Country Chronicle How brilliantly the stars gleam and glisten on sharp December nights! A man regards the sky at this time of year as a lighted Christmas tree illuminating the heavens for all to see. The sparkling and shining high overhead are akin to strands of twinkling ornaments on the bending boughs of the spruce or the pine. Whether the land sleeps under the snowy quilt of a northern wintertime or rests beneath a carpet of autumn's fallen leaves in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, the skies are the same...and so are the stars. It seems that the stars are always brighter and more luminous when the sharp cold has brushed away the haze that so often shrouds the atmosphere on warmer, milder days.

Gazing at the display, one well may envision those ages past when the Wise Men followed the Star in the East to the manger where the Christ-child was born nearly two thousand years ago. A man would have the stars shine as symbols of the miracle in Bethlehem, a reminder of Christ's birth and His enduring gift of love; a gift to be cherished and shared through the ages, from one generation to another; a love rekindled each December as we joyously celebrate the anniversary of His birth.

Christmas bestows upon mankind cheer and inspiration from the songs of carolers wending their way through the streets of cities and hamlets to the hymns and homilies pouring from the pulpits and choir lofts of churches throughout the land. Let the bells and carols and the message of Christmas flow freely in praise of Him whose endowment to mankind is our heritage without end! written by Lansing Christman taken from Ideals Christmas, 1985