Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Read Online Free PDF

Stephen to assemble the wooden set on a low table in the living room.
    I helped him remove the newspaper wrappings on the figurines of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the
manger, an angel, two shepherds, two sheep, three wise men, and three camels. Then I left him to arrange them as he wanted.
    In the dining room, I opened the glass door of the hutch and carefully placed the beautiful porcelain Mary, Joseph, and the baby in the center of the top shelf. I symmetrically spread shepherds and sheep on one side, and wise men and camels on the other. Then I surrounded the scene with green garlands tied with red velvet bows.
    When I turned on the light in the hutch, it illuminated the glorious scene. Satisfied, I closed the door and set about unpacking snowmen and other novelties of the season.
    When I happened to glance in the living room to see how Stephen was doing, his arrangement stopped me in my tracks.
    Stephen had placed baby Jesus and the manger in the center as I had, but he had crowded the rest of the figures— even the camels—around the manger in a tight circle. The only figures he needed to place were the two small sheep. I wondered what he would do since there didn’t seem to be any more room. Apparently, Stephen was also wondering as he stood there clapping the wooden sheep together. Then I think he must have remembered how he felt as a little boy trying to see a parade with so many adults in his way because he squeezed one sheep between a shepherd’s legs and the other between a camel and Mary. Stephen stood back and admired his work. Now everyone could see what he came there to see!
    Focus, I thought. It’s all in the focus.
    Pauline Youd

“. . . And he was born in a stable, ’cuz there was no room for him in the church.”
    Reprinted by permission of Jonny Hawkins. © 2007 Jonny Hawkins

Dad’s Christmas Gift
    T his is Christmas: not the tinsel,
not the giving and receiving, not even
the carols, but the humble heart that receives
a new wondrous gift, the Christ.
    Frank McGibben
    It is that time of year again, and I find myself caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season just like the rest of the busy, last-minute shoppers. Christmas carols are softly playing over the loudspeakers in all the stores, but they can scarcely be heard over the other noises.
    â€œHave a good Christmas!” “No, honey, you can’t have that, and besides Santa will soon be here!” And who could forget the all-too-familiar lament, “I’m so tired of this. I can’t find anything. Everything is picked over.”
    I’m not at the mall, though, to buy last-minute gifts. I’m here to make a “deposit.” I sit for a moment and watch as the busy shoppers, families, frantic husbands, young lovers, and the occasional teenager all rush about, loaded down with bags. Some of them display bright, smiling faces, while others are wiping the sweat from their brows, cursing the fact that they decided to wear their winter coat, even though there is no snow on the ground.
    I gaze around and wonder if this creation was meant to be. Certainly, this was not part of the master plan two thousand years ago when God sent the newborn baby Jesus to redeem and save us.
    How is it that we allowed ourselves to get so caught up in the commercial aspect of this joyous holiday season?
    Oh, sure, the mall does its part by putting out the very beautiful nativity scene with the brightly colored garments, the realistic animals, the cute baby Jesus—and who could forget those interesting wise men!
    I turn my head toward this year’s nativity display and watch the little children pointing at the donkey, oohing and ahhing over the manger. It is obvious they appreciate the true meaning of Christmas at this exact moment. Many of them will take part in Christmas pageants in their own churches, while other families, unfortunately, cannot provide a Christmas with gifts and a large feast