On Thanksgiving, we had a family dinner of course, and my aunt and cousin who live in town came to eat with us too. We were sitting around talking, and the subject of the holidays came up. My cousin said that as a kid she would get excited about the "magic of Christmas," but it's gone now that she's an adult. She stated the Halloween is her favorite holiday now and she could go from it to tax time (skipping Christmas) and be fine. That conversation has been rolling around in my head for a couple weeks now, and I began to wonder how many people feel the same as my cousin towards Christmas. We tend to get caught up in presents, decorations, "exterior illumination" as my dad calls it, parties, baking, and countless other things that we get stressed out over. I think we as a nation have lost sight of the true "magic" of Christmas. The manger. A baby that was born to a virgin and who would become the savior of the world 33 years later. Jesus is the magic of Christmas. I love Christmas because this time of year tends to strenghten my faith like no other. For me, the season brings into focus the miracle of not only Jesus' birth, but also his life and death. In recent years, the government had tried to eliminate the real reason for the season by trying to erase the very word "Christmas." Store greeters can no longer say, "Merry Christmas," for fear of losing their jobs. Public establishments can't put out nativity scenes or hang Christmas signs because that might "offend" someone. It's saddens me greatly that our nation has come to this, but I refuse to forsake the real reason for the season...the "magic." The magic isn't about presents or dinners or decorations, it's about a little baby boy sleeping in a food trough with all the smelly animals ;)
With that I say Merry Christmas and God bless. Remember to keep your focus on Jesus this season :)
