With Christmas fast-approaching, I wanted to share this true story that I discovered from many years ago as I was sifting through some of my older writings. My prayer is that each of you will experience the true meaning of Christmas, discovering the true peace and joy of the season.
It was a few days before Christmas, and my friends and I decided to go Christmas Caroling at a nearby nursing home. What a better way, we thought, then to share the joys of the season with those who are feeling lonely, depressed or forgotten. So, we piled into our cars and arrived at the home. It was a bitter-cold December evening, yet we were greeted with warm smiling faces and open arms. How happy these residents were to see us. Their faces lit up like children on Christmas morning when we walked into the room. So, with guitars and voices, we played and sang with the love of Christ in our hearts.
It was then when I thought that I held the true meaning of Christmas. After all, I had done something worthwhile – giving something back – and I felt pretty satisfied. But there was more – much more. You see, when we finished singing, the folks at the nursing home began to share with us some of their experiences, their stories, and their fondest memories. They spoke of other groups of people who came to visit them. They talked about welcoming new arrivals into their community, seeing their old friends leave, and seeing their old friends die.
Then they told us about Christmas. One woman told me, “Everyone spends time with their families, but we spend Christmas by ourselves.” Well, that got me thinking. How many people in this world have no one to spend Christmas with? Oh, how we get so wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, never taking the time to fully live and spread the true meaning of Christmas: celebrating the birth of a Savior, spreading good cheer to those who are down, touching the life of someone who is in need, being with those we love – that’s what Christmas is all about!
I learned a lot that night at the nursing home. And as my friends and I said our goodbyes, we wished them all a very Merry Christmas. Each and every one of them thanked us for taking the time to remember them during this difficult season. “May God bless you,” one man said to me. I responded with a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat, “May God bless you, too!”
