Christmas - A "Fruit Inspector's" Perspective

[aldona]

Folks who find the whole Christmas celebration essential to their spiritual well-being may wish to stop reading right here.

I grew up in an Adventist family who did not celebrate Christmas and I'm missing those uncomplicated, hassle-free "holidays."

As I've worked in my clinic the last few weeks, I've noticed that the people I've seen who are

- the happiest

- the least stressed and frazzled

- the least irritable

- the least depressed

- the least financially drained

- actually enjoying time spent with their families, friends and fellow church members

are...guess who?...the Jehovah's Witnesses, who don't do Christmas.

Christmas is the worst time of the year for depression and suicide.

Christmas is the worst time of the year for drunk driving and motor vehicle deaths.

Christmas is the worst time of the year for debt, financial trouble, and people requiring the services of charities and emergency relief organizations.

Put on your "fruit inspector" hats and YOU DO THE MATH. What sort of spirit is behind all this?

It's Christmas Eve here in Australia now (Sunday, December 24) and I'm off to my brother's wedding - what bliss, to spend a whole Santa-free day with the side of my family for whom "Xmas" is just another day on the calendar and an opportunity to hire the wedding venue cheap because everybody else is off celebrating the "silly season."

"HO HO HO" and "Merry Pagan Festival" to you all!!

aldona

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Very ironic, from many different perspectives, is it not?

[Nan]

Well it does make scheduling elective surgery for Jehovah Witness patients very easy....

Our family has developed a low key, hassle free form of celebration by gathering for brunch and not going overboard on presents - and we all enjoy it very much. There has to be a happy medium some where out there.

And I hope your brother's wedding goes just great today, Aldona.

[Naomi]

Christmas for our family has always been family gatherings, hand-made gifts and cards from friends and family who have moved to other regions.

We just enjoy the tradition of opening our gifts on Christmas Eve reading the story of Jesus's birth and singing Christmas songs. Christmas Day is usually a personal choice; hang-out and eat more holiday food ... go to individual's home and kick back and watch the world go by. Or, the most often chosen is to go around to family and friends homes for a short visit and deliver some home made cookies, breads, jams, or other simple gift. Another favorite is to visit the graves of special family members and leave a fresh flower.

Pretty simple, stress-free but we are rather uncomplicated 'country' folk.

This year, as in most years, I never seem to keep the guest list to just family. There is a single parent father who lives in my small town who is a plumber. He did some work for me a couple of months ago and told me how anxious he was to take his son to New England for the Christmas season. That is where his entire family resides.

Thursday I saw him at the post office and asked when he was leaving. He said {with a rather sad look}, "It just didn't work out for this year ..." I asked what their plans were ... and he said, "Give Zack some gifts and watch movies"

Well, anyone who knows me knows what my next words were ... he and his son will be here for our Christmas Eve celebration.

But, you can never give more than you receive.

Yesterday afternoon Rick's truck pulled into my drive and he began to unload a big saw and some tools. I asked what he was doing. He said, "Well, unless you managed to finish installing your new wooden floor in the bathroom and hall. I thought it should be done before Christmas" It seems a plumber would notice that the area rugs I had put down were actually hiding unfinished floors. As the sun was setting ushering in the Sabbath, I was enjoying seeing my floor completed. The price: No charge

To add to this years Christmas story: I heard of a young lady who is the single parent of a 4 year old and a child less than one year old. She was injured in combat and now suffers a great deal. Her husband vanished when she returned home and became pregnant with the youngest. She was living with friends who decided that she and two little childrens were more than they could deal with ...... she is officially homeless and my granddaughter is trying to find a place for her and the two children to live. If DHS will take her children if they discover that she has her two babies living in a van.

This mother and children are here tonight and will spend Christmas with us ... gifts for little ones are inexpensive.

And there are 4-7 others who may show up; people who for various reasons have no "home or family" to spend Christmas.

Just the other side of the "Fruit Inspetor's" coin. As for me, if there were no Christmas I may not be so quick to ask relativly unknown people home for diner and a few cheap gifts.