So for December 2nd, here’s the second book that has inspired me for this Advent season: The Sparkle Box.
I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for a good children’s book, and even more so for a Christmas-themed one. So when I saw this one at the Scholastic book fair at my kids’ school, I pounced on it. (Incidentally, one of my favorite sites, Modern Mrs. Darcy suggests a literary Advent calendar of children’s books-heck, you can even wrap the books and have them choose which one to read each night! Why didn’t I think of that?) The Sparkle Box is expertly illustrated, but it stands out for its extraordinary message. Sam is eager for Christmas, but one gift in particular has him puzzled. It’s a sparkling silver box on the mantle. His parents tell him that they will open it together, but only after they fill it. As they give generously and sacrificially during the Advent season, the box gets filled. And on Christmas morning, they open the box to find the true meaning of Christmas. (No spoilers here-you just have to read the book to find out!)
As an added bonus, each book contains a Sparkle Box that you can pull out, place a bow on, and voila–you are ready. I will admit that I even used the book as a springboard for a Sunday School lesson–for adults! We collected a Sparkle Box offering that day, brainstormed ideas of what we could do this holiday season, and donated the money raised to The Carpenter’s Table Food Pantry for Thanksgiving turkeys. It’s amazing what you can do when you put your heads together!
So, in the spirit of starting your Sparkle Box TODAY, perhaps you would consider supporting this Mercy House Kenya fundraiser to establish a second home for women and children in Kenya? Or make a Compassion International donation for Typhoon Relief in the Philippines? Or prefer to stay more local? That’s cool too. But let’s turn Cyber Monday into more than grabbing up presents for loved ones. Or to quote the amazing Dr. Seuss from How the Grinch Stole Christmas:
“Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!…
Christmas Day is in our grasp
So long as we have hands to grasp.Christmas Day will always be
Just as long as we have we.Welcome Christmas while we stand
Heart to heart and hand in hand.”
So for today’s Christmas music pairing, I’ve selected “Grown-Up Christmas List” and the best one IMHO is by Michael Bublé. I think it definitely captures the message the Sparkle Box hopes to instill in us all.
Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well, I’m all grown-up now
Can you still help somehow?
I’m not a child, but my heart still can dream
So here’s my lifelong wish
My grown-up Christmas list
Not for myself, but for a world in needNo more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Every man would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas listWhat is this illusion called the innocence of youth?Maybe only in that blind belief can we ever find the truthNo more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal our hearts
Every man would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list
This is my only lifelong wish
This is my grown-up Christmas list