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Our neighbor is a single mom working two jobs to make ends meet and pay her rent which is definitely too high for what she has! She never asks anyone for anything and is so giving to us in many simple ways. For example, this year she brought us a small plate of home baked cookies with a kind Christmas card. We watched her struggle when her car kept giving out on her, yet she just keeps plugging away trying to provide a nice lifestyle for her boys. While our relationship with her is mostly just simple "hi's" in a few of our conversations I've detected her struggles. She is my dentist’s receptionist and he told me that she is the hardest working employee.

We decided this year that we were going to provide someone in need an entire Christmas. As a family, we discussed several options. Our main criteria was we didn't want to give to charities but rather we wanted to surprise someone personally and anonymously who otherwise wouldn't ask for help, yet who were on a tight budget. We all decided on our neighbor and while we aren't wealthy, it felt so good to give during this time of the year. We provided her entire Christmas anonymously. We purchased a gift card from Albertsons which provided her an entire "Christmas Dinner" that was pre-packaged by the store including turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, pumpkin pie, dinner rolls and a fruit salad. We had so much fun playing Santa to her two young boys and purchasing things we knew they'd love! Our family wanted a Nintendo Wii this year, so we decided to purchase the Wii and give it to her and her boys instead. We wrapped the gifts in beautiful, fun wrapping paper and put their names on it (so she would be as surprised as they were), and last but not least we really spoiled her personally by wrapping spa lotions, sprays, perfumes along with several $25.00 gift certificates (gas, grocery, & block buster video). We typed in a handwriting font on the Gift tags "From Santa" so she would never recognize our handwriting. Also, my husband often shovels her walk when she's not home.

The hard part was getting it to her house without her knowing and it was HARD! The weather was so cold, icy and horrible in Montana over Christmas that we had a hard time finding her "GONE" from her home. One week before Christmas, I watched her leave and we took everything over (she has an enclosed front porch) and placed everything inside. I sprinkled sparkly Christmas confetti around the gifts to add a "Magical Effect" and we snuck out. Nobody saw us.

Since Christmas, I often see her scrapping the ice off her car windshield and I just want to run over there and say "how was your Christmas" but I'm afraid my smile will give it all away. I do notice that she seems to have a little more pep in her walk and a bigger smile. I'm sure when the weather is nicer I’ll have a chance to talk to her, I just want to make sure I never give my secret away because that has made this whole Christmas wonderful for me! I've decided that to give to someone in need is very fulfilling. I wish I would have started this newfound tradition sooner!

Christmas 2008 was the second year that my wife and I baked Christmas cookies for the San Diego homeless. The week before Christmas we baked, frosted and packaged over 200 Christmas cookies. We also purchased several cases of water. Last year we walked through downtown San Diego pulling a handcart loaded with water and cookies wearing our San Diego Chargers blue and gold Santa hats. This year on Christmas morning it was raining, so we packed the cookies and water into our car. We donned our Chargers Santa caps and rain jackets and headed out early in the morning. Due to the rain, we discovered that many of the homeless were not in their usual locations along Harbor drive and Broadway. One homeless man told us that St Vincent de Paul in the Ballpark district was providing backpacks and socks, so we drove over to the Ballpark district. We were driving through the Ballpark area in search of St Vincent when we turned West onto Imperial Ave. In front of us was a beautiful rainbow. On the left side of the street were two tents with homeless men sitting on the sidewalk. We pulled over and handed them Christmas cookies and water. They thanked us and wished us a Merry Christmas. I asked them if they knew where St Vincent is located. The older man smiled, flashing his almost toothless grin, and said ‚ “make a right and follow it to the end of the rainbow.” My wife and I looked up and it appeared that the rainbow ended a few blocks to the North. After a drive of a couple of blocks we came upon the Mecca of homeless. We stopped at a corner to hand out cookies and water to a young couple as other homeless ran towards our vehicle. We handed the young man a bottle of water and package of cookies. As we were handing his female companion water and cookies, the young man said, “No, we will share mine. There are a lot of people here and you do not have enough for everyone.” Even among the disadvantaged, the Christmas spirit was evident. The young man was correct, within a few minutes we had exhausted our supply of Christmas cookies and water. Next year we know we will have to bake more Christmas cookies.

