joy of nine9

by  Gaye Frances Willard

 This is one of the most heart warming paintings of Christ in the manger with a kneeling Sanata.  Gaye Francis captures on Santa’s face is intriguing because it expresses a combination of personal humility and revereance for the infant Jesus with a touch of pain. Perhaps it is the pain of knowing that his traditions often userp people’s focus off of Christ’s birth.

“Whose birthday is it, anyway?” is the Christmas question asked by Alternatives for Simple Living, an advocacy group that favors simple living as an antidote to societal ills such as credit cards, personal debt, shopping malls, big SUVs, depleting the earth’s resources, and not spending time with family. A UMNS graphic by Doyle Burbank-Williams,Alternatives for Simple Living