A New Christmas, A New Me

I've been enjoying these Christmas memories and traditions that everyone has shared. I have plenty of my own, like my newborn brother being brought home from the hospital on Christmas Eve after the nurses had placed him in a stocking for a picture. Or when my sisters and brother (and me, of course) all had chicken pox during Christmas break. Or recently when my own 3-year-old put her toy dinosaur in the manger scene so they could all "play".

Those memories reminded me that Christmas is about family. But not until recently did I view Christmas as something greater.

When I was a kid, I never went to church. I don't remember seeing a Bible in the house. We never said grace before meals, not even at Christmas. If you had asked me about God, I would have said I think he exists. And nothing more than that. I didn't know anything more than that. Not about a tiny baby sent to us on Christmas or the lives he would touch throughout his. I didn't know about a great sacrifice that would bring me salvation one day.

I didn't know Jesus.

At least not until five years ago.

That's a whole other story, nothing incredibly amazing in the grand scheme of things but obviously a very important time in my life.

Now, when my family celebrates Christmas, not only is there the excitement of family and presents and Santa, there's a celebration for the birth of our savior. Whether we have ham for dinner or meatloaf, while we're saying our blessing, we can thank a faithful God who sent his son for us. And whether we get four hundred gifts or none, we can remember we got the greatest gift of all.

Even better, this gift lasts the whole year, every day of our lives. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and I don't know about you, but I look forward to a new year with all this in mind. Happy New Year!