What is Christmas?

To a man of the cloth it ‘s looking out at the upturned faces of his congregation as he reads once again the Christian world’s most beautiful story and to pray as men have been praying for over 2000 years, that in the coming year perhaps we shall at last see “Peace on Earth, Good will toward men.”To the aged, it is sitting alone, waiting for a long distance phone call, or a knock on the door. A time to look back and relive a past Christmas when the pace was a little slower and the world a little younger, when oranges and wooden toys were left under a pop-corn strung Christmas tree.To the parents it’s hustle and bustle of a crowded department store. A time when Christmas cards have to be addressed and lights have to be strung (was it only a year ago?!) A time of sneaking parcels into the house and hiding them in that special place where the children will never look, but always do, and trying not to forget this year on Christmas Eve to drink the milk and eat the cookies that have been left for Santa.To the children, not birthdays, passing into the next grade, Halloween or having a dentist appointment cancelled, can even approach the joy and happiness that this one day, this very special day, can bring. It’s a time when the big fancy wrapped packages (with their very own name right on it!) that have been shaken, jangled, weighed and even held up to the light can finally be opened.To others, Christmas will be, to quote Ebenezer Scrooge “a humbug, a poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every 25^th of December” and to those people it will always remain just that, “a humbug.” For Christmas is what we are and what we want it to be.Reproduced here from writings by Joyce SeamoneTo the Women's Institutes Christmas has always been a time to gather and celebrate the season. In the pioneer days, most Institutes organized a community dinner, and Santa arrived with gifts for the youngsters. Or they gathered in a member's home and marked the occasion.For many years, the members of British Columbia Women's Institute gathered small gifts and donated them to the provincial mental health facility in the Fraser Valley - for some patients, those were the only Christmas gifts they received.Please remember, there is a magical quality in the Christmas season that serves to bring out the best in people – not just intentions and thoughts – but also in actions and deeds. With that the Christmas magic could penetrate the minds and acts of people throughout the world for the entire year:“'WHAT A BETTER PLACE IT WOULD BE!”Merry Christmas to each of you from the members of the British Columbia Women's Institute.