Day 20: Christmas Connections

 

Day 20    Christmas Connections

O sing to the Lord a new song;

    sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
    tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples.

Psalm 96:1-3

Carol spent most of Saturday organizing her gift list for her nieces and nephews, Jack, Carson, Finn, Lily, Quinn, and Phillip. Her youngest sister, Nina, and her husband, Nick, were expecting any day now, a girl to be named Nell. As the librarian sister, Carol had given each of her three siblings a bookcase for a wedding present and naturally gave books for birthdays and holidays. Carol enjoyed matching books to ages and interests. As an avid crocheter, she’d made each family member a book-themed scarf or hat.

Christmas was Carol’s favorite time at church. The cantata her choir was practicing for Christmas Sunday, combining familiar carols with some challenging arrangements of classical favorites, was lovely. Carol slipped into the sanctuary early Sunday morning before choir practice to spend a few minutes in prayer before others arrived. Lights twinkled on the tree at the front of the sanctuary and on the wreaths decorating the walls. Porcelain sheep, cattle, and a donkey rested in a large creche on the altar. Mary and Joseph, angels and shepherds would be added later, with the Wise Men showing up in January. The baby Jesus would be placed in the manger on Christmas Eve.

As Carol settled into a pew, her first prayer was one of thanks for her library staff, the Story Hour children and their parents, the tutors, learners, and library patrons she was getting to know. Next came requests for wisdom, kindness, and patience for herself, some specific requests for her new and old friends, and, of course, safety and health for her family. As choir members began drifting in, Carol thanked God for the magic of books and music. 

Picking up her choir folder, Carol joined the choir as they got ready to praise God in song.

Advent Challenge: Gather a few friends to go caroling. Visit your neighbors. If you can’t go out, call someone to share a favorite carol or two. Sing to the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, we raise our voices to sing your praise! We bless your holy name. Amen

Caroling, caroling now we go

Christmas bells are ringing

Caroling, caroling through the snow

Christmas bells are ringing

Joyous voices sweet and clear

Sing the sad of heart to cheer

Ding, dong, ding, dong

Christmas bells are ringing

(Written by Huston and Burt 1954)

Day 19: Christmas Connections

 

Day 19   Christmas Connections

“Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:34-36

Carol set a large jar on a table next to the puffy armchair she and Gina had set in the Children’s Alcove that morning. Children wiggled on carpet squares. Carol noted that several from the Reading Room crowd mingled with the parents sitting on folding chairs behind the children. 

“Has your family ever saved up for something special?” Carol asked.

To buy a new video game! To take a plane ride to Grandma’s. To go to the beach!

Carol held up the book, A Chair for My Mother* by Vera B. Williams. “In our story, a family saves for a big comfy chair. Why do you think they need a new chair?” Several children offered reasons, then Carol began. In the story, the little girl, her mother, and her grandmother save coins in a jar. Carol drops a few coins into the jar on the table. Ping, ping, ping. All eyes focus on the jar. 

Carol reads: When we can’t get a single other coin into the jar; we are going to take out all the money to go and buy a chair. That is because our old chairs burned up. There was a big fire in our other house. That wasn’t such a long time ago. 

Here, the story shifts back to tell the story of the fire. Hands fly into the air — everyone has a fire story to share. 

Carol raised a finger, “Let’s do a Think/Pair/Share. Take a minute to think about what you want to say. Then, we’ll pair with a friend to share. Everybody think!”

Eyes closed as thoughts percolated. Carol noticed some deep thinking going on in the back rows of adults. “Ok, find a friend nearby and share!” Kids and adults turned to share. After a few noisy minutes, Carol continued the story. After the fire, the whole neighborhood helps the family by sharing food, furniture, and furnishings. 

Grandma makes a speech, “You are all the kindest people,” she said, “and we thank you very, very much. It’s lucky that we’re young and can start all over.” 

Carol’s listeners applaud when the family fills the jar, buys a comfy flowered chair, and sits together in it their new home. While Gina lines up the children to take them downstairs to decorate cardboard cut-out chairs, parents and library regulars linger to chat. 

Advent Challenge: Save your change in a big jar. Donate it to a good cause.

Prayer: Fill my cup, Lord. I lift it up, Lord. Blessed Lord, you fill our cups to overflowing. Help us share our overflowing cups with those in need. Amen

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, 

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.    

Psalm 23:6

*Available on YouTube

Day 18: Christmas Connections

 

Day 18    Christmas Connections

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; 

everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:7

“Welcome to Story Sharing. I am happy to see so many new faces. We have a special guest to read with me tonight. Our book is written in Spanish and English so I asked Tonio to read with me.” Carol said. Tonio got a small round of applause.

Carol held up the book, The Christmas Gift/El regal de Navidad.* “After we’ve finished reading, we’ll share stories.” Carol and Tonio sat side by side on the raised platform in the alcove. 

Tonio read, A Panchito no les molestó demasiado. Su amigo, Miguelito, ya se habiá ido dos semanas antes. The melody of the Spanish floated over the crowd. 

