Mary Christmas

Ask not what God can do for you. Ask God what you can do for him.
In this spirit of giving unto others, we all should pray to God to ask him for what we can do for others. Not for what others are going to give us for Christmas.
Likewise, we should observe Christmas in the spirit of what God gave us, his Son.
Many of us are oblivious to the significance of the Christmas traditions. And to how Thanksgiving was originally celebrated.
The fir tree tradition began almost 1,000 years ago when St. Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity, was said to have come across a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. In anger he cut it down and to his amazement a young fir tree sprang up from the roots. He took this as a sign of the Christian faith. Not until the 16th century were fir trees brought inside.
So, why do some of us put up an artificial tree and decorate it and worship the lights, the bulbs, the trinkets and all of the gifts we bestow to our loved ones?
Maybe that's a pagan ritual, too.
"Jesus didn't celebrate Santa Claus' birthday." -- Willie Nelson
Why don't we put up a manger instead and give out gifts to loved ones in the memory of Jesus, not Santa Claus?
St. Nicholas of Myra, which is now a part of Turkey, gave generously to the poor.
He presented three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they wouldn't have to become prostitutes.
Some of us prostitute ourselves to the love of money and forget about the heritage of St. Nicholas of giving to the poor. We'd rather receive an I-Phone and text message or e-mail a thank you message.
Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" and the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" originated the spirit of Santa Claus which is ingrained into our modern Christmas culture.
So, this year ponder these thoughts in your mind.
Have a Mary and Joseph and Jesus Christmas!!