Anyone who knows me at all, knows that I'm crazy about Christmas. That is, I love the entire season, and the true meaning of it all. Christmas Eve is the most special day of the entire year to me...it is mystical, magical, delightful in every way. My heart is full of nothing but love on Christmas Eve as I think of all it means to be celebrating.I start my Christmas decorating the day after Thanksgiving. I pick a "theme" every year and decorate one of several trees for fun. I get fully into the spirit of it all and I'm on a high for about six weeks non-stop. Everything I can possibly squeeze in, I do, from making home-made cards, baking cookies, shopping,wrapping, going to concerts, hosting and attending parties, keeping Advent, reading my collection of Christmas books, driving around to see all the lights, and of course, contemplating the miracle of the Christ child which is what the season is really about.
Just recently I heard of a tradition that began in 2005 when Jason F. Wright authored a novel called Christmas Jars. You can read all about it here:
Currently Christmas jars have made their way around at least 37 States and 6 countries outside the U.S.
I'm getting a late start, but from now till Christmas Eve I am saving all my loose coins (minus pennies) in a mason jar which I will decorate. Between now and Christmas Eve, I will be prayerfully on the lookout for a person or family I want to anonymously bless with my filled jar, and I will find a way to leave it for them as a total surprise. I cannot WAIT to do this!
A friend has offered some additional suggestions to add to the value of the jar:
* hide a gift card in the middle of the coins
* hide a roll of quarters or rolled up bills
* put the jar in a gift bag, and include a copy of Jason Wright's book. (New and used ones can be purchased through Amazon. (Go to the website above and click on Amazon.com)
* enlist your children or grandchildren to join the fun, and teach them the spirit of giving in a very tangible way. Have them help you decorate the jar; have them help you search for "lost coins" around the house, such as under chair cushions or in the car.
Here I thought I had to wait till the day after Thanksgiving to start preparing for Christmas Eve. But the jar on my kitchen counter reminds me daily that the big day is coming. Next year I will use a larger jar, and work on filling it all year long.
I hope you will be inspired to start filling a jar too. Let me know if you come up with additional ideas to make this tradition even more meaningful.
