Christmas Day Is Here

The CHRISTMAS SEASON has come to a close! THE DAY IS HERE!

Often times we do not appreciate the season. We gripe because stores prepare way too early. We sigh and say, “There are just too many expectations” . . .  baking, shopping, programs to attend, decisions to be made like whose family gets who for Christmas dinner, and year-end appeals for many more charities than we can handle, no matter how much we care.

OK. I admit I’ve been The Grinch sometimes, myself. But for some reason this year the season came alive for me. Maybe you enjoyed some of these things, too:

Christmas colors and decorations

Christmas sounds and songs

Christmas programs, live or on TV

Christmas greetings, verbal or written

Christmas goodies, baked or bought

Shopping for gifts to surprise people

The excitement of children

Hearing how people plan to celebrate

This is a special time of year, for other reasons. First of all, God stepped into time and fulfilled the Old Testament promises He made after the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). Galatians 4:4 (NKJV) says, "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman."

Second, faithful people like Mary and Joseph believed in the coming of the Messiah (God’s Son) and, though surprised to be chosen, were willing participants in God’s plan of deliverance (Luke 1-2).

The third reason may be the most important of all. Christmas is a season of giving because God set the example. John 3:16 (NKJV) says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 

Yes, I know the season is filled with Santa Claus, but as britannica.com explains, this gift-giving persona began with St. Nicholas, a Greek bishop known for his generosity and kindness to the poor.  

So, I think our challenge is this: How can we carry the goodwill of Christmas with us and share it throughout the coming year?”

 

How to Say Merry Christmas

The Christmas Season is here once again. I have always enjoyed sending and receiving Christmas greetings, but they seem extra special this year.

Not only is it fun to open my mailbox and find cards inside, but it’s also fun to sit down and read them. It causes me to indulge in some fond memories of the senders.

I was curious about Christmas cards. I googled for information and chose www.whychristmas.com 

In 1843, a British postal worker, Sir Henry Cole, and an artist friend, John Horsley, designed a Christmas card with three panels. The outer two panels showed people caring for the poor, and the center panel showed a family having a large Christmas dinner. The cost back then? 8 cents! This was a limited edition, perhaps 1,000 or less.

Their card even came with an advertising slogan: “Just published, a Christmas Congratulations Card, or picture emblematical of old English festivity to perpetuate kind recollections between dear friends.”   

We are way beyond postage of 8 cents these days! Maybe that’s one reason Christmas cards seem more and more special.

I like the variety of ways God sent out His Christmas message. First, His Son's promised birth was written in the Old Testament. Then, in the New Testament, the prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled.

Angels were also used to get God’s Christmas message down to earth. A single angel, Gabriel, was sent to Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds heard a heavenly host. Once they checked out the angelic message for themselves, they in turn became messengers of Christmas.

God’s message also appeared in the heavens. Wise men, who studied the sky for signs and wonders, committed themselves to faithfully follow its direction.

We also have a variety of ways to send our Christmas message. Cards, text messages, emails, and phone calls are all meaningful connections. Even if you haven’t sent any greetings for years, reach out to someone now. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

  

Christmas Is

Christmas is coming . . . like it or not. Greetings can be heard around the world: “Merry Christmas. . . Feliz Navidad. . . Joyeux Noel. . . Mele Kali-ki-maka. . . Frohliche Weihnachten.” Take your pick.

Christmas is what you make it. Greetings are nice but actions matter. Some people focus totally on family, while others focus on charities. Some move into the season with a spiritual focus. Others dread the season and react like Scrooge or The Grinch.

Christmas is a day AND a season. Holidays add spice to what could otherwise be 365 humdrum days in a year. All holidays have a commercial season leading up to the designated day. Think of Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or Easter. But Christmas, while having a commercial impact, also produces acts of kindness by individuals, groups, and communities for weeks before the day arrives.

Christmas is a season of hope. Who can explain this phenomenon? Children hope they’ll find gifts in their stockings or under the tree. But with age comes a deeper understanding of Christmas. God set the pattern of giving when He gave to the world His only Son (John 3:16). And in Jesus we find hope for life now and beyond the grave (Romans 5:1-2).

Christmas is what you make it. People can sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” all season long, but words and wishes don’t make it so. The only way to have a “merry, cheerful, jolly, good-spirited Christmas” is to make a personal decision. Whether you are rich or poor, young or old, positive or negative . . . Christmas is personal and will be to you only what you decide to make it.

So . . . MERRY CHRISTMAS (words only) . . . ACTIONS (are up to you)! 

Unexpected Blessing #4

I have a Goddaughter who lives out of state. She’s a project person, so her visits are always productive.

She said, “I’m coming over. We’ll clean out your attic storage area.” The problem was this attic did not have pull-down steps. I knew I was not a ladder person, but until it was over, I didn’t know she wasn’t either.

On the same weekend, another out-of-state friend said she would be in town and would like to visit. I asked her to come in the morning since my Goddaughter was arriving that afternoon.

My friend arrived with her daughter, whom I had not seen since she was quite young. I also enjoyed meeting the daughter's mother-in-law.   

While catching up on news, I shared about my breast cancer surgery, then I moved on to the purpose of my Goddaughter’s visit. “I’m not sure how much I can help,” I said, “My oncologist told me not to lift more than six pounds with my left arm.”  

My friend’s daughter spoke right up. “I could help.”

What a lovely surprise. “Really? That would be so great! I’ll be in touch after my Goddaughter arrives.”

But there was another unexpected blessing. When she drove up the next morning, her college-age son and his girlfriend got out of the car. She introduced them and said, “They’re willing to help, too.” 

We developed a plan. Her son crawled up into the attic, she stood on the ladder and his girlfriend and my Goddaughter received the boxes and restacked them while I supervised.

My 10x12 attic space was cleared out in about two hours.

I had originally planned to sort through boxes later. But my Goddaughter, whom I laughingly call the Energizer Bunny, looked at the stacks of boxes and said, “We could sort these now.”

I said, “Fine. Let’s do it!” What a relief . . . another time-consuming job done in a few hours.

I am still grateful for this unexpected blessing: Four helpful caring people who acted on the advice in Philippians 4:2: Don’t just look out for your own needs, but also consider the needs of others.