Peaceful

I hear sighs of contentment, shouts of joy, and yells of "Come see this.  It's really cool."  My siblings are happy.  Yes, they are happy most of the time, but today, they are even more so.  They are young.  They have the right to enjoy the toys they receive.  We all do.  However, those of us who know, who truly know, know that Christmas is more than just receiving gifts and having parties, have the ability to enjoy these gifts, but enjoy something else as well.  We know that Jesus Christ was born to die on the cross for our sins.  We know that he was born to save us.  Because we know this, we can enjoy our gifts even more.  For me, these gifts represent the ultimate gift I have received.

Christmas, for our family, is a time of relaxing, of peace, and of joy.  We can all be together without the stress of work or school.  We get to celebrate my mom's birthday - the day after Christmas.  We get to be together to establish and build upon traditions. 

To see the faces of the people you love open the gift you gave them is wonderful.  For me, it was enjoyable, but hard.  I watched some of my extended family open gifts, and all the while I was praying that they would someday open the gift that Jesus Christ has given us. 

This season just reminds me how good God is.  He blesses us and provides.  He blesses us with family, gifts, and, most importantly, His Son.  He provides so that we can give to others, and bless them in return. 

My youngest brother just told the family, "It should be Christmas every day."  And my other brother replied, "We would have to have our tree up everyday."  To this I say, "Yes.  It should be Christmas everyday."  At our church's Christmas Eve service, we watched a video that showed that some things we might believe about the nativity might not be true.  However, it ended by saying that something in the nativity never changes.  The Babe - Jesus.  The baby boy who was laid in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes.  May you never lose Him this year.  Merry Christmas!