What if there was no Christmas? And December was just another month, the twenty-fith was just another day? No stable in Bethlehem, no choirs singing the seasons songs, no special church services, no gift exchanges, no joy on the childrens faces. It would be pretty depressing, wouldn’t it?

We are fortunate here in America, we can choose to get into the holiday spirit at any time. A little before Halloween, stores start bringing out their Christmas merchandising, and a little after Thanksgiving, the radio stations start playing Christmas music, and the TV stations begin playing those classic holiday movies, we’ve all seen hundreds of times. But why do we actually get into the holiday spirit and how?

Well, on the calendar, it is only a few months away (!). Another reason is because right now, we really could use a little Christmas! Think about it, what does the word “Christmas” bring to mind for you? No, not the buying of gifts, and trying to get everything your kids want, or anything like that. But the meaning of the word-Christmas.

Think back to your childhood, way back before the skepticism of the world crept in, before someone ruined the innocence of believing in the spirit of Christmas for you. Remember how that felt? The joy that you felt in the month leading up to that special day. That time when people opened doors for others, and smiled at strangers, and warmly wished them “Merry Christmas”. Is it all starting to come back to you now?

With everything going on in the world today, the political mess, the economy, the fighting and struggling, Christmas offers us an escape. Perhaps that’s why God choose that time of year for us to celebrate the birth of His Son. Because after a year of all this worldly mess, He knew we needed at least a few weeks, where we would try our best to be like Him.

At Christmas, we give, share, are less judgmental, more forgiving, and easier to live with. We are as my favorite Christmas quote says, “the people we always hoped we would be.” I would hope that no, as the year inches forward to that special time, you would begin to prepare your heart. Not for the day or even the month, but for the spirit of the season!

From the bottom of my heart-I wish you all a Merry Season of Christmas!