My in-laws have the most wonderful "game" they play at Christmas with their best friends. Imagine a car with four 60-somethings driving around town, armed with $100 bills, all in separate envelopes. The goal of the game is to drive around town and to randomly choose recipients of their $100 bills. All of the recipients have to be people they don't know and, as far as I'm aware, that is the only "rule." I'm aware of one such incident that occurred in the drive-thru. All of the car's occupants ordered individually, wanted separate checks, wanted senior citizen discounts, and it goes without saying, they all wanted different drinks. My suspicion, though unconfirmed, is that they were testing the drive-thru attendant. It would seem he passed with flying colors, as he was chosen to be the next recipient. As they approached his window - the payment window - much fuss was made about paying for each of the orders separately, change being made separately, etc., and the attendant, I am told, maintained not only his cool, but his Holiday cheer throughout. At the end of the lengthy process, by which time an incredibly long line of cars had piled up in the drive-thru, the attendant was still smiling, asking if there was more he could do. It was more than all of the game players could take. They each had to give him an envelope. As quickly as they could, they collected them all and handed them to him, and sped to the next window, hoping to escape the line before their secret had been discovered. Their biggest goal is to try to leave before they can be "personally" thanked. They enjoy watching reactions, if parking lots and other vantage points will allow, but they want their gifts to be anonymous, and do not wish any thanks. They explained the situation to the food attendant, and how they needed to get out of there in a hurry. She thought it was great. Soon the whoops and hollers started from further back in the restaurant. The sounds were simultaneously joyful and hysterical, and the laughter in the car started again. The food attendant got them their drinks, and got them out of there. Before the car sped away they heard the worker ask "Who were they?" "Angels," she replied.

Tradition didn’t become so important until I had children of my own. My favorite Christmas tradition began the first year we moved to a farm in the country with our young two sons. That was when I discovered the magic of the barn. The first thing we did when we moved to our farm was to get animals, so we spent a lot of time in the barn. On rainy days, the scent fills the air and the drumming on the tin roof is hypnotic. When it’s cold, the cattle come inside, radiating warmth as they munch hay. Horses nicker and nudge, offering velvet noses. Cats curl around booted ankles while the dogs sniff around for a mouse or the memory of a rabbit long gone. It was in the barn that I realized Mary’s hardship when she had her sweet baby Jesus. It's humbling to think of the sterile hospital where I had my sons, and then compare that to the stable where Mary gave birth. She surely loved her son and feared for his safety no less than I feared for mine. She must have longed for his comfort and well-being. So, in honor of the Virgin Mary, we began a family tradition that first winter by spending Christmas Eve in the barn. Literally. With flashlights and the Bible we head to the barn on Christmas Eve night. We settle down in the hay and take turns reading aloud the story of the birth of Jesus. The horses and cattle gather in the stalls because they see our light, and the cats and dogs lie down around us on the hay. It's dirty and cold and smelly. It's not especially comfortable in the prickly, dusty hay if you compare it to the comfort of the warm house. But if it was good enough for the Prince of Peace to make His debut, then it’s good enough for us. The first year that we bundled up and went to the barn for a Christmas Eve service, my sons thought I was crazy. But I’m hopeful that it'll be a tradition they'll eventually appreciate and remember. They may never have a barn of their own in which to pay homage to Mary and her baby boy, and remember the supreme sacrifice of our heavenly Father, but maybe the lesson will remain. May that memory remain with us all.

I experienced my most memorable Christmas as a young child. My mother was employed by a company that was on strike during the holidays. Given the economic situation we as a nation face today, my story seems even more poignant. The memory is still etched in my mind. I came downstairs Christmas morning to find, as was the norm, velvet dresses for me and my sister. Beneath the dresses were a few, very few wrapped Christmas gifts. My mother looked at me with great sadness and expressed to me her disappointment in not being able to give us what she would have liked. There were no credit cards in our household. The pained look on her face made me feel such empathy and compassion for her. She had sacrificed to get all that was there. It came from her heart and soul. I told her not to worry or feel badly, but I knew it bothered her deeply. I find it amazing that of all the Christmases that have come and gone in my life, this stands out as the one I remember and cherish the most. It was a special gift in many ways. It taught me to feel gratitude, love, compassion and concern. These have been the best gifts of all. I learned it isn't the gift, but the giver, and I am so grateful to my Mom for these simple gifts that I carry with me today.

December 24, each year, is our most important celebration of Christmas. A large pot of homemade chili and often potato or vegetable soup is always the meal of choice, accompanied by favorite condiments, such as sour cream and shredded cheese. Friends and family gather in our home to hear a reading of the Christmas story from the Bible and enjoy each other‚ presence. The reason this evening is so important is that we don’t just include our immediate family and close friends but because we always invite an acquaintance or two or an associate just recently met, people who might not have another place to go to celebrate the holiday. This tradition has been part of our family for over 30 years. Depending on where we live and where we work, guests have included co-workers, college students, international immigrants, or other colleagues. Our children grew up cherishing this evening even more than the traditional Christmas Day dinner and accompanying activities. Each year, they were eager to discover who they could invite and who would increase our circle of friendship. For some of our guests, the reading of scripture announcing the birth of Christ might have been the first time they heard the true meaning of Christmas. For others, the gathering of everyone to share a meal might have been one of the few times they shared an American meal with an American family. Others were grateful to be included in a family celebration when they could not go home for the holidays. We find that we are able to touch the world with our tradition and the world has touched us. Christmas is about sharing, first, God sharing his love with us in the gift of His Son, then our love for God by sharing His love in a way that touches lives and makes a difference in those lives.