Joy of Christmas

With the holiday season now winding down we often have a little time to reflect on how we celebrated the season. We may ask ourselves, as the bills begin to arrive, whether we spent too much money on items that have already been pushed aside. We may question whether we really needed to indulge quite so much in the huge quantities of food that seem to be around every corner as we loosen our belts just a bit. We may promise ourselves that next year we will not put so much pressure on ourselves to make the holidays “perfect,” thus creating more stress for ourselves and taking away from the true meaning of the season. Each year I tend to think to myself that next year I will simplify the season just a bit more than the year before and now I believe that next year I have a plan as to how to do it.

The evening before Christmas Eve our family happened to have a night free from obligations, which is a rare thing indeed. We thought about heading out for dinner and stopping to look at Christmas lights in the process. While we got ready I happened to mention to my husband that my friend Jeannie and her husband Mike had spent some time volunteering with their children during the previous two weeks for an organization called My Brother’s Keeper. My Brother’s Keeper is a volunteer Christian ministry. Their mission is “to Bring the Love and Hope of Jesus Christ to those we serve.” They provide gently used furniture to people in need throughout the year as well as household items, clothing and food. Upon delivering such items they always end the visit with the gift of a crucifix so that the person receiving the “gifts” knows that it is Jesus working through them that allows them to be able to provide such goods to people in need. What started out as a husband and wife on a mission to help people and bring the light of Jesus into the lives of others during Christmas back in 1991 has blossomed from a ministry that once assisted 14 families to one that assisted 1,720 families this year. With more than 2,000 volunteers donating their time, talent and/or treasures this year was the most successful year yet for the organization. Since my friend Jeannie had mentioned it to me and told me about what a beautiful experience it was to help out I decided to call during the week before Christmas to see if more help was needed. Like many of us I wanted to find a way to reach out to others during this time of year and to teach my children to do the same but unfortunately I could not get through on the telephone to see if help was needed. I was relaying this to my husband when he suggested that we drive over anyway to knock on the door. Being that it was in Easton, Mass. and it was already 6 p.m. I was hesitant but at his urging we decided to try.

Upon arriving at the very large warehouse My Brother’s Keeper functions out of my husband went out to knock on the door. He was greeted by an enthusiastic volunteer as well as a great deal of thanks. They had so much to do before Christmas Eve and just one day to do it. We were given the wish list of a family and throughout the warehouse that was filled with various new donated toys and clothing, we “shopped” for them. We then went to the wrapping stations and wrapped and labeled all of the gifts so that they could be delivered to the proper homes the next day. After shopping and wrapping for three hours we finished with a prayer with the other volunteers, led by the founder of the ministry, Jim Orcutt. We were then on our way. We never did go out to dinner that night (I don’t count the Burger King drive through) and our trip to look at the Christmas lights took a detour but it was certainly one of the best and most memorable evenings that we spent as family during the entire season. I hope to have many more like it in the future as well.

What struck me as I thought about how nice it was to volunteer as a family during the Christmas season was that the needs of those less fortunate than us do not end simply because the season is over. People are still hungry and need furniture and various other means of assistance throughout the year. This ministry along with many other organizations works tirelessly all year long to help those in need.

Lets all keep the sprit of Christmas alive all year long as we continue to keep this in mind.

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