Christmas – A time for Christ to be born in our hearts

Thanks, Karen! I love your write-up plus the link to the invite of Christmas celebration. I especially like the birthday invite details of Jesus Christ:

Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25
but He's always around, so the date is flexible...

Time: Whenever you're ready.
(Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)

Place: In your heart.... He'll meet you there.
(You'll hear Him knock.)

Attire: Come as you are... grubbies are okay.
He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about
new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

Tickets: Admission is free. He's
already paid for everyone...
(He says you wouldn't have been
able to afford it anyway...
it cost Him everything He had. But
you do need to accept the ticket!!

Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a
far-out drink He calls "Living Water,"
followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!

Gift Suggestions: ; Your life. He's one of those
people who already has everything else.
(He's very generous in return though.
Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth,
Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness,
Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power,
Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more!
(All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)

Wonderful site...Karen...thanks for creating it..it really brings me back to the true meaning of Christmas and not the commercial meaning of Christmas that the secular world promotes. It brings back comfort and deep joy that Christ has always been there waiting for us with wide open arms. He loves us so much that he died for us on the cross. Like one of the phrase in the praise and worship song "You'll never know how much it costs to see your sin upon that cross". It also reminds me to be good to others if not Jesus has died for us in vain.

Let me share with you my Christmas celebration. It wasn't any spiritually involved Christmas celebration, just a simple family gathering with all cousins on Christmas Eve, followed by afternoon mass on Christmas Day and going off to Basil's place for more food and games.

Let me elaborate more about my gathering with my family. It was a nice, warm gathering with my entire extended family. My family prepared sumptuous food during Christmas Eve together before we gather together to head out for my grandmother’s place. It was a nice opportunity once a year that my whole family gather together to cook a nice meal. We're able to bring out our helpfulness with one another in preparing the food diligently, thoughtfulness and presentation.

In all, we cooked pasta meat sauce, broccoli and salmon and bought durian logcake from Good Wood Park (contributed by my 2nd sis), 2 bottles of red wine and chocolates from Italy (contributed by my eldest sis). I could see the generiosity in my family by their contributions to our Christmas gathering.

It was a heartwarming experience when we met my cousins, as all of them are decked in adorable Santa and reindeer costumes. My cousins baked brownies and strawberry muffins and bought strudel, pies and vodka. My grandmother and uncle prepared chicken curry, beehoon, pork rib soup, barbecued chicken wings, prawns. I could see Christ present in each of them as we put in so much love and thought into prparing the food from scratch. We started guessing the flavour of my cousins' muffins, much to her aghast. As she has prepared strawberry flavoured ones, but none of us is able to guess the flavour. Some say banana, some say coffee. Nonetheless, we praised each other for the effort contributed in it. Despite all the trials, difficulties and financial woes that each of my cousin's family including mine went through in the past, I could confidently say that we've emerged stronger, more united, more appreciative of one another. We've managed to stay as one family in times of trial. We've been tested but we perserved. We've been tried, but we survived. During times of celebrations, I come to know the importance of family. As the saying goes "a family that eats together, stays together". Even though the extended family of my Mother's side are not Christians, we still made a point to celebrate Christmas together. To me, seeing all of us gather together for more laughter and joy, I could see Christ reborn in all of us.

As you aware, my family is a big foodie and we always prepared excess food for everyone. However, we make sure nothing is wasted at all and we’ll take away the leftovers backhome. Followed by then, we played some games of how much we understand our cousin. What are their favourite food, colour of previous spectacles, mode of transport to school, what are their nicknames in school, what do they fear of, what triggers them to cry at movies, how long did they dated their boyfriend and so on...

I hope that for my Christmas next year, I'll be able to prepare more fully for Advent and truly appreciate the true meaning of Christmas, just like Karen :)

Let me share with you a great web link that basically sums up my Advent goal next year: http://www.jesuit.org.sg/html/prayer/homilies/2009.yearc.advent3.php