knowyourneighbor

Dana King's Bio

Dana Lynn King, resident of St. Louis, Missouri, runs an interior design business, specializing in redesign. Her focus is helping clients make the most of the furnishings they already have, providing a provident living approach to design. She has served Church public affairs in a variety of capacities including stake director of public affairs. She has spearheaded interfaith events and dialogues, partnerships with museums, and African American Family History seminars. Currently, she is a member of St. Louis' Friends for the 150th Anniversary of Dred Scott Decision. Dana is proud mom of two teenagers and wife to one very supportive husband.

Sharing your love of Christ through the symbols of Christmas

The holidays are a natural time to get to Know Your Neighbor better. Hosting a Christmas party is a great way to invite “neighbors” into your home, and to share your beliefs in a non-threatening environment. With the children at one of our Christmas parties, we made ornaments out of snap-together plastic balls filled with miniature wreathes, candy canes, presents and other symbols of Christmas – and we shared with our neighbors the true meaning of these traditional Christmas decorations:

What are you doing this holiday season to get to Know Your Neighbor?

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Wreath: everlasting life, circle of family, God's unending love; on the door – welcome;
evergreen - Eternal life in Christ.

Holly: Christ's crown of thorns was made of holly. Berries were once white, but when the crown was put on Jesus' head His blood turned the berries red.

Christmas Tree: evergreen - symbol of eternal life; tree - biblical reference to cross. The needles and branches draw our eyes upward, toward heaven.

Ornaments: Ornaments in general remind us of all of the beautiful things Jesus did. Ball Ornaments – world was created by God; the different colors remind us that the Gospel is for all different nations and peoples on the earth.

Candy Cane: Hard, or “rock” candy, because Jesus is our rock; white - purity; red stripes - Christ's blood; green stripes - everlasting life in Him; peppermint - reminds us of the
spices offered to the Christ child, part of hyssop (mint) family (referred to in OT as used for cleansing); shape - shepherd's staff, "J" for Jesus.

Gifts: God sent the perfect gift, in the person of Jesus, to save us. Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many, and the Three Wise Men gave gifts to Christ, we give gifts to honor God's most precious gift of hope for mankind.

Gift Bows: Tied and knotted together, just as we should all be tied together as brothers and sisters, children of God.

Colors: In Christian tradition, these colors take on special meanings:
Red - Christ's blood shed for our sin on the cross. (John 19:34)
Green - Eternal life in Christ. (John 3:16-17)
White - The purity of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Gold - Christ the Divine (Rev. 3:18)
Silver - Redemption in Christ (Matt. 27:3-9)

Lights/Candles: Jesus is the Light of the world; also used to 'light the way' for the Christ Child.

Star: The star stands for the Star of Bethlehem, which led the wise men to the Christ Child.

Bells: A shepherd uses a bell to guide lost sheep back to the fold. Christ is the Good Shepherd, and wants all to return to His fold. Bells are mentioned in the Old Testament as being used on the robes of the high priest. The people would have known, by the noise
of the bells, that the high priest was offering sacrifices for their sins. Christ became the most high priest, and offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.

Snow: Because of its whiteness and freshness, snow is a symbol of purity. Melted snow was considered more cleansing than ordinary water. [Job 9:30-31] The forgiveness of sins left the repentant as "white" or pure as snow. [Ps 51:7; Is 1:18].