“It is a good thing to observe Christmas Day. The mere marking of times and seasons, when men agree to stop work and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom. But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas Day, and that is, keeping Christmas.
Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desire of little children; to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts; to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.”
~Henry Van Dyke
Cosmic Gardener - Cultivating a Life 
Clara Alexander
Jan 07, 2011 @ 06:08:19
Lovely! Henry Van Dyke is one of my favorite authors. I read his “the Fourth Wiseman” every Christmas.
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amy
Dec 30, 2010 @ 12:38:52
Fantastic – thanks for sharing. Far too many of us get caught up in the hustle and bustle of consuming and we forget the real meaning of the season — loving, caring, sharing, and GIVING.
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