IT’S CHRISTMAS, BUT …

… WELL, IT’S DIFFERENT!!!

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
And all through the house
I was still hiding
Things from my Spouse

The Tree was hung
On the wall with care
For in our Tiny House
There is no room to spare

With me in my jammies
And my wife in her gown
I couldn’t help wonder
How much she had found!

When out in the yard
There arose such a noise
I figured it must be
That guy with the toys

I just hunkered down
Right there in my bed
Covered all up
From my toes to my head

Tomorrow would be Christmas
I reminded myself
And there was no need for me
To bother that Elf!

I hope that you at least recognized the cadence to this little poem, even if you weren’t familiar with the words! The most exciting night of the year is almost upon us, and, as usual, I can hardly wait! I couldn’t sleep on Christmas Eve until I was 46 years old, and for the last twenty-five years I still don’t get a full night’s sleep!

Christmas truly is a wonderful time of the year, but, down through the decades, it has changed for me. In the beginning, the real joy was based on the dreams of what I was going to receive from Santa and loved ones. Then, we had children and I couldn’t wait to share in their excitement regarding what they received.

There was a short period of time, a hiatus of true excitement about Christmas, if you would, when our kids were grown and Christmas morning wasn’t much more exciting than Christmas Dinner. But God is Good, and for the past eighteen years we have been Blessed with Grandchildren and Christmas Morning was “reborn,” so to speak!

As I have grown older and have almost “grown up,” my perspective on the idea of “Gift Giving” has undergone a metamorphous, if you would. I summed it up in my book titled The Wacky Holiday Weekly Devotional. Following is what I had to say about Christmas and Gift Giving therein:

I don’t know if you are like me or not, but every year I get a Christmas Gift or two that just isn’t what I had in mind that I wanted! It is at this point in time that I have to rely on Acts 20:35b: “It is more Blessed to give than to receive.” With nearly 70 Christmases under my belt, I finally have learned to understand that I should be thrilled and excited about everything I get because the person who gave it to me was undoubtedly thrilled and excited to give it to me. As hard as it is to understand, gifting is not about the joy of the recipient, but about the joy of the giver!

The GOOD NEWS is that our Gift Giving is only secondary to the Gift that we received those many, many centuries ago. While our perspective about the Holiday may fluctuate due to our station in life, we can always count on the fact that the Greatest Gift of all times was given over 2000 years ago, and all we have to do is Receive It!!!