You won't find it under the tree

[Rick336]

“Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. - Augusta E. Rundel



Listen to Christmas. It brings a message of peace and hope. It brings a message of brotherly love. - Hallmark card



"The only blind person at Christmastime is he who has not Christmas in his heart." - Helen Keller



"It is the one season of the year when we can lay aside all gnawing worry, indulge in sentiment without censure, assume the carefree faith of childhood, and just plain "have fun." Whether they call it Yuletide, Noel, Weinachten, or Christmas, people around the earth thirst for its refreshment as the desert traveler for the oasis."- D.D. Monroe



“Christmas ... is not an eternal event at all, but a piece of one's home that one carries in one's heart." - Freya Stark



"As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is." - Eric Sevareid



“People can't concentrate properly on blowing other people to pieces if their minds are poisoned by thoughts suitable to the twenty-fifth of December.” - Ogden Nash



“Remember, This December, That love weighs more than gold.” - Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon



"Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves." - Eric Sevareid



"This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone." -Taylor Caldwell



"Remember, if Christmas isn't found in your heart, you won't find it under a tree." - Charlotte Carpenter.



"It is the personal thoughtfulness, the warm human awareness, the reaching out of the self to one's fellow man that makes giving worthy of the Christmas spirit." - Isabel Currier.



"The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others' burdens, easing other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas." - W. C. Jones



"A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together." - Garrison Keillor



"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." - Oren Arnold



"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." - Norman Vincent Peale





http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/3092307426_3b3d8b9fd5.jpg



Merry Christmas
Rick

[keltic63]

thank you Rick. Here's one of my favorites:


Ah, friends, dear friends, as years go on and heads get gray, how fast the guests do go!
Touch hands, touch hands, with those that stay.
Strong hands to weak, old hands to young, around the Christmas board, touch hands.
The false forget, the foe forgive, for every guest will go and every fire burn low and cabin empty stand.
Forget, forgive, for who may say that Christmas day may ever come to host or guest again.
Touch hands!

[Rick336]

Ah, friends, dear friends, as years go on and heads get gray, how fast the guests do go!
Touch hands, touch hands, with those that stay.
Strong hands to weak, old hands to young, around the Christmas board, touch hands.
The false forget, the foe forgive, for every guest will go and every fire burn low and cabin empty stand.
Forget, forgive, for who may say that Christmas day may ever come to host or guest again.
Touch hands!

That is very beautiful. And very true. Life is short. And Christmas is a time to be optimistic about life and love the world even with all it's flaws and faults.

It's like the lyrics to the Christmas song, "Let there be Peace on Earth":

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.

To take each moment
And live each moment
With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me.



Will there ever be peace on earth or is that just a fantasy? I think we all hope that it's not a fantasy and that someday we humans will finally figure it all out and live in a world of love and respect for one another.

But until then, we can start by having peace of mind. And I think that peace of mind can be achieved by forgiving others for their failures and seeing each human as an individual struggling to find love and happiness in the world.

That love, that forgiveness, and that hope for peace is what Christmas is all about. It's the one time of year when it's a little easier to be the people we've always wanted to be.

And that's what makes it the most wonderful time of the year.

Peace.



Rick

[Daniel]

Love this song. Have the CD. Sung by Nancy Lamott, who, unfortunately, dies of cancer some years ago.

I was in a store around xmas and heard it on the speakers, asked the guy there who was singing, and he said, "My friend Nancy!"

This Utube version is not that great- the quality leaves something to be desired (from TV?), but you get the idea.

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Xmas is all about people, that's what I think. Living breathing people and those we love and have loved, and are still in our hearts.

[Daniel]

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[Rick336]

http://jeffreyleow.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/20070705_earth.jpg


Peace on Earth






.

[Daniel]

http://jeffreyleow.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/20070705_earth.jpg


Peace on Earth






.


A very good idea!