Carol repeated in English: Panchito did not mind too much. Miguelito, his friend, left two weeks before. Besides, it had remained most of the time they had been in Corcoran, picking cotton, and Papá, Mamá, and Roberto, Panchito’s older brother, had gone days without work.

The listeners studied the vibrant illustrations showing Panchito’s family, migrant farm laborers, in a shack with a leaky roof. As the story unfolds, Panchito and his family search for cast-off food behind grocery stores and ask the butcher for bones that Mamá will cook for soup to stretch their meager earnings. A few weeks before Christmas, a young husband with a very pregnant wife offers to sell an embroidered handkerchief to Mamá, but Papå shakes his head.

Carol read: “I am sorry. I wish I could, paisano, but we’re broke too.” Saddened to turn them away, Mamá blesses them as they leave, “Que Dios los bendiga.” 

Panchito panics when he hears this. Would Papá and Mamá have enough to get him the pelota roja, the red ball, he wants for Christmas?  

As the story continues and Christmas approaches, the family continues to look for work. On Christmas morning, Papá gives Mamá the embroidered handkerchief the couple had offered to sell. When Panchito sees Mama’s joy and the love his parents share, he forgets about his red ball and hugs and thanks his parents. 

Tonio finished the reading as Panchito says: “Luego abrazo, a los dos — ‘Gracias.’”

Panchito’s story encourages many listeners to share their own experiences. 

Red ball or not, families and friends help one another.  

Advent Challenge: We have been blessed with so much. Give something away to someone in need.

Prayer: Bless us today, O Lord, with a true spirit of generosity. Help us to see the needs of others and fill them. Help us to share your love with all we meet. Amen

*Available on YouTube

Day 17: Christmas Connections

 

Day 17   Christmas Connections

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 

Isaiah 11:6

At Story Hour, Carol read The Night Tree* by Eve Bunting, an old favorite of hers. A family bundles up to “squish” into their old pick-up to drive into the forest to look for just the right tree in the moonlight. Carrying a big red lantern, a plaid blanket, and a cardboard box, Dad leads the way. Deer freeze in the lantern’s light and owls hoot from high in the trees. 

“Why do you think the family is looking for a tree?” Carol asked the children.

“To cut it down for a Christmas tree!” several suggested.

“Let’s find out.” Carol turned a page. The cardboard box is open on the ground. Popcorn chains and apples spill out of the box. 

“We made popcorn strings last year to hang on our tree,” said Karl.

“What are the apples for?” asked Liliana.

The story continues as the family decorates a tree with fruit and popcorn strings. Then, the family sits down on the plaid blanket to wait. They drink hot chocolate and sing carols. Sleepily, they gather their things and return to their truck, leaving the decorated tree shining in the moonlit forest glade. 

“Why did they leave the tree?” Tonya wondered. 

Carol reads: Later, in bed, I think about our tree. I think about the birds having Christmas dinner and the squirrels and the possums and the raccoons and the skunks.

In the final illustration, forest animals feast on the tree’s decorations.

“They made the tree for the animals!” Tonya said. “The animals will have a nice Christmas.”

“Turn back a page!” yelled Karl. “Look at the boy’s quilt! It has a tree and stars and animals!”

“I see a raccoon and a bear and fruit!” Liliana said.

After coating pinecones with peanut butter and then rolling them in birdseed, the children trooped out to hang them on the branches of the tree in the library’s courtyard. While the children wondered which animal friends would enjoy their treats, Gina snapped photos to capture their bright and beautiful faces to add to the decorations on the tree inside. 

Advent Challenge: The animals around us are part of our community. Leave a treat for our animal friends.

Prayer: All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all. Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful world you created for us all. Amen

*Available on YouTube

Day 16: Christmas Connections

 

Day 16 Christmas Connections

There is no longer Jew or Greek,

there is no longer slave or free,

there is no longer male and female;

for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

At 4:30, Carol called the group gathered in the Community Room to attention. “Welcome to our first game night. Tonight, our game is Common Bond.** We’ll count off into groups of three. Your group has five minutes to come up with as many things as you can that you have in common. Write each on a strip of paper. For example, you’ve all visited Disney World, or can ride a two-wheeler, or love chocolate chip cookies.” Eyes shifted to the table where refreshments waited. Carol passed out red and green strips of paper and markers. 

“When the bell rings, you begin. When it rings again, create a new group of three and add more things to your list. After three groups, we’ll meet to compare notes.”

After everyone was ready, Carol rang the bell. She was pleased to see many library regulars, some tutors and students, and a few families, everyone wearing the colorful name tags Omar had created. Lizabeta had come with her mother. She had explained that Tía Mariela was a little tired tonight. When the game began, laughter erupted almost immediately. After three shifts, Carol called the group to order.

“Does anyone want to share before we have our refreshments?” Carol asked.

“Nina, Carolina, and I come from the same town in Puerto Rico,” said Gina.

“Sam, Susan, and I both like to fly fish,” offered Karl.

“Arabella, Nancy, and I graduated the same year,” Mike shared.

“Lizabeta, Parker, and I love to read books with our Dads!” giggled Dana.

As they moved toward the refreshment table, which included chocolate chip cookies, Carol collected the red and green paper strips. New friends continued to share common bonds, learn names, and promise to return next week. Many said they couldn’t wait.

