We cannot all be famous or be listed in ‘Who’s Who,’ But every person great or small has important work to do, For seldom do we realize the importance of small deeds Or to what degree of greatness unnoticed kindness leads —
For it’s not the big celebrity in a world of fame and praise, But it’s doing unpretentiously in undistinguished ways The work that God assigned to us, unimportant as it seems, That makes our task outstanding and brings reality to dreams —
So do not sit and idly wish for wider, new dimensions Where you can put in practice your many ‘Good Intentions’ —
But at the spot God placed you begin at once to do Little things to brighten up the lives surrounding you…. For if everybody brightened up the spot on which they’re standing By being more considerate and a little less demanding, This dark old world would very soon eclipse the ‘Evening Star’ If everybody Brightened Up the Corner Where They Are!
As the snow falls gently against my window, I give thanks, O divine Spirit, for the cycle of the seasons and the ever-changing beauty of the universe….
A mantle of purity is spread over this drab earth, and the evergreens bow humbly in their vestments of white. The noises of men cease; a new stillness envelopes the world, and Thy voice speaks to me through the elements….
As I look upon this beauty, I think of Thee as the source from which it all comes. Give me faith to believe that the order which sustains the ever-varying pageantry of nature will also uphold me….
“The carol ‘The Holly and the Ivy,’ the words of which started to appear in the early 1800s, solidifies the Christian connotations of these plants, with the holly representing Christ’s crown of thorns and the ivy representing the Virgin Mary. But in medieval Europe, holly and ivy, along with other evergreens (often rosemary), were seen as especially sacred, or at least they were signs of good luck long before the famous carol came along.
“As vegetation that was boldly flourishing in the cold, dark time of the year, when so much else was stark and dormant, this kind of foliage, when brought into the home, offered hope to the winter weary in the Northern Hemisphere. It reminded people that if nature could push through the harsh times and thrive again, so could they. In another echo back to Roman times, when wreaths were used as signs of victory and status, the plants would often be fashioned into circles by medieval families, decorated, and hung on doors or laid on tables.”
“[The] mists began to rise in the most beautiful manner, and the sun to shine; and as I went on through the bracing air, seeing the hoar-frost sparkle everywhere, I felt as if all Nature shared in the joy of the great Birthday….”
Christmas is a butterfly unfolding From winter’s chrysalis. Out of the black And white December harshness flash colors, Soft fragilities of wings. Icy streets Shine red and green and gold. Scarlet and pink Poinsettias glow by hearths. Angels abound. Christmas is a butterfly unfolding From the cold human heart. Out of the bleak Preoccupation with our private woes And wants, out of the tedium of routines, There springs the wish to give and to forgive. Love once again believes and hopes all things. That Christmas comes each year is proof enough: Miracles of birth and rebirth still occur.
From “The Christmas Life” by Wendy Cope in Christmas Poems, chosen by Gaby Morgan:
Bring in a tree, a young Norwegian spruce, Bring hyacinths that rooted in the cold. Bring winter jasmine as its buds unfold — Bring the Christmas life into this house.
Bring red and green and gold, bring things that shine, Bring candlesticks and music, food and wine. Bring in your memories of Christmas past. Bring in your tears for all that you have lost.
Bring in the shepherd boy, the ox and ass, Bring in the stillness of an icy night, Bring in a birth, of hope and love and light. Bring the Christmas life into this house.
