Christmas Blessings for All

 

Christmas is for giving

And for showing that we care,

For honoring the Christ Child

With the loving gifts we share.

The wise men gave of riches;

The shepherds, faith and love.

Each gift, in its own measure,

Was smiled on from above.

Let every gift be treasured;

Not always size or price

Determines the extent of love

And willing sacrifice

Handsome gifts with festive trim

Bring smiles of sweet content,

But modest gifts of humble means

are ofttimes heaven sent.

Whether it be large or small,

Each gift will share in part

The message of true Christmas joy

If given from the heart!

~ Iris W. Bray ~

 

Let Everyday be Christmas

 

Christmas is forever, not just for one day,

For loving, sharing and giving are not to be put away

Like bells and lights and tinsel,

In some box upon a shelf.

The good that you do for others is the good

That you do for yourself.

~ Norman W. Brooks ~

Blessed Christmas

May the best gifts of Christmas be yours:

The gift of love.

The gift of peace.

The gift of joy.

The gift of hope.

The gift of good health!

Merry Blessed Christmas!

Season's Greetings

Wishing you a
Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

May goodwill, peace and joy

prevail throughout the year,

May the spirit of Christmas

never die!

Christmas - A Universal Celebration

"O Star of wonder, star of night,

Star of royal beauty bright,

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to Thy perfect light."

Yes, Christmas hymns and carols are still buzzing through my head!

This year, Christmas has been quite eventful for us. Things began happening on Christmas Eve when a friend invited us to join the midnight mass at his church, The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Pulau Tikus. It must have been some thirty years since we stepped into that church and although the mass started only at 10.30 p.m., the church was packed by ten.

Incidentally, the Church is celebrating its Bicentennial this year. A big "200" had been put up in front of the church together with a lighted Christmas tree. The fence encircling the compound had also been lit up with thousands of tiny bulbs. It was a very pretty picture as you can see from the snap below.

Inside the church, there was also a very well done Nativity scene (below)

and many people were busy taking photos.

Just before the mass proper began, the church choir started singing hymns and carols. They delivered their songs very well and the congregation was able to join in as the lyrics were flashed on two big screens on each side of the altar.

The choir is seated in the balcony (above left)

When the mass began, I was reminded of my school days at the Convent when we used to recite a string of prayers at the small chapel of the school but of course, the prayers now are unfamiliar to me.

The whole service was very well conducted and ended at around 11.45 p.m. with people wishing each other "Merry Christmas". There was much hand shaking and hugs as friends, relatives and even strangers greeted each other happily. The air was alive with the universal message of Christmas - giving and forgiving, caring and sharing.

There was a light drizzle when we left the church. Hopefully it was a form of blessing for everyone!

Christmas morning saw us up early for prayers at our Sai centre.

The altar had been beautifully decorated and balloons festooned the walls and ceiling. We sang a repertoire of Christmas carols and devotional songs which concluded with the appearance of "Santa Claus" with his bag of goodies for both young and old.

'Tis truly the season to be jolly!

God is Love

Christmas is all about love

Christmas is thus about God and Love

Love is the key to peace among all mankind

Love is the key to peace and happiness within all creation

Love needs to be practised - love needs to flow - love needs to make everyone happy!

God bless all mankind!

(Words from the Cyberspace Ashram)

Have A Blessed Christmas

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace

The gladness of Christmas give you hope

And the warmth of Christmas grant you love

Happy Christmas!

The Lighting of a Christmas Tree

I’ve always had a thing for Christmas trees. When I was a little girl, we had a small one which was displayed by my parents every Christmas. When it was not in use, it was carefully wrapped up in newspaper and kept in a corner of the storeroom. Kept with it were small boxes of decorations – baubles, little angels, reindeer, snowmen and of course Santa Claus. And every year we would expand this collection with new ornaments!

On Christmas Eve, we would bring out the little tree and decorate it, then stand back and look at it proudly. Oh yes, we also added bits of cotton wool to the branches to represent snow. .Even without lights, the tree looked good. We later gave away the tree to The Little Sisters of the Poor; I can't remember why we did that, maybe because we had all become too busy to set up the tree every Christmas.

When I read about the tree lighting ceremony organized by Sandy Bay Paradise Beach Resort last Thursday, I decided not to miss it especially as it was for charity. I took mum along and we were pleasantly surprised when Santa Clause met us at the entrance of the hotel. We then joined the various people who had turned up to watch the event. The invited guests had seats which had pink and yellow balloons tied to them. We were later also given small candles to hold.

After the VIPs’ arrival, a few short speeches and a musical performance, someone pressed the magic button and the gigantic Christmas tree came alive with hundreds of blue, red and yellow lights. Quite a feast for the eyes!

This is the second year that Sandy By has organized this event and funds raised will be channeled to the National Cancer Society. I managed to take a few photographs, however they did not turn out too well. Time I changed my camera!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas is Over

Christmas is always over too soon for me and though I have never experienced a white Christmas, I miss the festive air, the carol singing and the jolly get-togethers with family and friends. But, behind all the fun and tinsel, I feel one should pause for a while and look beyond the way Christmas is celebrated today. Is there any real meaning, any message that Christmas has for us?

Christmas is actually the festival of the human heart. It is a time of year when feelings of peace, joy and love towards our fellow beings invade the earth and bring glad tidings to everyone. So along the way we can also consider abolishing our bad traits like anger, pride and greed and become more loving and forgiving. If everyone can be bringers of light and hope on this special day, think how the whole world would be transformed!

We spent Christmas Day at our Sai centre where we sang devotional songs and Christmas carols. The altar was beautifully decorated with garlands and flowers. A generous devotee had also donated a huge Christmas cake with decorations of Christmas trees, Santa Claus, reindeer and other novelties. After the singing, "Santa Claus" gave away presents to the children and adults as well. Refreshments followed and it was well after 12.00 noon that we left. Here are some of the pictures I took.

See you next Christmas and have a Happy New Year!