Advent Challenge: Play the Common Bond game with a group. Find something you have in common with each person in the group until the whole group is connected. Here are a few prompts to start: Enjoy singing carols. Love winter weather. Put candles in our windows. Love Jesus.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, you call us to be together. Why do we focus on our differences instead of what we share? Yet we share so much with you. Remind us daily that your love and peace are meant to be shared. For we are all one in you. Amen

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”       John 17:20-23

              **Available on Google

Day 15: The Christmas Rose

 Day 15   Christmas Connections

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 

yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

Luke 12:27

When the children arrived for Story Hour, they found two rows of chairs set up facing one another with a red carpet running between them. Gina handed each a paper ticket. Carol punched their tickets and each took a seat. Parents sat at tables watching. 

“Welcome to our city bus,” Carol announced. “Today, we will be taking a trip with some friends in our book, Last Stop on Market Street* written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson. CJ and Nana take the bus to a favorite place. Have any of you ridden on a bus?”

Hands shot into the air. 

“Mamá and I went to the train station. We took a train too!” called Joceyln

  “Abuela came to our house on a bus. She brought us all presents.” offered Mario

“I like to sit in the back. Next year, I’ll take a bus to school,” said Parker

Carol read: CJ and Nana ride the bus every Sunday after church.

On a rainy day, CJ and his grandmother board the city bus where they encounter a man tuning a guitar, an old woman wearing curlers carrying a jar full of butterflies, and a man covered in tattoos. A blind man boards with his helper dog. CJ asks Nana why he can’t see. Nana tells him that some people see with their ears. “‘And noses,’” the man adds. Soon, the man with the guitar begins to sing. Everyone on the bus enjoys his music. Closing his eyes, CJ imagines a beautiful world. They arrive at the last stop where CJ and Nana step off into a rundown neighborhood. CJ asks Nana why the city is so dirty. Nana encourages him to look for beauty no matter where he is.

As Carol read, the children pointed out details in the colorful illustrations. When she closed the book, Carol asked, “Did you find any beautiful things in the pictures?” 

The orange umbrella! The butterflies! The man’s dog! The rainbow!

“Last stop!” Carol called as she ushered the children out of the bus and over to the tables where their parents waited with watercolors and paintbrushes. 

Gina passed around some cut-outs of buses, rainbows, butterflies, guitars, dogs, and more. When the hour ended, Gina had decorations for the tree, and the children, a bit more colorful with painted fingers, waved goodbye. 

Advent Challenge: God gave us a beautiful world. Find beauty everywhere today. Share what you find with a friend. 

Prayer: For the beauty of the earth, for the glories of the sky, for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies. Lord of all, to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise. Amen

*

*Available on YouTube

Day 14: Christmas Connections

 

Day 14     Christmas Connections

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. 

Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

The library glowed with lights. The connections calendar commanded attention. Books spilled from a huge wreath set on a table by the front doors. Marty had spread the word about Carol’s idea so by Thursday evening, the Children’s Alcove was filled with tutors and students. Carol held up the book she had read at Story Hour yesterday. On the cover, a young girl peeked out from behind a classroom door. 

“Welcome to Story Sharing,” Carol began. “During the month of December, we will gather every Thursday evening to share our stories. I’ll read a book to start us off. Then, you can share with one another. This is one of my favorites, The Day You Begin* by Jacqueline Woodson. The pictures by Rafael López add to the story.”

Chairs inched forward as Carol began reading. On the first page, a young girl enters a classroom with a look of apprehension on her face. Many faces in the room mirrored her look. 

Carol read: There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you. 

As the story unfurled, listeners nodded their heads. A student enters a new school. At first, she notices how different she is from her classmates. Her language, her experiences, and the food in her lunch box, all set her apart. As the story continues, she notices other left-out students. Little by little, she realizes that even though she is different, she shares much with the other students. When the girl begins to share, Carol reads: the world opens itself a little wider to make some space for you.

Carol closed the book. Thoughtful faces looked at her. She began, “Sharing books and stories is a great way to connect. Our theme for December,” she said pointing to the calendar on the wall, “will help us connect. We may have different experiences, speak different languages, and eat different kinds of food, but when we get together, we find that we have much to share. Let’s make the world wider by sharing our thoughts about the story I read tonight” 

After a few moments of shy silence, tutors and students began sharing their feelings about the book. Soon, they were sharing their own stories as the connections grew and laughter filled the air. 

Several promised to return next Thursday. The world of the library was widening.

Advent Challenge: Imagine coming to a new country, and having to learn new customs or a new language. Moving from one community to another can be daunting. What can you do to make the “world wider” for someone new? Identify a newcomer to your community and make a plan for your next encounter. Smile. Introduce yourself. Learn neighbors’ names and pronounce them correctly. Offer to help them locate resources. Listen when they share their stories. Be strong and courageous.

Prayer: Holy Jesus, help me welcome newcomers as you welcomed everyone who came to you. Help me open my world wider to make space for others so that they will know that they are not alone, just as I am never alone for you are with me always. Amen

*Available on YouTube