I admit to loving Christmas music all year long.  I will play my favorite CD’s when alone in my office or while cooking in the kitchen.  Each year when the radio stations begin to play seasonal music, I tune to the best ones at every opportunity and enjoy the refreshment of beautiful, heartwarming music.

Because I listen so often, I am always surprised when I hear a new song or an older one that is out of favor.  This year, I came across a short song written by Larry Grossman and recorded by Jimmy Dean on his “Jimmy Dean’s Christmas Card” album many years ago.  Grossman was the music coordinator for the album.  Dean expressed that “My Christmas Room” was his favorite song on the album.

While this is a secular song, the sentiments contained in the lyrics are moving and meaningful.  They capsulate the Christmas message and remind us that these Christmas feelings are to last year-round.

Dean sings these words with his gravelly voice and a quiet passion:

If I owned a great big house, I’d have a Christmas room.

When things about me all went wrong, I’d find Christmas still in bloom.

There would be a great big tree with evergreen perfume,

Its branches bright with memories safe inside my Christmas room.

In summertime when tempers flare, when peace seems a never thing,

I’d slip inside and I’d abide where herald angels sing.

But since I’ll have no great big house when Christmas goes away,

Then make my heart a Christmas heart that carols every day,

And let it be my Christmas room where good will toward men shall stay.

How different our world would be, if we all had a Christmas Heart.  A heart like Christ’s who loves us all unconditionally.  A heart with “good will toward men”, not just during a few weeks in December, but all year long.  A heart that remembers the poor and downtrodden, the weak and misshapen, the angry and the bad and everyday people.  Everyone! 

I think that Jesus’s face would break into a great big grin and He would declare, “At last!  They’ve got it!  That’s why I came to earth-to reconcile the world to each other and to God.  Keep up the good work.”

My Christmas prayer for each of you is a perpetual Christmas heart overflowing with good will toward each other and to yourself.  Remember: God loves you unconditionally all year long!  Merry Christmas!

Terri