The best way to get in the Christmas spirit is to make Christmas special for someone else.

This is a true story of how one woman’s generosity made Christmas special for a church and community.

After her husband’s death, Sally found that Christmas didn’t mean much anymore. Nonetheless, she tried to stay active in church and community affairs.

The church which Sally attended was very poor. One year, the church asked if someone could donate a Christmas tree so the church could be decorated for Christmas.

Sally had a big yard with half a dozen evergreen trees. She asked the pastor if he would welcome a tree from her yard. The pastor was delighted with this suggestion.

This became a community project as well. The tree was 35 feet high. Some men from the neighborhood who worked for the forest preserve district brought equipment for cutting the tree. About 20 men volunteered to cut the tree down and to carry it the two blocks to the church.

Other volunteers donated ornaments and lights for the tree and helped to decorate it.

When Sally attended Christmas service at the church, she was thrilled to see her tree in the center of the church. She felt blessed and Christmas felt good to her once again.