Opening the Gifts of Christmas: Practicing the Angelic Gifts of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Love

الغلاف الأمامي
Andrews McMeel Publishing, 01‏/01‏/2009 - 240 من الصفحات

A lovely folktale holds that when Christianity first came to northern Europe, four spirits representing the virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Love were sent from heaven to place lights on the original Christmas tree. Opening the Gifts of Christmas invites readers to honor those spirits year round with a collection of heartwarming holiday stories and suggestions for living the four virtues every day.

Every year it seems the Christmas season grows longer--decorations appear in stores even before Halloween--and yet our collective Christmas spirit wanes. The holiday frenzy erodes our Christmas cheer, and on December 26 any warm yuletide sentiments we have left are packed away with the ornaments and wrapping paper for another ten months. What if, instead of losing the Christmas spirit so quickly, we could extend the faith, hope, charity, and love we feel at Christmastime throughout the year?

Opening the Gifts of Christmas can help us do just that. In four sections, best-selling authors Jennifer Basye Sander and Jamie Miller define each virtue and explain not only its connection to Christmas but also its importance in our everyday lives. Inspiring true stories illuminate each of the virtues, followed by suggestions for practicing them everyday.

Opening the Gifts of Christmas will help readers internalize the spirit of Christmas so that it is just they may have greater joy and personal peace year round.

من داخل الكتاب

الصفحات المحددة

المحتوى

Blind Faith
35
He Came Home on Christmas Morning
47
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مقاطع مشهورة

الصفحة 157 - And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
الصفحة 98 - and better. Somehow he gets thoughtful sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day who made lame beggars walk and blind men see.
الصفحة 168 - There are two ways of spreading light; to be The candle or the mirror that reflects it.
الصفحة 3 - Nobody sees SANTA CLAUS, but that is no sign that there is no SANTA CLAUS. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.
الصفحة 3 - It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.
الصفحة 3 - Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a SANTA CLAUS. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas ! how dreary would be the world if there were no SANTA CLAUS ! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.
الصفحة 164 - After a while they played at forfeits; for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.
الصفحة 166 - And then we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience, and eyes began to widen. In an instant, we all understood the song's new title — and its real message.
الصفحة 14 - Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart — -filled it, too — with a melody that would last forever.
الصفحة 125 - We must not only give what we have, we must also give what we are.

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