Every January when I take down the Christmas tree and other holiday decorations, I let out a sigh of relief and think to myself, “Well, that’s done, and I don’t have to think about it again for 10 months.” What a sad conclusion to what should be one of the most joyous times of the year. 

It’s not that I don’t like Christmas. In fact, I love Christmas. I love it so much it doesn’t bother me at all when Hobby Lobby puts out its Christmas wares in September. I love taking leisurely strolls up and down the aisles planning on how I’m going to decorate for the holidays. 

Even before the leftovers from Thanksgiving have been consumed, I will set up my artificial Christmas tree and pull out my other holiday decorations to create a festive holiday atmosphere in my home. 

I will spend hours on Amazon (or as we like to call it “Amaclause") shopping for my children and grandchildren. Packages will arrive almost daily, and I will set about wrapping and meticulously arranging bows on them before carefully placing them under the tree (one cannot place two presents with the same wrapping paper beside each other).

Baking cookies and other holiday treats is another part of the holiday I truly love. I also enjoy cooking and inviting friends and family to my house to have a meal and just sit around the table to talk, share stories, and laugh. 

Then there are all the wonderful things happening at church. This year, “The Streets of Bethlehem” will once again take life in the hallways and classrooms of Alliance Church. 

In addition to home and church activities, many people will also have office parties, school concerts, and plays to attend. There are those who will have out-of-town family visiting as well. 

WHAT CHAOS! 

While all of the festivities are fun, often the busyness and chaos of the season leaves us exhausted. The reason we celebrate can also be lost in all of the activities. 

I get so wrapped up in doing the “things” of Christmas that it isn’t until Christmas Eve that I finally focus on the “why” of Christmas. 

400 years. It had been 400 years since God had last spoken to his people through the prophets. The Jews of the time had been under the rule of the Persians, the Greeks (Hellenists), the independent Hasmonean kings, and finally the Roman Empire. It was during the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire that God broke his silence. 

God first sent a messenger to Zechariah. Gabriel told Zechariah his wife Elizabeth would become pregnant and give birth to a son Zechariah was to name John. I cannot even begin to understand Zechariah’s fear and skepticism upon learning this revelation. But skeptic he was, and the Lord muted him until the time Elizabeth gave birth to John (Luke 1:5-20, 64).

God then sent the same messenger to the town of Nazareth to tell Mary she had been favored, and she would bear God’s own son, the Messiah (Luke 1:26-38).

It is a marvel! Some 2000 years ago, God sent his Son to be the final sacrificial lamb that would bring all who believed in him back into relationship with the Lord. For this reason, even now in 2024, Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas. It is a time to reflect on just how magnificent the gift of Jesus is. 

This season amidst the chaos of trimming the tree, hanging lights, baking cookies, and attending parties and functions, I am setting aside time every day to reflect on the incredible significance the Christmas holiday represents. As John the Baptist said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).

It is my prayer and hope during this season, you will also set the chaos aside and spend some reflective moments remembering why we celebrate Christmas.