One of the Christmas ornaments received in our family ornament exchange this year.
This year our extended family celebrated Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. Now you may think that is rushing things a bit, but this was a blessing in disguise. Because of this early celebration we now have time to set back and really enjoy all of what our country has to offer at Christmas time. We unintentionally are avoiding the rush.
We really enjoy driving around anytime close to Christmas eve and view all the beautiful light displays in our area. Some are pretty gaudy, while others are tastefully done. Those that use a theme in their decoration we find especially interesting. Our small town even has a contest for both residential and business to see who can be the most decorative.
We often load up our Cd player with discs that have Christmas music. Then we set it on continuous play and let it run through the whole batch. We never get tired of listening to these sounds, as some do.
One year our local radio station was playing traditional Christmas hymns in July. We recommend that you try this for yourself sometime. You may find, as we did, that it helps in realizing afresh the real meaning of Christmas. The wonderful words of life that we normally associate with this busy season have a profound affect when heard at a less stressful time of year.
These hymns sung out of season are a reminder that Christmas is:
Not an old man in whiskers.
Not parties and family gatherings.
Not presents under a tree.
Not snow and starry nights.
Not crowded malls and parking lots.
Not ringing bells and red buckets.
Not the holly and the ivy.
Not tinsel and bright lights.
But rather, Christmas is God's answer to a world of sin.
God loves us so much that he sent His only Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.
May you and yours be blessed by this answer always.
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