“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” 2 Cor 2:15

A few days before Christmas the air around Margaret and Malcolm North’s home will be heavy with the sweet smell of brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. And on Christmas Eve, as they’ve done for the past 12 years, the family will take gifts of food to neighbours in their Sydney suburb.

“When the children were young we realised that our Christmas baking provided us with an opportunity to share with our neighbors. My wife Margaret made gingerbread and we packaged this up in cellophane bags with ribbons and cards and put them in a basket,” said Malcolm.

“With children in arm we visited our neighbours. We said hello, asked them about their Christmas plans and spent time with them, particularly with an elderly neighbour who lived alone. Our neighbours were surprised and of course pleased to receive an unexpected gift. It was simple and homemade, and so was an easy gesture to accept. Over the years, our message to our neighbours has simply been that Christmas is a time of joy, and that we want to share this with them.”

“Our children – Rachel, Benjamin and Louisa – were quite young when we started; Louisa was still a toddler. We told them we were going to visit our neighbours with gifts and wish them a Merry Christmas. They thought it was fun, and were happy to be part of it. To them it was a normal thing; my wife loves to cook and that’s rubbed off on our children who enjoy using their skills to share with others.”

The children now range in age from 14-20 years. That means they’re out and about more, but parents Malcolm and Margaret still try to find a time when as many of the family as possible can visit the neighbours. “Families change and we have to adapt, but we want to continue our little tradition,” says Malcolm.

Eternity asked what impact the Christmas baking has had on their neighbourhood. “It has probably changed us as much as anything… [it] made us friendlier and more willing to step out and walk across the road more often to follow up with our neighbours. They in turn have responded, and we have a really nice little community around us now. Neighbours have also started dropping gifts off for us! One of our neighbours with her five year old visited us recently with some Christmas slice that the little girl had made, with some help,” said Malcolm.

“Perhaps this sort of giving is a little unusual in these times where people look out for themselves, and have less time for those outside their immediate circle. But our neighbourhood has found that it takes only a little to show generosity to others, and to make new friends.”

This Christmas Eve, homes on Malcolm and Margaret’s street will be expecting that knock on the door, and the little bag of baked Christmas goodies. No doubt, as the years have passed, the smiles have grown bigger and the exchanges more familiar. And growing ever stronger is the sweet smell of Christ, as a neighbourhood is blessed by one family’s Christmas baking.

Flickr image by Kate Farquharson