Please forgive me for not writing in such a long time.  I am sure we can all give the excuse of being busy with the holidays.  But before the year ends, I thought I should at least speak about Christmas while at the same time, catch your attention with the hope that my blogs shall come more frequently in the New Year.  🙂

Christmas.  It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  And even with all the decorations, shopping, baking, school programs, and even Santa Claus, we all know that it began with the birth of the Christ Child.  CHRISTmas. 

At church this past Sunday, Don had the children gathered around him for the weekly Sunday Children’s message at the front of the church.  (His messages are heard by the rest of the congregation at the same time – little do they know they are getting a lesson, too!)  Don talked about Christmas and presents.  He was asking the children if they were familiar with the classic, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” as he helped them remember the story.  For those of you who don’t know, the Grinch steals all the presents and decorations from the residents of Whoville on Christmas Eve, assuming they will wake up and find Christmas gone thereby sparing the Grinch from hearing their happy Christmas celebrations.  As the children listened intently to Don, he was at the part of the story where the people of Whoville wake up on Christmas morning without any signs of Christmas and, “What?” he asked them, “Do they do?”

There was a young girl with curly brown hair and a cute little dress who knew the answer and with all the confidence and enthusiasm of a young child, she popped up and shouted with glee, “THEY SANG WITHOUT ANY PRESENTS!” 

Bravo, dear child! 

And that, folks, can stand alone as the simple explanation of the joy of Christmas.  We give gifts because the Magi gave gifts to the baby Jesus.  But it’s not the presents or the decorations or the fancy holiday food.  It is the joy of God’s son coming to earth to live among men … to become our Savior.  Joy to the world, the Lord has come!  O holy night!  The first Noel!  Go tell it on the mountain!

That girl’s shout of “THEY SANG WITHOUT ANY PRESENTS!” gave me a smile that wouldn’t quit.  It was said so simply, so joyfully, so purely.  The people of Whoville, in the story of the Grinch, came together, hand in hand, and sang for joy that is was Christmas morning.  That’s all they needed.  You can take away the presents and all the frilly fancy stuff of Christmas, and we can still rejoice about that little baby boy. 

I pray you all had a joyful Christmas full of love and family and friends. 

And may you keep singing for joy, even when there aren’t any presents.  God’s gift to us, His Son, is all we need.

Just Laurel