It was the beginning of December, and it was time to hang my old Christmas wreaths on my windows and front door. Once finished, I decided they looked just too tired and bland. What could I do creatively to make these wreaths come alive?
I traveled to Hobby Lobby to look for ideas and found the perfect one! Three letters in glittering gold, JOY. I took my find home and hung the word from red and gold ribbon on my dull wreaths. The sun caught the glittering decoration, and, by gosh, those wreaths became downright “joyful!”
Christmas is about God, family, friends, and laughter. It is about children, imagination, and sugar cookies. Christmas is a time for giving to those we love and to those we may never meet. The joy of Christmas is discovered when it is shared with others.
Many years ago, while in high school, Tina was a seventeen-year-old girl who owned a beautiful coat that her friends admired. The extravagant jacket, made from camel hair and lamb’s wool, was a special gift from her usual frugal mother. The coat featured a delicate heather plaid pattern and a luxurious chocolate fur lining, making it unique and treasured by Tina.
One day, Tina heard a story about a younger girl who attended the same school. Although Tina didn’t know the girl personally, the story touched her deeply.
Fourteen-year-old Sara had lost her mother, leaving her responsible for caring for her alcoholic father and her younger brother. It was an understatement to say that Sara carried a heavy burden on her slender shoulders.
Sara was a pretty girl with long blonde hair and an angelic face. Although she was too young to hold a regular job, she earned money by babysitting and doing odd jobs around her neighborhood. She desperately needed a winter coat and, for months, she saved her dollars and spare change to buy the most modest, yet warm jacket she could afford.
As the winter winds picked up, Sara layered herself in sweaters to go to school. Finally, she thought excitedly, “This weekend, I will buy my coat, and pray I have enough money!”
Once Saturday arrived, she excitedly approached the old cabinet in the hallway to retrieve the money she had safely hidden in a tin can. When she opened the cabinet door, she was horrified to discover that the can was missing, along with every cent of her hard-earned cash. She searched the shelves desperately as hot tears filled her eyes, realizing the painful truth: her money had been stolen.
Sara knew that her dad had discovered her savings and knew how he had spent it. Unfortunately, her suspicions were confirmed. Around the corner, she found him slumped in the old chair in the living room, surrounded by empty liquor bottles scattered across the floor.
Upon hearing Sara’s story, Tina slid her beautiful, extravagant coat off her shoulders. The cold air stung her bare skin as she handed the coat to a friend who lived near Sara. “Please put this in a beautiful box and place it on Sara’s porch on Christmas morning, without a note indicating where it came from,” she instructed her friend.
“Won’t your mother be upset about this?” her friend asked.
“Maybe for a little while, but I think she will understand,” Tina replied. “You see, while receiving the coat brought us happiness, giving it away will bring us joy.”
Sara never discovered who sent her the mysterious package wrapped in red flocked paper and topped with a giant white bow on Christmas morning. However, when she draped the coat over her shoulders, the warm fur enveloped her, filling her heart with happiness.
When school resumed after the holidays, Tina was standing by her locker when she saw Sara walk through the door, wearing the luxurious coat and sporting a broad smile that lit up her angelic face. As Tina hung her new, inexpensive jacket in her locker, she couldn’t help but smile, realizing the true richness of Christmas joy.
My Christmas wreaths have been revitalized by the addition of gold glitter, which represents joy. For those of you who feel that Christmas is too commercialized, overwhelming, or simply too much trouble—and who can’t wait for the season to be over, I encourage you to seek out your own joy. Once you find it, share it with someone who needs it. Your Christmas spirit will be renewed, just like my wreaths and the enthusiasm of two teenage girls from long ago.
Christmas is special because an angel appeared and proclaimed, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy!” What a wonderful message that is.
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This story includes parts from the first essay I wrote in college. I made a promise to my professor that I would strive to get it published in the future. I dedicate this to the memory of Dr. Fred Freeman of LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia, who believed that one day my words would be shared.
Merry Christmas to everyone! — Lynn
