Christmas Dreams

When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with Christmas. I didn't give any thought at all to why we celebrate this holy day, or give thanks to God for sending his only begotten Son to be born in a lowly stable. No, I could only think about all those wonderful presents that would be under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. In my bedroom, I had a green slate chalkboard and in the upper right hand corner, there would be a countdown of how many days until "Present Day." Believe it or not, sometimes I would start the day after Christmas and count down 364 days until the next great present event.

Well, I look back and smile as I recall the simple, childish happiness I felt as I anticipated opening my presents. This shot, taken on the front porch of an old farmhouse converted into a gift shop, reminds me of those feelings. The tree sparkles and reflects hundreds of lights in the living room window, and one red ball has fallen off the tree and sits on the seat of the faded pink tricycle.

Looking at this scene, I recall an illustration our pastor gave to the little children of our church on Sunday morning. He showed them the manager scene sitting on the table in front of the pulpit and pointed to the baby Jesus, who is the reason for this blessed celebration. Then, he started showing the children different presents he had brought from his home. He read who the presents were from and to whom they were going to be given, and he placed each one on the table for them to look at. When he was done, all the children could see were the presents. The manager scene was completely hidden by the wrapped presents sitting on the table between the manager and the children. The message of his little illustration was crystal clear. Presents are nice, but it is very easy to let the gifts we give and receive block us from seeing the most important part of the Christmas celebration. For without that little baby lying in a manger, that miraculous gift of our Savior from the Almighty God to every boy and girl who ever lived, to every mom and dad, to you and to me, then Christmas would just be another day of the year, and there would be no reason to celebrate at all.

My prayer is that this Christmas, the love of God blesses you in a very special way. As you look at the brightly colored packages and the sparking lights, remember to give thanks for the greatest gift ever given, the gift of the Savior, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.