184 ~ Christmas Tradition

By Kay Heitsch

I want to share a Christmas tradition I had as a child.

Back in the 1950s, my Mom's church had a tradition of meeting in December to go out and gather money for the poor.

It's cold and snowy in Michigan, so we would all get bundled up and meet at the church. Whoever was driving would have a tape player in the front seat, with a loudspeaker mounted on top of the car playing Christmas carols.

As we walked from door to door, Christmas music was playing loud and clear. Most people were eager to give us some spare change or maybe a dollar.

As I think back, I'm sure many people knew my Mom and the good work she did for people experiencing poverty in our area.

Mom was the President of the Dorcas Society for the state of Michigan. She rented a few rooms in a building in town where people could bring clothing, etc. She gave out food baskets and helped in other ways, too. Mom was also the Chairman of the Red Cross for the area.

That being said, Mom and I had no problem meeting our goals. The church had a chart with a thermometer showing how much money we had raised. My goal was $25.00.

After going out gathering the money, we would go back to the church and have hot chocolate and cookies. I'm sure you will not be surprised that warming up with hot chocolate and a cookie was something I looked forward to as a child.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2