by Sr. Liana de Jesus            Brazil/Kenya         18.12.2022

Christmas is a really special time, a time that all people wait for expectantly, especially children and the elderly.  Don’t you think that Christmas is worth waiting for?  It is worth it when we spend the preparation time well.  I come from a very poor family with six children, on the outskirts of Salvador, Bahia in Brazil.  For us Advent was the waiting time that was different from normal time.  Our mother told the story of the baby Jesus and told us that we had to wait for Christmas to come to have new clothes.

We were all happy waiting for Christmas. Sometimes it took a whole year to arrive we wanted new clothes so badly!  But the important thing was the hope that Christmas would arrive and would bring us a lot of joy.

On Christmas week our new clothes would arrive. My mother would say, “Oh, children I met Santa Claus and he asked me to deliver these new clothes for you to go to the school party and to Mass.

On December 24th it was the special day. Brazilian families celebrate Christmas Eve together, rather than Christmas Day. My mother used all the money she managed to raise for this miraculous party. I can never forget how she adorned the tables with a tray of fruit, cake, and a vase of pitanga leaves. There was always plenty of fruit juice for the children. Then on waking up on Christmas morning, every child had their Christmas present. We never spent a Christmas without going to Mass, and when we returned it was time to party. Today, unfortunately, parents do not teach their children the value of Christmas.

How I would like to go back the time to re-live those lovely Christmas times. We longed for the neighbor to give us a piece of cheese and turkey, because all we had of those was the smell!

For me Christmas is a time of love, sharing, brotherhood, and sisterhood. Christmas with those who are needy brings out the true meaning of the feast. Happy Christmas and Happy New year to all!