopping trolley with last minute items and proceeded
to the long checkout lines. I picked the shortest queue, but it looked
as if it would mean at least a 15 minute wait.
In front of me were two small children - a boy of about 6 and a younger
girl about 4. The boy wore a ragged old coat and over-sized tattered
shoes, and jeans which were far too short for him. He clutched
several crumpled dollar bills in his grimmey little hands.

The girl's clothing resembled her brother's. Her head was a matted mass of curls.
Reminders of an evening meal showed on her small face. She carried a beautiful
pair of shiny, gold house slippers. As the Christmas music sounded in the
store's stereo system, the girl hummed along, off-key but happily.
When we finally approached the checkout register, the girl carefully
placed the shoes on the counter.
She treated them as though they were a treasure.

The clerk rang up the bill. "That will be $6.90," she said. The boy laid his
crumpled dollar bills on the counter while he searched his pockets.
He finally came up with $3.25. "I guess we will have to put them back,"
he bravely said. "We'll come back some other time, maybe tomorrow."
With that statement, a soft sob broke from the little girl.
"But Jesus would have loved these shoes, " she cried.
"Well, we'll go home and work some more. Don't cry.
We'll come back," he said.

Quickly I handed $3.65 to the cashier. These children had waited in the queue
for a long time. And, after all, it was Christmas.
Suddenly a pair of arms came around me and a small voice said,
"Thank you lady, very much."
"What did you mean when you said Jesus would like the shoes?" I asked.
The boy answered, "Our mummy is sick and going to heaven.
Daddy said she might go before Christmas to be with Jesus."
The girl spoke, "My Sunday school teacher said the streets in
Heaven are shiny gold, just like these shoes.
Won't Mummy be beautiful walking on those streets in these shoes?"

My eyes filled with tears as I looked into her tear streaked face.
"Yes," I answered, " I am sure she will."
Silently I thanked God for using these children to
remind me of the true spirit of giving with love.

Author Unknown



The Origin of  "The 12 Days of Christmas"

 When most people hear of "The 12 days of Christmas" they think of the song.
   This song had its origins as a teaching tool to instruct young  people in
the meaning and content of the Christian faith.

From 1558 to 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not able to practice
their faith openly so they had to find other ways to pass on their  beliefs.
   The song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is one example of how  they did it.
  "The 12 Days of Christmas" is in a sense an allegory.
 Each of the items in the song represents something of religious significance.
   The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help young Christians 
learn their faith.

The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to  me...."
   The "true love" represents God and the "me" who receives
these presents is the Christian.

The "partridge in a pear tree" was Jesus Christ who died on a tree as a gift from God.

The "two turtle doves" were the Old and New Testaments - another gift from God.

The "three French hens" were faith, hope and love - the three gifts of the
Spirit that abide (in I Corinthians 13).

The "four calling birds" were the four Gospels which sing the song of
salvation through Jesus Christ.

The "five golden rings" were the first five books of the Bible
also called the "Books of Moses."

The "six geese a-laying" were the six days of creation.

The "seven swans a swimming" were "seven gifts of the Holy Spirit." 
I Corinthians 12:8-11; Romans 12; Ephesians 4; I Peter 4:10-11)

The "eight maids a milking" were the eight beatitudes (found in  Matthew).

The "nine ladies dancing" were nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)

The "ten lords a-leaping" were the Ten Commandments.

The "eleven pipers piping" were the eleven 'faithful' disciples.

The "twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed.

So the next time you hear "The 12 Days of Christmas" consider how this  otherwise
non-religious sounding song had its origins in the Christian faith.

Author Unknown