How Do You Prepare for Christmas?

Advent comes from the Latin "Adventus" meaning coming. As Christians we use this time to prepare for the coming of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Personally, I love Advent; it is such a joyous time. I love so much of the traditions that we carry on ~ the carols, the trimming of the tree, the lights, setting up our nativity, family gatherings and the wafting scents of cookies baking. I still make the cookies that I helped my Mom bake when I was a child. It's a tradition that I hope that Tom will teach his own children someday (which isn't happening anytime soon btw).

With all the preparation that goes into this season very rarely do we hear about the spiritual things that people do. Just as we do during the Lent season, we should remember to bring Christ into our daily day with special prayers, sacrifices such as giving alms to those less fortunate, confessing your sins, attending Mass or services and just meditating on the Bible. Shopping on Black Friday, at Macy's, may get you a great deal but it is not going to bring you closer to God. Best Buy has such a deal, but is that gift going to provide a person with peace? (Well, actually, it may if it comes with ear buds but you know where I'm coming from...). That is precisely the point of Advent; to prepare yourselves for the coming of CHRISTmas.  Material possessions are fleeting; here today, gone tomorrow ~ when the next fad comes along. Jesus Christ is forever.

Can I make a suggestion? Why not put Christ back into Christmas this year? Get yourself a daily devotional Advent booklet and pray each day. Crack open your Bible and read the passages for a half an hour a day. Flood the food pantries with non-perishables for your neighbors that are struggling. Put money in the poor box or give it to a Santa on the corner that is collecting for the Salvation Army.  Open your home to the lonely or displaced. Visit the sick and imprisoned. Give someone an unexpected gift this year, like something you make or bake. I received the most delicious, and unexpected, pumpkin pie and cupcakes on Thanksgiving from my good friend Joan Marie. They told me that she was thinking about me and thankful for our friendship and that meant more to me than anything else.

Jesus Christ isn't found in the malls. He is found in the acts of love and kindness that we give to others. Those two attributes seem to be melting away as quickly as a Snowman on a Bahama beach lately. We need to bring them back, front and center, to our lives. As we begin the Advent season let us make others a priority rather than an afterthought.

May your Advent be one of joy, peace, laughter and love.

Mare


*Macy's, Best Buy and the Salvation Army are trademarked names.

Celebrities, Sales, Ethics and Third Parties

I came across a rather disturbing note today from "Lady Grey" jewelry to Ivanka Trump. I found it in incredibly poor taste but decided it is a jumping board for me to address our own ethics, philanthropy, and information sharing when it comes to our customers.

First, I will say that we have had "celebrity" customers shop with us in the past. I do not believe in name dropping to promote our business. Celebs are just regular people and just like everyone else. We respect everyone's privacy. Of course, we would welcome their feedback or endorsement, but we would not actively pursue them to do so. We definitely would not post a personal note to any of our customers on social media. That is a very unethical form of advertising.

Second, we will not share your feedback, notes of thanks (to or from us), or endorsements on any of our business pages without your absolute consent.

We do not share your personal information. As a matter of fact, there isn't any place on our website to store that information. All orders are placed through a shopping cart with Paypal, which is a secure site, and they do not share your information either. If you do provide your contact info to us on the website, we rarely, if ever, send you marketing emails. It is used specifically to follow up with you on a question or comment and that is as far as it goes. We do not sell, nor share, any customer contact information with third parties.

As far as eBay sales go, we only have access to shipping information. All correspondence must be conducted through that site so that Ebay can monitor it. Ebay is a secure site to do business through and they do not share personal information with third parties. Feedback, good or bad, cannot be altered, by us, so what you see is actual customer testimonial.

As for donations, Glory Glory Gifts has a few things that your purchases support. It is our goal to promote prayer and unity between our brothers and sisters in Christ through social media and the products that we sell. It is also our goal to support our brothers and sisters, that are still living in the Holy Land, that have been affected by the downturn in tourism. They support themselves by creating the olive wood, crystal, and Armenian pottery products that we offer for sale. Your purchase from us puts food on their tables and a roof over their head.

That's it. You can shop with us with confidence. Keep smiling, have a grand day, and let's go shopping! http://www.gloryglorygifts.com.

Peace,

Mare