Don’t you just love getting a chocolate orange at Christmas? I know I do; it sort of takes me back to when I was a child, and waking up on Christmas morning and wiggling my feet about in bed to hear the rustle of paper and, discovering, yes, Santa had been.
At the bottom of the bed, we found a stocking and a few gifts. The stocking always had an apple and an orange - a proper orange - and a few other small things in it for us to open before we rushed downstairs to see a much bigger pile of presents.
For my children, though they are all grown up now, I still give them a chocolate orange with a homemade cover on it – either a snowman, a sheep, a reindeer, a Santa or elf hat, or whatever takes my fancy that year.
A chocolate orange is made for sharing – yes? or no?
It’s always nice to crack it open and share out the segments to those who are with us – yes? or no?
Christmas is about sharing and caring. Some of us are super prepared and have bought and wrapped our presents early, whilst others leave it till the last minute. My chocolate orange covers are usually prepared well in advance, not just for my children but for other family members too – I usually make at least 15 of them, plus extras to sell to friends and at Christmas markets.
As the church starts to prepare for the Christmas season, with all the different activities, services, and parties that happen, let us remember the importance of sharing and oranges.
The chocolate orange has the shape of a circle, it’s never ending like Gods love for us.
The fancy sparkling orange cover ... can remind us of the images we see of the Wise Men and their gifts, or the glitz and glamour of the Christmas we know today. But let us not forget that first Christmas wasn’t quite so sparkly for Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus who were in a dull, dark and dismal stable.
The Shepherds who saw the baby Jesus when He was just a few days old, went out and shared the good news with everyone they saw and met.
The segments inside are for sharing. Let us try to share our chocolate oranges and remember to share the love of Jesus with others.
Which is easier - to share and remember the Good News of that first Christmas when Jesus was born or to share your chocolate orange?
Linda Cooke
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