Christmas is such a magical time of year!

As people are swept away in the spirit of the season – the spirit of giving, as modeled by the greatest Giver who gave us the greatest Gift – miracles seem to pop up more often than usual.

I want to share with you a simple Christmas miracle that God gave me last year!

It was a busy day in December 2009.  The Happy Home was in desperate need of groceries.  It was late – the Happy Buddy was about 5 months at the time – and I was reluctant to go out, but if there ain’t food in the house, it might as well be called the Grouchy Hungry Home. :-)

We raced to Publix.  As I pushed the cart up and down the aisles, the Happy Buddy grew tired and cranky.  People started to stare in disapproval as the Happy Buddy’s cries turned into wails of utter anguish.

By the end of our outing, I was super stressed and eager to get us out of the store and home to bed.

But when we finally headed outside, we were met with a very unwelcome sight.

It was raining.

Like a torrential downpour!

The Happy Buddy was still exercising his vocal ability for people in Asia to hear him and my eyes were exercising their ability to produce a boat-load of tears.

How in the world was I going to get us and our groceries to the car without getting everything and everyone completely soaked?

I felt hopeless.

So I looked up to the heavens and asked God to send me a Christmas Angel.

Sure enough, within a matter of minutes of saying that prayer, a little lady walked up to me carrying an umbrella.  She offered to watch my cart of groceries while I used her umbrella to safely get the Happy Buddy to the car.  Then she promised to help me load the car with groceries when I pulled it up to the curb under the overhang.

Oh, how my heart soared!  God is so good – all the time!  He had heard my little prayer for help and in His amazingly generous and loving way, had provided a miracle.

While this miracle was a small one, it was a miracle none-the-less.  God knew I needed help and He sent it in the form of that sweet little lady with the umbrella.

Oh, how I encourage you to be mindful of God’s desire to use YOU and your HAPPY HOMES this Christmas to facilitate miracles for others!

Ask Him how you can be a Christmas Angel this year.

And if you need some creative ideas for sharing some “good will to men”, keep on reading! :-)

• Buy a poinsettia for someone who recently lost a loved one.

• Cook a meal for a family in need.

• Pay a toll for the person in the car behind you on the highway.  I love this one!  My parents used to do this all the time while we were growing up!  Such a delightful surprise!

• Sneak an encouraging note in your friend’s stocking while you are visiting.

• Let someone have the parking space you found.

• Take a plate of Christmas dinner leftovers or Christmas treats to someone who is working on Christmas Eve or Day.  We did this last year for the people who work at the 24-hour Walgreens pharmacy by our house!  They couldn’t believe it!

• Pray about inviting a family to attend your church’s Christmas Eve service with you.

• Help an elderly person decorate his or her home for Christmas (and then take it down at the end of the season).

• Give an anonymous gift of money to someone who has been laid off or who you know struggles financially, or pick up a Publix gift card and leave it in their mailbox.  I am not even kidding, a few months ago the Happy Hubby and I weren’t sure how to pay for that week’s groceries, and someone did this for us.  We found an anonymous card and Publix certificate in our mailbox.  We still talk about this awesome provision and thank God for that person!  A miracle indeed!

• Have your kids draw pictures of angels and nativity scenes.  Bring them to a nursing home and hang them as decorations in someone’s room.

• Go caroling for some elderly friends that can’t leave their homes.

• Bake some goodies for the teachers at your child’s school.  Set a homemade card from your child next to the tray.  You never know how it will impact a teacher’s day!

• Pay for someone’s coffee at Starbucks.

• Choose a child from your church’s Angel Tree and purchase presents for him/her together.

• Go through your Happy Home’s toys.  Have your Happy Buddies pick out a few things that are in good condition, but aren’t getting played with much anymore.  Donate those toys to a special charity.

• Offer to babysit for a couple whose date-night funds are tight.

• If a grocery store clerk was kind to you, tell the manager!  Did you know that if you compliment a Publix employee, the employee receives a free meal from the deli??  Isn’t that awesome?!  And all it takes is a minute to share with the manager.  I do this ALL THE TIME!

• Call up a family in need and ask them what you can do to help them have a magical Christmas.

• Schedule a day to go help a busy mom wrap presents – don’t forget to bring some hot cocoa to share!

Most of all, PRAY and be watchful.  When you are out and about, look for ways to minister to others.  You just might have an umbrella that a poor, stressed-out new mom could use. :-)

Happy Christmas Angel-ing!