One of my favorite things about Christmas is watching the annual broadcast of Charles Schulz’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Yes, that’s right. It doesn’t matter that I’m an adult. I watch this holiday classic every year and with good reason – it’s one of the few shows that effectively blends the sacred and the secular aspects of Christmas. Although there are so many parts about the program that I love, my favorite part is when all of the kids are telling Charlie Brown how silly it was that he chose such a skimpy tree. It wasn’t full. It wasn’t lush. In fact, it was so weak it couldn’t even hold a single ornament without bending in half, yet Charlie Brown saw something more in it that the other children could not – life. He knew with the right nourishment and care it could be something great and by the end of the program it was!
Reflecting on this scene, I couldn’t help but notice a parallel between our Lord’s love and Charlie’s little tree. You see, our Lord entered the world in the most innocent and gentlest way as a fragile baby, yet His love for us is strong and sturdy like a mighty oak. Regardless of how many times we feel like we’re being pulled over by the heavy “ornaments” of life, we, like Charlie Brown’s tree, can find nourishment in the Eucharist and care in the hearts of other people – both helping us to bounce back just like Charlie’s Christmas tree.
Do you have any “needy trees” in our life? Do you know somebody who could use nourishment and care? If you do, follow the pull the Lord is placing in your heart to help your “little tree” to become something great!
Until next time,
Jackie
P.S. We sure hope you enjoy these photos from our Christmas festivities here at Holy Family Residence. Our Residents enjoyed numerous parties, baking cookies, singing carols, and receiving gifts from family and friends. While all of these activities are certainly something they greatly enjoy and made possible because of your support, the Mass on Christmas Eve is always the pinnacle of our celebration – a night filled with the hope and peace of the season. Enjoy!
