Sharing the Love

We have an advent calendar of holiday activities and each day the girls put a tiny ornament on the Christmas tree wall hanging and read a little slip of paper which gives us the day's activity. Some days it says "read a Christmas story book", sometimes it's "sing a Christmas song together". Once it says "visit the gingerbread house exhibit" and we go to the Vermont Folklife Museum. Once it says "Branch Activity" and we all go up to the church for great food, music and company.

Today it said "treat plates". Since it was about 12ºF outside, I left the napping boys at home with Dad and took the geared-up girls around the neighborhood. I carried the plates in a box and we went to most of our immediate neighbors' doors. As I've mentioned before I'm sure, Halloween is tolerable mainly because we get to go to all the houses around and say hello. But Halloween is just about as different from Christmas as any holiday can be aside from this one thing: I get to go around again. It's one of my very favorite parts of Christmas.

Making the treats is fun for me. I like a culinary challenge, so I rarely repeat my holiday offerings two years in a row (except for fudge). Taking the plates around to ten or so neighbors is more fun. There are a few neighbors who invite us inside the door to chat. This time with them is special because it's an education in local culture for the girls and bonding time for neighbors with whom we rarely have full conversations. I notice the little things, like religious sayings near the doorway, holiday decorations and the brightness of people's eyes. Some neighbors stand at the door and smile, accepting the goodies quietly and gracefully. Some aren't home, but will find the offerings as they return later.

Those who receive gifts which are freely given gain not just the gift, but joy as well. This is a concept we discussed last week in the LDS Religious Institute class I teach. We referenced the scripture found in the Doctrine and Covenants section 88:33 which reads: "For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift." This is in reference to the gift of the Atonement and exaltation, but I found that it worked in a small way today as well. Anyone who happily receives a plate of cookies is better off in two ways.

But the receivers of gifts are not the only ones who come away with more. The givers also receive. We spent much of the mid-day high on the giddy feeling which comes from making other people happy without any expectation of reciprocation. In his recent talk on happiness President Uchtdorf mentioned the words of James Barrie, the author of Peter Pan: “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” It's true. Despite the cold and falling snow, our day today was sunny and bright with the essential gift of Christmas: love.