The tree is up and decorated. The snow is on the ground. We've dug out our warm, cozy Christmas pajamas. The blow-up Rudolph is outside with the others and lights are strung and lit. Yep, it is officially Christmas!
I love this time of year. I love to see the excitement on the faces of the little children in the stores as they stare with wonder at all the lights and decorations. I love the smell of cookies baking, the sound of paper and scissors as presents are wrapped, and the soft carols playing in the background. For just a little while, the world is warm, and loving, and magical. I don't care how old I get; at Christmas time I'm 6 years old again and Santa is bringing me the teddy bear I fell in love with in the window of the hardware store downtown!
Right now, the world is in more turmoil than I can ever remember. Every night when I say my prayers, I ask God to not let my grandchildren inherit this mess. Still, I remember also to say thank you for those warm pj's, the pretty lights, the yummy cookies, and, most of all, the greatest gift ever given. Christmas is all about children, big and small, young and old, and one very special child above them all.
May we never get too old to revisit the magic of Christmas for ourselves and for others, and may we never forget the true reason for the season.
Have a blessed and beautiful Christmas.
And so it is.
