The One-Piece-at-a-Time Nativity Gift
After a move across the country when I was fourteen, Christmas didn't feel quite the same until a knock at our door set in motion a series of events that changed Christmas for the better.
Story
When I was fourteen years old, my family moved across the country from Virginia to Arizona. This was a hard move for me as a teenager and I had a hard time making new friends. As Christmas approached, it was a transition to even see the difference in the weather. It didn’t even feel like Christmas in Arizona.
That all changed when twelve days before Christmas a piece of a nativity showed up on our doorstep along with a note about how this was a holiday 12-days of Christmas gift to our family. Each night after that another piece of the nativity showed up.
On Christmas day evening, a sweet family in our congregation showed up with the final piece of the nativity: Jesus Christ.
This family noticed the new family struggling to fit in and adapt and they loved us with the pure love of God. To this day I am thankful that God blessed and filled us with love because of the gift of another family that holiday season.
Holiday Bible Verse
Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Invitation
If you are feeling lonely or discouraged this holiday season, I invite you to give of yourself—for it is in giving that we receive.
Talk to God and ask Him who needs to feel His love this holiday season, and how you can be a part of that. He will inspire you to know what to do.
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Transcription
You can find the transcription of today's episode here:
Tamara Anderson 0:03
How would you like to hear a story from when I was a teenager and we were having our first Christmas and a place that was new to us? I have a very heartwarming story I'm going to share with you today in our next Holiday Stories of Hope, of something that helped change my heart for Christmas when I was 14, stay tuned.
Tamara Anderson 0:30
Welcome to Stories of Hope in Hard times, the show that explores how people endure and even thrive in difficult times, all with God's help. I'm your host Tamara K Anderson. Join me on a journey to find inspiring stories of hope and wisdom learned in life's hardest moments.
Tamara Anderson 0:56
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Holiday Stories of Hope. And I'm your host Tamara K Anderson. And today I'm going to share with you a story that happened to me and my family shortly after we moved to Arizona when I was 14 years old.
Tamara Anderson 1:13
Now, I'm going to kind of go back and give you a little bit of background on this. I am the oldest of six children. And when I was 13 or so, we found out that my dad's job we were living in Northern Virginia was going to be going away. And so he began looking for a new job. And money was tight. And we were looking for a new job. The DC area is infamous for not being very affordable.
Tamara Anderson 1:44
And the other thing that I wanted to share with you is that our family had always lived far away from other family members. And so all of our family members tended to live out west. For example, my dad's family lived in Arizona, my mom's family tended to live in Colorado. And and so we were the black sheep of the family living back East. And we loved it back there. It was beautiful people and the the diversity of culture was fantastic.
Tamara Anderson 2:18
And and so we had just kind of gotten settled, We'd only been back there for about three years. When this change started to happen in our family's life. My parents were very prayerful about this move. And so my dad got a job in Arizona, he was kind of looking out there because his mother's health was failing. And so when he found that job, we did the cross country move in the middle of the summer. And my little brother had recently been born. And so my mom had five girls ranging in age 14 until about three, and then a little boy.
Tamara Anderson 2:58
And we made this trek across the country to Arizona. Very different climate not so humid, very dry heat, which to us felt fantastic after living in the humidity. But as we approach Christmas that year, it was kind of our first Christmas in a new area. And fitting into junior high when I was that teenager was really hard for me. I had I had been an outgoing child, but some of the circumstances and my my younger years, being bullied had kind of made me retreat into a shell.
Tamara Anderson 3:33
And so I was the quiet, shy girl that was totally new to this junior high. And I just kind of wanted to be invisible. I didn't have any friends when we moved to Arizona. And so my sister who was two years younger than I, Shawna and I, she was in seventh grade, I was in ninth grade and we ate lunch together every day until we started making new friends. And so it had kind of been a really challenging transition for us. We were trying to be friendly but I was too shy to really be outgoing and meet new people. I think there was a couple of girls that noticed me and were kind and started eating lunch with me. And and so I was starting to make new friends.
Tamara Anderson 4:23
And as we approached the Christmas season it was very different for us that first Christmas in Arizona. We were used to Christmas being much more cold in the DC area and maybe snow but not always and in Arizona is more still palm trees and and warmth. And so Christmas that year felt very different.
Tamara Anderson 4:48
And so we were trying to get into the spirit of Christmas and one of the things that really blessed us that first Christmas there that kind of helped ease our loneliness was a very sweet thing that one family did for our family that I want to share with you.
