December 25, 2019: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

During this time of the year loved ones gather together while being thankful for all the wonderful things each has been blessed with. I hope this incredible opportunity of giving and togetherness would bring each of you lasting joy and profound peace! MERRY CHRISTMAS, dear friends!

❄ FRÖHLICHE WEIHNACHTEN! ❄ CRĂCIUN FERICIT! ❄ BUON NATALE! ❄ ΚΑΛΆ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΎΓΕΝΝΑ! ❄

● A previous post on the same theme: CHRISTMAS – 2018

Singing Christmas Carols to a seniors’ house

Since the most significant winter holidays are almost here, today (Sunday – December 22’19) I was inviting a number of good, loyal and reliable friends to join me for a visit to a seniors’ house in town, to sing them several Christmas carols, and to bring along a renewed message of joy, peace and goodwill. 

The residents were happy to see us and while we were singing our seasonal songs, the youngest member of our group (a lovely teenage boy) was serving them each with Lindt chocolates (separately wrapped) which I personally bought and brought especially for the occasion. 

On the first part of our program, we offered the audience a number of Romanian Christmas carols, while on the second part we sang them several well-known English ones for which I did invite our listeners to sing with us and few seniors did join along.

The event in itself was really touching, because the faces of those elders really brought back to most of us dear memories of our own grandparents…it felt like their images (the images of our own grandparents) were transcending time & for few moments they were in the same audience together with the other residents…perfect moments to cherish, leaving behind a pregnant trace of a gentle, yet meaningful occurrence, nonetheless highlighting the spirit of Christmas. Beyond any doubt, it was a rewarding experience for all! After we concluded our program there, candidly receiving their applause, we waved them ’good bye’, while wishing all blessed & peaceful holidays, with a very Merry Christmas & a happy New Year! On our way out, the satisfying ’taste’ of giving was filling our hearts with such a genuine joy!

On the other hand, while still at this page, I’m extending again my most sincere appreciation to my invitees who were able and willing to join me today. It is a super busy time of the year for everyone, but through their prompt reply to my call they proved to be wonderful souls who care and value the joy of giving. I consider myself super blessed to have them all part of my circle! 
Alice

Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. 
It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. 
It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values.

December 21, 2019: WINTER Solstice

The Winter Solstice heralds the symbolic rebirth of the sun, the lengthening of days & the promise of a renewed cycle of life. Have a peaceful & bright winter!

 ● A previous post on the same theme: WINTER Solstice – 2018

Socializing: Pre-CHRISTMAS reunion 2019

This Friday (December 20’19) we had our year-end group reunion…a joyful time of brief reflections about life, peace and harmony among people…. there is no time more fitting to say “THANK YOU!” dear loyal friends for all your amazing support during this year…I’m truly blessed to have you each in my life! 

My most sincere appreciation as well as my best wishes to each of you for a wonderful time during this holidays’ season!

As we grow older, our Christmas list gets smaller, because we deeply realize that the things we really want can’t be bought.
I hope the season of giving & spending time with family would bring you joy that lasts throughout the year to come!

 This event has been delivered in Romanian Language, featuring Romanian culture. 

● Some of my additional greetings about CHRISTMAS – 2019, 2018

Winter Charity (December 2019)

As cold weather is slowly settling in, today (Sunday - December 15'19) together with a group of good friends I gathered to prepare a number of bags filled with a few basic winter necessities (such as winter toques, gloves, wool socks, scarfs, blankets and some comforting food) for several homeless people in our city.
The reasonable donations collected from some of my friends as well as my family’s financial contribution made this gesture possible. We couldn’t help everyone, but at least we could help some. Indeed, a warm humanitarian gesture delivered in the middle of a cold day. 

This philanthropic activity is shared with you all to reveal once more that in life you don’t have to be super rich to care. In this very consumerist world, when so many are running for getting more, it is truly heart touching to roll your sleeves side by side with fellows who are willing to give a bit of their time, willing to give a bit of their money, willing to give a bit of their work in order to gift (at least for a temporary relief) another less fortunate human being with a little something, as well as a kind smile and a bright “Merry Christmas!” greeting. Nevertheless, charity is not about pity, but rather about caring.

A person’s true wealth is the good s/he does in this world.

                                                       
While at this page, once again, I’m expressing my most sincere appreciation to my husband and to these good friends for being by my side today so together we could spread a bit of goodness around, during a time of the year (pre-Christmas time) when everybody is super busy with lots of different activities, typical of this season. Thank you, dear ones, for being part of my circle!

“Every charitable act makes a difference.” 

A previous event I organized on the same theme: A charitable gesture on winter (December 2018)