Why I Love Christmas...

Well, that has many answers, and many reasons. I could give you the Sunday school answer and say I love it because it is Jesus' birthday. That however, would be only a partial truth. I love Christmas because it is the day that a virgin gave birth to the Creator of the universe in a filthy stable and angels filled the sky and nearly scared those poor shepherds half to death. I love it because on that day the curse of Adam began coming undone. That some time later, the king Herod was so terrified by the birth of a baby and an unexplainable star in the sky that he had a mental breakdown. That wise men made fools of themselves to kneel before a toddler and that the Son of God was being raised by Jews from Nazareth. I love that He grew up and became the Savior of His people on that cross of wood and rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father and sent His Spirit and the His Kingdom is coming on earth as it is in heaven. I love that Saint Nicholas gave to the poor and now Coca-Cola has a chubby suited version of him on their soda cans. I love that candy canes are red and white and Christmas trees smell like a forgotten winter and that malls and movie theaters and billboards and signs scream the good news all in the name of a nice tradition. I love Christmas because it is an inescapable reality that Christ has come and conquered and that He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I love it for it's carols and gifts, it's incessant joy and piles of wrapping paper. I love that when it leaves it will comes again and Easter is on it's way. I love that it never leaves and it never will. I love that the broken, the busted, the filthy all made it into the story and was redeemed by the Son of God so that Christmas is Charlie Brown and "sore afraid", and manger scenes and family baking days, and shopping and laughter and new socks. I love how "Peace on Earth" is heard all around and yet people have no idea where that peace truly comes from. Yet when they sing "Joy to the World" they feel it for just a moment. That's why I love Christmas. This messy, broken and twisted world was redeemed by it's perfect, humble Creator and now every December 25th, the whole world sings about it, even when they try not to. Merry Christmas. Gloria in Excelsis Deo