The Generosity of Christmas Spirit

I love the tiny lights and decorated trees of Christmas. Recently, I took a journey through Charles’ and my photos, looking at the various Christmas trees we had over the years.

I remember our first tree. My mother was visiting us from Chicago. Although the tree had few decorations and was small, it was beautiful because it was our first.

As we were admiring our tree, my mother asked, “Where is the angel or star that goes on top of the tree?” Without a word, Charles left the room and came back with a photo of me. He held the photo up to the top of the tree and said, “Here is the angel that will be on the top of our tree.”

That was the moment that my mother fell in love with Charles. From that point on, every time she was with us at Christmas, she recalled the time that Charles put my picture on top of the tree.

Over the years, our trees gradually improved in scale and beauty. Many of the ornaments were made by our son, Dan. Other ornaments were ones we collected through our travels. It always took hours to decorate the trees because we had to tell the story of the ornaments every time.

As much as I love seeing the trees, the photos that give me the greatest joy are the ones in which Dan is opening a gift that he really wanted and, from the surprise and joy in his reaction, he didn’t think he was going to receive. I think most of us cherish that precious moment when we have fulfilled someone else’s wish.

My hope is that you will have your wishes fulfilled, whether material or emotional, and you will experience the warmth and amazement of knowing that you have made someone else happy through the generosity of Christmas spirit.