I Love Christmas!

I love this time of year! I love the snow (however, not the cold... can't it be warm and still snow???). I love wearing layers and layers of clothes to "try" and stay warm. I love curling up by the heater with a big blanket covering the vent. I love the lights and decorations. I love buying the gifts and wrapping them up in pretty packages, and the excitement of waiting to give that present. I love spending extra time with family. I love the good food and parties. I love saying, "Santa's watching you," and getting an instant behavioral response. I love the excitement in my children's eyes when they see the lights and get caught up in the small moments.





But do you know what I love the best about Christmas? The name says it all. Christmas is about Christ. It is about the celebration of my Savior's birth, and his willingness to come down to earth. It is about the beauty of Mary holding her son in her arms for the first time, knowing he was the Chosen Savior, and feeling that love that comes with a new birth. Can you imagine what she must have felt? She knew what He was to become one day, and she must have felt the unimaginable weight that it held. Or do you suppose she could feel nothing but love and be so wrapped up in the moment that she pushed those thoughts away? I can only imagine the tears the filled her eyes with awe at what she was to be responsible for.

It is about a humble carpenter, who was to be the surrogate father to the Son of God. I am sure he fell in love as soon as he touched his tiny hands. Do you think he counted to make sure there was all ten toes? Did he worry about the day that he knew would come in another thirty years?

It also about the Father that watched from Heaven, as he gave his greatest gift to mankind, his Son. Do you think his eyes filled with tears of pure joy or pain?

It is about the small infant, the gift, who was purely innocent and opened His eyes for the first time. I wonder what he knew in those moments, and what he remembered. And I can not help think of that baby that would grow into the man... Jesus, the Christ, the Savior of Man. How I love Him, and what He did for me... and how much He loves me. So perfect. So beautiful.

And that is what makes Christmas, Christmas.



("Be It Unto Me" painted by Liz Lemon Swindle)