As Christmases go, I would have to say that yesterday was one of the better ones in my book of memories. Lots of love masked an undertone of sadness in my family. It was their first Christmas without "Grandpa Charlie". Since 1987, my children spend every Christmas at Grandpa's. There was always prime rib, mashed potatoes and gravy and presents galore! Grandpa died in April. The roll of patriarch now falls on my ex-husband. With my children all grown and having lives of their own, after watching my granddaughter open her presents, we all went our separate ways. My son to the in-laws, my oldest daughter to her boyfriend's family and my youngest daughter to work. That left my ex-husband, middle daughter and her boyfriend to have dinner in their apartment - a standing rib roast with all the trimmings. I'm sure it was no where near what they were use to, but they have created a new family tradition for themselves. Life goes on.
For the shepherds, they too had experienced a new tradition. The celebration of the gift of life. Although the first recorded celebration of Christmas was not until 336AD, I'm sure those shepherds carried the memory of that night with them and told the story to their families and those families told the story to their families, and so on. One birth, one child to save the world, one King for all people!
The spirit of Christmas is still as intoxicating as it was at Jesus' birth. Just watch a YouTube video and try not to feel the emotion and have tears running down you face. Tears of joy that you cannot contain because the message is so beautiful that it makes you praise God out loud! Look around you and you may still see a Christmas miracle. They happen all the time! So many wonderful things God continues to give us! So many powerful moments of faith surround us. So much strength and courage displayed in our presence! These are all gifts, just as our salvation is a gift, given by God!
Hold tight to that joy for the next 364 days. Make that feeling of love your priority. Praise God for what you have seen, what you have not seen and what you have been told in God's Word! Rejoice! You are blessed!!!
