The countdown is coming to a close. It's Christmas Eve.
The weatherman didn't hear our request for snow again this year. The sun is shining, the pavement still has traces of yesterdays icey rain. The banks are closed and the state employees are off work today - but that could just mean that a Presidential candidate sneezed for the first time in the White House. If not for putting my Christmas tree up yesterday I don't know that it would look like Christmas at all in Fulton, Missouri!
What should Christmas look like, anyway? And who the heck came up with this idea of snowy hillsides as the picture perfect representation of Christmas? CHARLES DICKENS DID, THAT'S WHO!!! Snow and Christmas just belong together according to all accounts in his (beautiful) book 'A Christmas Carol' written in 1843.
But cha know..... It is verrrry probable that Jesus was even a Springtime baby. Wouldn't the Roman census (the reason Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem) have occurred in the Springtime during the Jewish Passover? And would those Shepherds have been keeping their flocks by night under an electric blanket wearing a Carhart? I think NOT!
And what about that tree in the house? Who thought up that bright idea? (get it? "bright idea"?? lights? bulbs? idea?? ;-D) Well, I did a little studying on that one... and I read that perhaps the responsible party is the awesome preacher man Mr. Martin Luther (the 16th Century one, not the MLK one) was the first first person to bring a Christmas Tree into a house. the story goes that 'twas the night before Christmas.... (you are thinking of a different story just because I used the "'Twas word..... work with me here.... ) ANYWAY, Mr. Luther was walking through the forest and he looked up to see the stars shining through the tree branches. It was so beautiful, that he went home and told his children that it reminded him of Jesus, who left the stars of heaven to come to earth at Christmas.
Which brings me to the real heart. The MOST important matter here is that we remember the reason for this season. It's all about Him. The big guy. The tiny baby boy. The One who left Heaven just for the purpose of showing us the way. The one who knew we humanoids wouldn't trust just any ol' preacherman, so He came to earth as a tiny little bundle of innocience and joy. He came to us in human form so we would not be afraid of Him. So we could relate to Him on a level we could comprehend. (He's no dummy, Dummy - He's the Triad, the 3-in One, The Creator, Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Holy One. He's my God!)
So whenever you celebrate Christmas, remember that you're celebrating a real event that happened about 2000 years ago, that God sent his Son into the world as a Christmas present for everyone!
Oh, wait, did I hear a "Ba-Humbug!" ?? Oh man, Christmas is magical, beautiful, sentimental. It was a Day that changed the world! (Even if it was in March or April.... it CHANGED the world Dude!!) It was the day of new life possible for everybody. Old Testament Laws still hold value, (as Laws do today!) but they don't have the power to send you to Hell anymore. Christ's birth, life and death were all for the purpose of changing that.
It's a beautiful thing.
Merry Christmas.
This website is where I obtained many of the answers to my questions: http://www.whychristmas.com/about.shtml
Enjoy.
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