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the quietness one finds time for a bit o f fellowship with the Lord, and for remembering. How near the Lord seems just then! It is as if there were two of them, there by the tree. It is His birthday . . . and she loves Him . . . and He knows. They talk together. “ Lord, may these children whom Thou hast given come to know Thee and love Thee with all their hearts— know Thee in that way wherein Thou art real to them: real in everyday liv ing, Lord. May Christmas Day be joy ous to them in their childlike pleasure in the gifts and all. And as they grow older, may Christmas be increas ingly precious to them because Thou art increasingly real. Thank Thee for the gifts we’ve been able to get for them. May they see each one as a part of Thy birthday . . And Lord, Thou knowest what all this .means to me as a Mother; Thou knoWest—and I love Thee.” Morning comes, ' and' wA~ dreSs in our Christmas clothes and have break fast. It is a special breakfast, with no oatmeal mush. Then we gather round the tree. We sing,' eJesus doves
me, this I know,” for the children are too young for carols. Four-year-old Joe will have it, “Jesus loves me, I don’t know,” and Becky w ill echo, “ me I know.” Daddy reads the Christmas story from the Bible’, and we “have a pray,” thanking the dear Lord Jesus for His love for us, and telling Him that we love Him on His day so specially. And then the gifts—my, the delight, the eager little hands that struggle with wrappings and ribbons, the oh’s and ah’s! “Oh, look, Jon! . . . Joe, what did you get? . . . Here, Becky, let me undo it for you . . . O Mommie, look what I got! . . . And see those things for the twins, Daddy.” *•'’ We are almost up to the knees, in tissue paper, and some of it is in the buggy for baby Annette to play with. Each gift is admired before the next one is given out .by Daddy. The first thing you know, it’s time for Mommie to start the chicken for dinner. And chicken raised in one’s own backyard tastes just as good as >, turkey when there are seven babies and Christmas. It would seem that some folks have turkeys and some • have babies, but few have both at Christmastime! But if there are seven children, then there is a sevenfold joy at Christmas, and a sevenfold responsibility. Right now they are all small, and their de light is centered primarily in the toys and the fun. It is; our pleasure to make this day for them as happy as we can. What of the responsibility? Where in does it lie? Perhaps in this: These children soon will be grown and their adult p o i n t o f_ view w ill depend largely on the experiences of these early years. To help them to feel that Christmas is “His birthday . . . and I love Him” is worth any amount of effort. And what\>f Santa Claus? We have been so busy with the birthday theme ,that we have not thought much about him. He does not seem to be needed, and the children do not ask about him. We have nothing against Santa Claus, and the hanging up of stock ings, but we seem to find such plea sure in our Christmas Day as it is that we have not missed him. We concentrate on giving to the Lord Jesus the maximum of plea sure on His day. And what makes a happy birthday for Him? Is it all the gifts, all the decorations, all t h e church programs and the entertain ments? No, not these. The one thing He wahts is our love. So, at our house, each of us with his or her own degree of understanding, looks up into His face to say: “I love Thefe, Lord Jesus, and this day *iy heart is warm with Thy love to me, Thou who didst give the greatest Christmas gift—Thyself.”
Virginia and Timmie— the twins
lights again and draws up the black rocker. With a cup of tea in hand (one is a bit weary by midnight) there in
HAVE YOU RECEIVED? GOD'S GIFT OF LIFE: "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28). "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and J e s u s Ch r i s t , whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3).
GOD'S GIFT OF PEACE: "Peace I leave with you, my'.peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).-
GOD'S GIFT OF REST: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find test unto your souls" (Matt. 11:28, 29).
If Not
WHAT WILL YOU GIVE in exchange for your soul? "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mk. 8:36).
SALVATION IS A GIFT: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9). "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
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