It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, or should I say it’s continuing to look a lot like Christmas since it has been growing up around us since before Halloween as I mentioned  in an earlier blog.  The squares around the city boast huge and brightly decorated trees and decorations fill people’s front yards as well as every store. Not one of us is a stranger to the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. Between finding the perfect present for every person on your list, pulling out and putting up the celebratory decorations to “deck the halls” and planning for and attending Christmas concerts, programs and parties, it is no wonder we are frazzled. Oh, and don’t forget about the folks who are baking  mounds of Christmas treats. It gets pretty hectic. Christmas does bring its share of delightful songs, both religious and secular, along with time spent with loved ones and sharing our family traditions. These are a positive part of the holiday.

While the gifts, parties, delicious treats, songs, and family traditions are part of what makes Christmas special, the real meaning behind the holiday matters the most. With all of the festivities swirling around us, it sometimes causes us to lose sight of why we are celebrating Christmas to begin with: the birth of Christ! This is the most precious endowment we were ever given.  Jesus’s birth gives us hope, joy, peace and love because it means we can be saved from our transgressions. Eternal salvation is the most wonderful gift of all time.  Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

During this holiday season, my hope for you is you will be filled with joy and the wonder of God’s unconditional love for us in sending His son Jesus as a gift so that we would be saved. Take time to step back and remember the reason for the season.  Doing so does a soul good. It assists us in getting ready for the most wonderful time of the year and helps us to focus on our greatest gift ever, Jesus our Salvation. Thanks be to God!

Patty