The Day After Three phrases that sum up Christmas: Peace on Earth, Good will to Men, and Batteries Not Included. (English proverb, from a Norman Rockwell calendar) We may laugh at it, but if you don’t have the right batteries on Christmas morning, there may be a lot...
Christmas I heard the bells on Christmas Day / Their old, familiar carols play, and wild and sweet / The word repeat / Of peace on earth, good-will to men! (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) In many parts of the western world, steeple bells will ring today. Though we are...
Christmas Eve Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness . . . (George F. McDougall, 19th century seaman in the Royal Navy) McDougall continues, “. . . a time when our...
Christmas Eve Christ was born in the first century, yet he belongs to all centuries. (George W. Truett, late Baptist pastor) Truett continues, “He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries.” The Bible says...
Worship Were it not for the shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of stargazers, there would have been no gifts. (Max Lucado, pastor and author) As we begin this Christmas week, our thoughts often go to that wonderful; historic...
Giving You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. (Amy Carmichael, late missionary to India) It’s the giving season, and our mailboxes are full of pleas for financial help for innumerable worthy causes. Jesus said, “It’s better to give than...
Happiness [Happiness] is not determined by our circumstances but by our responses to them. (Source unknown) America’s first “First Lady,” Martha Washington put it this way, “The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our...
Perspective It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe. (Muhammad Ali, late boxing champion) For some older readers, a prospective mountain hike might be intimidating, but Ali’s point is certainly true. It’s like the...
The Christmas Spirit The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of love and of generosity and of goodness. (Thomas S. Monson, late American religious leader) It’s just one week till Christmas! Has the Christmas spirit overtaken you yet? If so, how does it affect you?...
Kindness Kindness is like snow—it beautifies everything it covers. (Kahlil Giban, late Lebanese-American writer) It’s mid-December, so there might be snow where you are. If it’s fresh, as Giban says, it’s very likely to be beautiful. Unlike snow that may not be so...
Resilience Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit. (Bernard Williams, late English philosopher) During the difficult years of World War II, scientists were developing all kinds of materials that could be produced cheaply and be more resilient...
Stand If you won't stand for something, you will fall for anything. (Quote attributed to numerous sources) With the pressures of modern-day life, bombarded on all sides with political debates, tempting commercials, and suggestive media, it may be difficult to know...