Thursday, December 1, 2022
“Eat a Red Apple”
When I was a child, I remember asking Mom to help me find something to eat. I browsed the overflowing pantry, and I’d holler across the house, “Mom, there’s nothin’ to eat!”
Mom’s response, undoubtedly, was, “Eat an Apple!”
Not the answer I wanted. I remember seeing Red Apple ornaments in our box of tree decorations. I never understood why we would hang an Apple on the Christmas Tree, especially when I had just made a perfectly good ornament with cardboard, glue, and a splash of glitter. But mom had other ideas. She liked the Red Apples on the family tree.
Today is “National Eat a Red Apple Day.” I’m sure you’re already celebrating in some fashion, but if you’re like me, you’ve been taken by surprise by this obscure day of recognition.
The Red Apple was first introduced in the United States in 1875 when a farmer from Iowa successfully nurtured a seedling into a fruit-producing tree. Apparently, the farmer took his prize harvest of red apples to a fruit show in Missouri. When other farmers saw it and tasted the fruit, they knew that the Red Apple needed to be part of their harvest.
Farmers across the country began growing Red Apples, and by the arrival of the Great Depression, Red Apples had become the primary sustenance of many small communities across the country during the Fall season. Since the peak of the Apple harvest occurred in the Fall, many children would often the best Red Apple to their teacher at the beginning of the school year. Thus, the Red Apple became synonymous with education.
Just as children would bring the best of the harvest to their teachers, Christmas is a time we can bring some of our own “best” to God and the people around us. However, we don’t need to wait until the beginning of the school year to be generous, nor do we need to limit our kindness to just one person. We can give the fruits of generosity and kindness to everyone throughout the year, and Christmas is the perfect time to start!
Do you know someone that could benefit from a Red Apple today? Whether we take it metaphorically or literally, chances are, we can help make someone smile today.
“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.” (Proverbs 3:27, NLT)