Christmas Best Time of Year

By Shawn Harper, Guest Writer

Christmas is the best time of the year. It’s the time for baked goodies of all kinds, beautiful lights, and music, candles, and cards. We display special mementos, hang cherished ornaments on the tree, and we see some incredible stuff
in some peoples yards.

This is the time of year for eggnog and evergreens, family portraits, long lines in stores, long distance phone calls to plan a family get together, and fruit cake. We like kissing under the mistletoe, poinsettias, ribbons and bows,

The retailers depend upon this shopping season, and the health of the economy is measured
by the shoppers dollars. The newspapers are extra heavy with advertisements, it’s time for shopping and saving the receipts.

UPS people work way past dark, senior citizens are thrilled when people come visit the nursing home, and Salvation Army bell ringers collect
precious money for a worthy cause. Children try to be well behaved, and they love to help decorate the Christmas tree in anticipation of deliveries from Santa Claus.

A Christmas tree can mesmerize us, and hypnotize us, and hearken us back to a special memory of a certain Christmas. This is the time of the year that we look back and remember, and we look forward, and hope for a better year to come.

At Christmas time peoples hearts and minds are more receptive and more open with feelings and expressions of love. It’s what we call the ‘Spirit of Christmas’.

Despite the hustle and bustle in stores and parking lots, regardless of the to and fro of hectic holiday schedules. we have not forgotten the reason for this season. Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem.

His birth was foretold by prophets, announced by heavenly angels, and marked by a new star in the night sky.

The 1st Christmas was the bell rung in the center of time, the difference between B.C. and A.D.

Jesus was born as, and is known to the entire Christian world as, the light, the life, and the hope of the world. Our redeemer- Our Savior.

As a boy Jesus taught the church leaders, the priests & the Pharisees. As a man he calmed the stormy seas & walked on water. He fasted for 40 days and He fed five thousand people with only two fishes and 5 loaves of bread. He healed the blind the diseased the lame & the sick.

Jesus never commanded an army or a navy,
never traveled far from home, never had a smart-phone. He never had a face-book page or a Twitter account, never went to college
and He lived only 33 years, but his name is known world wide.

He founded the greatest kingdom ever known
and the only blood He shed was His own. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the greatest hero of all time. And wise men still seek him.

For Christmas and during this next New Year
We can do things to make our world a better place.

We can oppose lies with truth, and counteract foolishness with reverence. We can oppose foul behavior with good deeds & acts of kindness,
and oppose immorality with our traditional values.

Let’s replace gossip with words of cheer and goodwill, and negate selfishness with generous charitable giving. Charity never fails.

Most of all, we can heed the greatest commandment- Love one another.
Merry Christmas.