Tamara Anderson 5:07
About 12 days before Christmas, there was a knock at our door that evening. And we ran to the door and opened it. And on our doorstep was a little sheep. And a little note that said that this was the 12 days of Christmas for our family. And that there, this sheep was part of pointing us to Christ, and remembering the true meaning of the season. And I don't remember I'm sure it had some cute little rhyme or some cute little saying. But we were all of a sudden, super excited to find out what this was all about and what this meant.
Tamara Anderson 5:53
And so we kind of watched carefully the next day, and we never caught anybody. But the next night, it was a donkey. And then a night after that it was a camel. And then I'd after that it was a Wiseman and then a shepherd. And so you can see the pattern. And every day, we got more and more excited and more and more anxious to see who is dropping these off at our house? And this, they're bringing us this nativity kind of one piece at a time.
Tamara Anderson 6:28
And what was interesting about that, is we felt loved. And we felt noticed in our loneliness. And that even though that Christmas felt different to us, all the sudden someone was with us in that Christmas--even though we didn't know who they were. And so as it drew closer and closer and closer, you know, we got Joseph, and we got Mary. And then on Christmas Day, we're anxiously waiting because it's Christmas, right, and we open our presents and do all the Christmas Day stuff.
Tamara Anderson 7:04
And that evening, a sweet family from our church congregation rings the bell, and they show up and they're holding the little baby Jesus. And I'm gonna get all teary at this point, because they gave us a piece of Christ's love that Christmas that brought excitement, and joy and the true meaning of Christmas, into our heart and into our home that holiday season. Not that Christmas isn't exciting any other time.
Tamara Anderson 7:44
For some reason, to this very day, I'm very thankful for that family, who noticed a family brand new struggling to find footing and a new home and new school. And they loved us. They noticed us they loved us. And they did it in a creative way that pointed us to Christ. And their actions were very Christ like.
Tamara Anderson 8:11
And so I just wanted to share that story with you. And share with you how much it changed my heart, that holiday season as a teenager. And so I want to share that with you and also share with you the invitation to if you are feeling lonely or like maybe someone isn't noticing you, then maybe give of yourself because it is in giving that we receive. It is in loving, that we are loved.
Tamara Anderson 8:48
And so you don't have to do anything as fancy as a giving a whole nativity scene to someone like this sweet family did to me and my family. But you can give the gift of love this holiday season. And God will inspire you who needs your love and how to best share that love with them.
Tamara Anderson 9:13
So say a prayer. Ask how you can love and serve one this holiday season. And God will inspire you to know what to do.
Tamara Anderson 9:23
Now I want to share with you one of my favorite holiday verses from the Bible. And this one comes from Isaiah chapter nine verse six. And it says, For unto us the child was born. unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace.
Tamara Anderson 9:54
May you find peace, joy, and love this holiday season. As you remember our dear Savior and the love that He has for you. Because He does love you perfectly, even though you're imperfect, and completely, even though you're not whole. And he has the power to make you whole and perfect. Someday, in the not so distant future, is my testimony. Hope on my friends.
Tamara Anderson 10:30
Hey my friends, are you looking for a meaningful Christmas gift this year? If so, you need look no further I have a fantastic sweet short story. I am so excited to share with you my new booklet it's called a broken down holiday. This is the story of a widowed young mother trying to travel home for the holidays soon after her husband dies, and being stranded in the middle of nowhere. And some of the hard things that she experiences and some of the miracles that you wouldn't think are miracles that she had happen. But it is based on a true story that happened to my mother in law. It's great for those friends that you're just like what do I get them something simple. That's under five bucks to great stocking stuffer. So if you want to share this message of hope with your friends or family members, check it out a broken down holiday on Tamara Kay anderson.com.
Tamara Anderson 11:32
Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's show. If you like what you heard, subscribe so you can get your weekly dose of powerful stories of hope. I know there are many of you out there who are going through a hard time, and I hope you found useful things that you can apply to your own life in today's podcast. If you'd like to access the show notes of today's show, please visit my website stories of hope podcast.com. There you will find a summary of today's show, the transcript and one of my favorite takeaways. You know, if someone kept coming to mind during today's episode, perhaps that means that you should share this episode with them. Maybe there was a story shared or quote or a scripture verse that they really really need to hear. So go ahead and share this podcast. May God bless you, especially if you're struggling with hope to carry on and have the strength to keep going. When things get tough. Remember to walk with Christ and He will help you bear the burden. And above all else, Remember God loves you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai