The Spirit of Christmas

Everyone has a different idea of what the spirit of Christmas really means. To the merchant it is seeing people in their stores shopping and spending money. For the lovers it is finding the perfect gift that can express their true feelings. As mother and father contemplate the gifts that Santa will bring to their children, they desire the gifts that will be exciting, appreciated and remembered throughout the years. For grandma and grandpa it is the memories of past Christmases that are the greatest gift, and of their families joined together in unity, peace and love. Of course there are others that aren't as fortunate as most; they still have the same desires to feel the spirit of Christmas as everyone else does. Can this be the way that those that have plenty can also find the spirit of Christmas, by them giving to those that are less fortunate? There is of course much sadness in the world today, and many times the Christmas season does not diminish that.

In the Christian world the baby Jesus is the focal point to which we look during this season of the year. It is the time that most good people show true love, caring and appreciation for the many blessings they received throughout the year. This gives them a great opportunity to express those feelings by giving to those that are in need. It is observed that most of the charitable contributions are given at this time of year. However, as a good Christian, it is taught that we should care for the poor and the needy all year long. Many times we find that our lives are so full of family, friends and our jobs, that we do not look past those and see the things that we can help with all year long. We sometimes need to be hit over the head and woken up to these needs; Christmas of course is the mallet that wakes us up.

The spirit of Christmas comes from our hearts; we feel it, we see it, we live it and then we act on it. If it truly comes from the heart, then it becomes a part of us and it begins to follow us throughout the year. We feel the blessings that we receive, we see the sadness that is around us, we live a good life so that we know when and how we need to act.

Gifts are always fun to receive; the excitement we feel as we unwrap them, the anticipation of what it could be, all adds to the joy of receiving gifts. Giving the gift is also fun and exciting, to watch the expression on the receivers face brings a joy to each of us. The price of the gift is never as important as who gave it or who received it.

So in conclusion I believe the spirit of Christmas can be summed up into our personal relationships that we have with each other. The connection that comes through the friendship, the love and the caring we have for each other. As we build relationships, we are building the spirit of Christmas that we desire for ourselves. We can make an effort to learn to love and appreciate everyone we come in contact with throughout the year. In our efforts we will receive the gift that everyone desirers throughout their life, the gift that is so elusive to most of us, but the gift that will last a lifetime, the gift and power of love.

Our Lives Are Enriched By Our Pets

I don't think I have known anyone that has not had a pet in their life. I have had many dogs; my first one was named Pal. He was a black cocker spaniel that was already older when I actually received him as a pet. Soon he got into trouble with one of the neighbors, so my father decided that he needed to go to the farm, and that is where he lived out the rest of his life.

The next dog I had as a pet I called Lady. Lady was a cross between every dog I believe there is, but mostly cocker spaniel. She would follow me everywhere, always two steps behind me. She did have one bad habit, she loved to chase cars. All of the training and persuading of lady never did do anything to help overcome her problem. Many times as she ran by the side of a car, biting at the tires, she would get too close and be spun around by the tire she tried to bite. Sometimes she would get so close that her body would be dragged underneath the car tire and she would really go for a roll. One day when our family was getting ready to go on a short trip, my father came into the house and announced that lady again had been run over by a car. He felt that she was not going to make it this time, so he had put her in our garage on a blanket hoping that she would come around, but was afraid she would not. About 30 minutes later we heard from the garage a familiar bark; she had survived her 13th time of being hit by a car. Again my father felt that it was time to take lady to the farm, away from all the cars.

My favorite pets were always dogs, and so again I was able to obtain a new puppy; she was white as snow so I called her Snowball. I was older now and knew how to handle dogs a little better, so this one I trained not to chase cars. She was my best buddy and was with me all of the time. Through the experiences that I have had with these pets I know how much they mean to other people.

When I was married my wife's favorite pet was a cat named Charlie. I had had no experience with cats before; I wasn't even sure if I liked them. They seem to do whatever they wanted to do, whenever they wanted to do it. I was used to dogs following me everywhere I went, but I couldn't even get this “cat” to look at me, let alone follow me. When Charlie finally did try to get friendly and crawl up on my lap, I found out how soft and cuddly these furry animals were. I began to tease him, play with him, and enjoy his antics. I would tie a rubber mouse on the end of a string and throw it in the middle of the room and wait until Charlie wanted it, and then the fun would start. Every time he would go for the mouse I would pull it back a little, when he got tired of my tricks, he would run and pounce on the mouse and of course he would win. One other fun thing we always did with Charlie was to put scotch tape on the bottom of his paws. When we would set him down he would jump around like he was dancing, in an attempt try get the scotch tape off of his paws. It looked like it frustrated him a great deal, but it sure was fun watching.

There are many people that have fish for pets, or may have a bird, or one of hundreds of other types of pets; each pet giving its owner some pleasure and many hours of companionship. It is said that a person with a pet will live many more years than one that does not have one. Many times we will see a very sad person light up as he comes into contact with a pet. This may be the best evidence we have that pets are an important part of life. May each of us find the love, companionship, and compassion that we need through caring for and watching over a pet.

The Coupon Phenomena

When I was a child, growing up in the fifties, I remember my mom waiting patiently each afternoon for the paper boy to bring the newspaper to our home. She was not an avid reader, but a coupon clipper, and boy were there some good coupons awaiting her discovery. She would give each of us kids a pair of scissors and we would start cutting coupons (that’s how I got my nickname in Kindergarten as “The Scissor Wizard”). Back then it didn’t really matter what the coupon was, as long as the store you went to carried the product the coupon was good and you got the savings, even though you may not have bought that particular item. It was a great way to reduce the grocery bill or save on the price you had to pay for socks; coupons were the way to even the playing field when cash was always short.

As I grew up and had a family of my own, coupons didn’t seem to be as big of a part of life as it had been. Still we always looked for the good buy or the discount sale, or the close out; it was the same thing only packaged in a different way.

Now I am a grandfather (not sure how that happened so fast) and “WOW” coupons are back and as big as ever. The first time I noticed this new coupon phenomena, my wife and I were on vacation with our “rich” friends (they take pity on us occasionally). We were about to stop for lunch when our friends, at the same time said, “stop there, we have a coupon for them” (okay but their food makes me ill). We stopped and enjoyed a “cheaper than normal” meal; of course my stomach didn’t enjoy it and let me know for hours after. Everything we did on that vacation, for a full long week, we did using coupons; if we didn’t have a coupon for some event, we didn’t do or see that. Bread has always been known as the staff of life, but it has been replaced by the coupon, because if you don’t have a coupon for bread you don’t get any. I love our friends; don’t get me wrong, they taught me a great lesson that week: to be rich, you need to look out for your money! That is probably why they are rich and I am not.

In this economic time we live in, coupons can really be the staff of life. We need to look for every opportunity to cut cost at ever corner. Be it an advertising gimmick or not, we all need to save wherever we can, on whatever we can, and use the best products we can, for the least amount of money.

Now as I sit in my easy chair reading the newspaper, or looking through the many ads that come, I have my scissors sitting next to me; prepared to find that next cheap product that I can get with a coupon, clipped with riches in mind.

Stay “happy” whatever you do!

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