Reflection by Taffy Altree

Advent is our time of joyful anticipation of our Lord's birth, God's gift to us of His precious Son, and His gift to us, through Christ, of eternal life. For me, this is a time of much joy and anticipation. Gifting comes naturally to our human hearts. With God's grace, we too wish to give our loved ones what they need and desire. I keep reminding myself to keep the gifting to what would honor God's plan for each person. Not easy in these times of God's overflowing abundance.

We anticipate the travels many make to gather together with family and friends. We gather to prepare for the celebration. We know that He is already among us but we choose to honor the event of his birth in this way.

At our home, we usually congregate mostly in the kitchen. Much laughter and joy go on in this place. On His special day, we gather at table to honor Him with prayers of thanksgiving. There is much laughter and kidding, shared plans for the future, memories of past events, hopes and plans for the future, shared concerns, voiced gripes, and solving of the world's problems (if only "they'd" listen!). All of this based on and in love.

Each and every Christmas season is an opportunity to share God's sweet joy in His Son and in His lovely creation that was given to each and every one of us. Thanks be to God. And Happy CHRISTMAS!