Christmas in a Teacup

Merry Christmas! Thank you for joining us for our current series, Christmas Tea. Joining us today, as a guest contributor, is Marilyn Armstrong.

GIFTS MADE

There I was with my two wide-eyed, cheery-faced, giggle-hearted, elf-like helpers, 18-months and 4-years old, making the annual 100 dozen Christmas cookies! Yes, traditional insanity! We, again, practiced egg-cracking, flour sifting, and butter smearing on cookie sheets or whatever was — reachable. We mastered how to spill sugar, detest spices, like vanilla, and lick beaters, fingers, spoons, and bowls!

GIVING CELEBRATED

My two elves and I embarked on our holiday tin deliveries to elderly and homebound friends. We, even, delivered a decent “percentage” of our goal-set Christmas cookie craziness. At each house, my elf-helpers bubbled over with escalating — joy and pride! Gifted with the “elves’” giving, every house mirrored joy for receiving and pride for being remembered. These ongoing “who’s next?” visits transformed the flour bowl sneezes, spilled sugar, food color stains, burnt offerings, and tantrum tears into an unanticipated treasured value, an enduring “sweetness.”

GIVING RePURPOSED

When the shared joy and pride of the elf-moment-giving subsided, one “house,” particularly memorable, was Eric and Marie Wenzlaff’s. Marie, like others, invited us to stay.  Classically German, she was not to be denied. Their home was laced with awards and autographed photos of well-known people who dined at Wenzlaff’s Famous Restaurant. Mementos and curios from Chicago events and world travel adorned every view. Looking around her home, an uneasiness crept up in me and collided with a longing to just sit and visit. My wiser angels lost — or maybe not?

Awkwardly engaged in the warmth of the moment’s chat, Marie, sharp-eyed and adept, suddenly broke the tone and swiftly spoke in her German brogue, “Madelyn, Madelyn, Madelyn, vot joo gawt muwch more praeshus den vot I gawt, let’s tawlk!!!” Marie’s abrupt, yet warm, sincerity conflicted with the myriad of collectibles my astonished eyes saw, yet “tawlk” we did! She wanted to be with us, no matter what broke.

GIVING MULTIPLIED

When leaving, she wrapped and gave me a teacup and saucer, from her travels. Her brusque intervention, “Madelyn, Madelyn, Madelyn, vot joo gawt muwch more praeshus den vot I gawt, let’s tawlk,” was forever memorialized in that teacup and saucer, forever demanding a place of favor in every home we lived in. Over the years, the teacup’s delicate beauty, skillfully painted, prompted comments and inquiry. How I loved these opportunities to tell the teacup’s story of gift-on-gift revealing the multiplied goodness of God-empowered giving.

Where we began — pre-schoolers’ practicing Christmas cookie making, Christmas in a teacup is God’s unending story of giving, persevering, sharing, joy, friendship, and so much more continues to be written. As Jesus’ said,

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38, NIV).

“Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity” (Luke 6:38, MSG)

“Gather the goodwill of Christmas.

Tuck it safely inside your heart.

And give it away, one kind moment at a time, throughout the year.”

— Author Unknown