Last Sunday marked the beginning of Advent. What is Advent? It is a term from the Latin word 'adventus' which means 'arival'. It is a time of waiting for the arrival of Christmas, the coming of Jesus to earth when He was born as a baby at Bethlehem about two thousand years ago.
I enjoyed the anticipation my kids had for Christmas when they were little. I enjoyed decorating the house and we always had a live tree covered with lights, ornaments, and tinsel. One of my best memories is the year we made a birthday cake for Jesus. Even in our dysfunctional family we had the traditions of reading the Christmas story and drinking eggnog on Christmas Eve. The joy in their little faces on Christmas morning was wonderful to see. We always got up early and opened presents followed by hot out of the oven cinnamon and/or orange rolls for breakfast. Then we had a traditional Christmas dinner of turkey and the fixings. It was one of the most enjoyable moments we had as a family.
Since my kids are grown and I now live alone (expect of course for my baby Cinnamon) Christmas has changed. I still enjoy the lights and beauty of Christmas decorations but this year because of my health I'm not doing much to my apartment. I have a collection of nativities that I keep out year round so the only things I put out were my big nativity and a small ceramic Baby Jesus and angels from my childhood.
The older I get the less things means to me and the more I like the simple pleasures of life. After all we celebrate the birth of One who left the glory and splendor of heaven to live a simple life with little possessions. Yet His life is the one that matters most in this world.
Even though I've always celebrated the birth of my Savior it has taken on special significance for me as I've grown older. The trappings of decorations, gifts, etc. are not as important or meaningful to me. One of my favorite things to do is watch a Charlie Brown Christmas. I especially like this scene that perfectly portrays the real meaning of Christmas:
"That's what Christmas is all about."
Father,
Remind us each day of the year that the true meaning of Christmas is Jesus!
In His Name,
Amen.
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