Christmas Time

I know, I know, its not quite time yet. Believe me I know. I'm not the guy who puts up his tree in December and listens non stop to Bing Crosby or old blue eyes for a month and a half, but I am the guy who puts the tree up early in December and occasionally listens to some Manheim Steamroller with no one looking. Anyways I wanted to get a jumpstart on the subject. Billie Jo and I took a visit to a friend's mothers home who decorates the inside of her home ever 2 years for Christmas. It is incredible. The detail and hard work that she goes to is amazing. The entire home is transformed. Its kinda neat. Anyways...
Christmas, I love Christmas. I loved it as a child and I love it as an adult. I love the giving, the family time and the true meaning behind it. However there are some things that we get wrong regarding the yule time. I have a good friend who frankly does not like it. Too commercial for him. He loves Thanksgiving. He feels you can't commercialize that. And frankly that is quite true. He is right. So he, for the most part, doesn't want to participate in the tradition. Well that is absolutely his right and I value that.
Regarding this concept of his, I feel that if a Holiday is too commercial and not even celebrating the true meaning behind it, we have a real responsibility to celebrate it the right way. Do not close yourself off to the holiday but embrace it correctly and help others do that. Teach the real meaning to your family, your kids. Make a difference, give to the needy, don't just give a gift to someone who won't remember it a year later. Don't get me wrong, I love getting gifts but I really loving giving to others. When my friend said do I need a gift when don't even deserve it, that stupid", I had an epiphany. That is the entire meaning of Christmas.
God gave us his Son. We did not deserve it. We will never deserve it and cannot ever do enough to deserve it. It is God's grace for which we are saved. He actually sent Jesus to us as a wonderful gift even when we did not deserve it. So over the next few weeks, I'll continue to love Christmas and I hope you do to, but please think about the true meaning and embrace it, celebrate it, and live it.