When I saw this question, I a thought rushed through my mind. I am a Christian. Have I lost sight of my Christian values when it comed to Christmas?

The church that I attend prepares fruit baskets for the sick, shut-in, and elderly to be delivered on Christmas Eve, but other traditions have been lost somewhere over the years.

When I was a child, Christmas was a special time of year. My parents, my brother, and I would get up before day break and get ready to go to sunrise service at my church. We were allowed to open one gift before hand, and we could take it with us. (Mine was usually a doll.)

Once we reached the church, the congregation would be divided up into classes, and in my class, the teacher would give us donuts and hot chocolate while she read the story of Jesus from a children's Bible. Afterwards the congregation would be reunited in the santuary. There all the children and most of the adults would individually get up and say a speech, sing a song, or read a poem. Then the minister would deliver a powerful sermon relating to that special day.

When service was over, we would all stay in the santuary and fellowship. The adults would talk and discuss how much money they had been out of doing their shopping while at the same time giving praise to God for having the money to spend. The children would be sitting in a huddle admiring each other's gifts.

While we fellowshiped a deacon (usually my dad) would dress as Santa Claus and pass out little gift bags filled with apples, oranges, candy, and a small toy to all the children. The adults wold get the same kind of bag minus the toy.

We would return home in time to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade and begin cooking our Christmas dinner. ( The desserts were cooked the night before.)

By the time dinner was ready, family and friends from our neighborhood and beyond would traffic in and out of our home bringing gifts and tidings of glad joy.

The true spirit of Christmas was alive and well back then. Now that I am an adult, there are no more sunrise services. Most of my family barely even speaks to us anymore. We have all become too invovled with ourselves to worry about anyone else. There are still the little Christmas programs where the little children get to say their speeches and read poems and sing songs, but they are held during regular Sunday service now. "Santa" no longer pays the children a visit, and there is no more hot chocolate and donuts to be had while listening to the talof our savior's birth.

Many churched continue those traditions in hopes that the youth there will get a glimpse of what Christmas was really about. I regret to say that mine does not. I pray that one day those wonderful times will return, but this year, I will try to show my children the true meaning of Christmas.

We will sit around and read the Bible at home, then watch a good movie or two. After dinner, we will call family and friends and wish them a gloriusly blessed holiday.

I cannot speak for all Christians, but I know that the traditions, although varying are quite similar.

As I say at the end of every hub, I am not a lincensed profeesional in this field. I am simply a person who has learned to value the true meaning of Christmas. It is the celebration of the birth of our Savior and a holiday designed to make us more aware of the plight of our fellow man. This is the season of giving. That is why I say this: May you have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and may the spirit of Christmas always be in your heart.