Sharing the Joy at Christmas time

Terri is one of those women other mothers either envy or resent. With two boys, both under six, she's always sunny and upbeat, even as she goes about the many daunting tasks required of a working mother as the holiday season approaches. While her friends look at the calendar and see two months of shopping, cooking, house-cleaning and party-planning-and they wonder how they'll get through it all with any resemblence of sanity-nothing seems to slow Terri down or dampen her enthusiasm for this time of year. She feels so blessed to have a wonderful family and a satisfying career, and she anticipates the joy of the season rather than the work and the drudgery of the preparation. No matter where she goes or what she does, Terri tries to share the joy she feels, but she finds that many of her friends only see the holidays as a hurdle to be conquered.

Last autumn, as she and her family sat in church, one November Sunday, Terri suddenly realized that there were others who might appreciate her particular brand of holiday emotion. Her church employed the services of a young intern-a graduate sutdent who, along with his young wife, had beed assigned to their congregation for a year, and who had no time to visit his family across the country for Thanksgiving. So, Terri invited the young intern and his wife to share Turkey Day with her family, and they all had a wonderful time. She invited them back, for Christmas dinner, giving the young couple a chance to experience a resemblance of family joy, at a time when they couldn't be with their own families.

If you're a "Terri", and you can't wait for the holidays to get here each year, you may have experienced the same frustration of trying to find friends who want to celebrate the blessings of family and fellowship, rather than being overwhelmed by the duties of the season.

Look around, though, and you may-like Terri-discover that you know plenty of people who are forced by circumstance to forego their normal traditions and spend their holidays away from home. Chances are, they'd jump at the chance to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with a family who revels in the joy that abounds, this time of year.

If you live near a university, there are plenty of visiting students who can't afford the time or the money to travel home for the holidays, particularly if they work in your town to supplement their tuition.

Is there a touring theatre company visiting your city over Christmas or Thanksgiving? These companies are made up of mostly young people, some of whom are married, all of whom are away from their families and staying in hotels, eating restaurant food. Most of them would love the chance to spend a holiday in a family setting, surrounded by love.

The intern couple weren't the only ones to benefit from Terri's hospitality, last year. Sharing their joy brought her family closer together. Even her boys felt good about spreading their own happiness to others. Terri and her family plan to invite "stranded" guests into their home again, this year, and probably every year from now on.

If you're not a "Terri"-if you feel overwhelmed by the months ahead-consider how rewarding your holidays might feel, if you share them with someone far from home.