A Christmas They'll Never Forget—A Greater Purpose VII

A Christmas They'll Never Forget

A Greater Purpose VII

  Evangeline sat on the large, colorful rug in the attic as she wrote the following list:

1. Decorate orphanage

2. Teach girls a few carols and go caroling

3. Bake Christmas cookies

4. Make a gift exchange for the girls and help them make gifts

  "It's December 12th. That gives me thirteen days to give the girls a Christmas they'll never forget. For many of them, it will be the first time they've ever celebrated it. I hope I can make it special for them."

  That afternoon, Evangeline walked to the market to buy a few supplies. She was very happy about her findings, and returned home with a basket of cranberries, tissue paper, and  some holly boughs she had collected in the woods behind town. The girls looked at her curiously as she laid them on the table. 

  "These," she told the girls, "are what we will use to decorate for Christmas." Going over to the sewing box, Evangeline got out a needle, and some thread. Cutting a long piece of it, she threaded it through the needle and tied a knot at the end. Then she began to thread the cranberries onto it. The girls watched excitedly as she worked. Soon, they too were threading cranberries onto strings, chatting merrily as they did so. When they finished, they hung the many garlands all around the orphanage. 

  Next, Evangeline showed the girls how to make beautiful snowflakes from the tissue paper she had brought home. They only had one pair of scissors, so they had to take turns. When they were finished, the older girls attached them to strings and hung them from the ceiling. They also set up the holly boughs in various places. When they were finished, they stood back and looked around.

  "It's beautiful." Charity said with a smile. 

  "I've never seen a place so pretty in my whole life!" Merry added. The McGradys were also very happy about the decorations. "It reminds me of my home in Ireland when I was a little girl," Mrs. McGrady said. "My brothers and sisters and I would hang cranberries each year, and popcorn too."

  That evening a few of the girls helped Evangeline to bake a batch of gingerbread cookies. They watched in awe as she cut the dough into little gingerbread men. Afterwards, they all enjoyed snacking on them as they sat by the fireplace in the middle of the main room. 

  The next day after work was done, Evangeline announced the gift exchange she had been planning. "I've written each of your names on a separate piece of paper," she told them. "I put them in this bowl," she showed them, "and mixed them up. Each of you can draw a name out of it, and then make a gift for whoever you picked. Don't tell each other who you chose," Evangeline told them. "It will be a fun surprise on Christmas Day!" The girls each picked a name, passing the bowl around. "Be creative," Evangeline encouraged. "Think about the materials we have. There's yarn, fabric scraps, and buttons in the sewing case. There's empty jars in the kitchen, and twigs outside. There are so many possibilities! I didn't choose anyone, so I'll be free to help too." With that, the girls left in different directions.