For seventy-five years, Advent has meant the Christmas Bowl.

Can you remember an empty bowl on your Christmas dinner table? We had little money as children, so it was probably hard for us.

It’s a different kind of hard finding Christmas gifts that people in our extended adult families really need today. We often need to reply” That’s Handy!” out of politeness. Some families have found the Christmas Bowl offers an answer. They agree that each member will give just one significant gift to a nominated charity the amount known only to them and the charity chosen.

Our preference might be to the Christmas Bowl or Medecins Sans Frontieres or to other worthy programmes which seek our support in Advent.

The church’s envelopes from the Christmas Bowl are one way of responding .

What think you?

Malcolm McArthur