The sights: red and green; Christmas trees; sparkly gold; bustling shoppers; brightly-wrapped presents; children with eager faces.
The sounds: joyful carols; the oven door opening and shutting as you bake cookies; cheerful greetings; ripping tape from the tape dispenser so you can wrap gifts; excited voices.
The smells: cinnamon; gingerbread; pine; burning candles; crisp winter air.
The season: Christmas.
I love Christmas (can you tell?). I love everything about it. And I wish it were Christmas right now.
Instead, the days are still warm. Hot, even. The children have only been back in school for two weeks. I’ve only rounded up a couple of gifts.
But I wish it were Christmas now.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy summer and fall. I do. Each season has its own charm. I love the lazy days of summer and the brisk, cool days of fall. But I love Christmas more.
Three of the things I love most about Christmas are these: focusing on Jesus and His birth; getting to buy things for my family and friends and anticipating their delight when they open what I’ve purchased; and seeing everyone try to be just a little nicer at this special time of year.
As I sat thinking about these things I love, I realized something. True, Christmas is still three-and-a-half months away. But I can make it a little more like Christmas right now. All year round, actually.
The things I love most about Christmas can be created throughout the rest of the year as well. It’s not only at Christmas that I can focus on Jesus. I can make it a point to think about Him all year long. In fact, I not only can, but should. Why should my thoughts about how amazing it is that He came to earth be restricted to the month of December? Or why should it be only in December that I make it a point to think about Him? The answer, of course, is that it shouldn’t.
Neither should it be only in December that I try to do things for my family and friends that will delight them. This doesn’t mean that I always have to buy them things (though sometimes I might). But I can be purposeful in my efforts to surprise and delight my loved ones. Why should I think about giving them joy only in the month of December?
And being just a little nicer? Once again, something I can do all year long. It’s not only during Advent that I can be a little more patient, a little more generous, or a little more kind. Why not start now?
So it may not be Christmas yet, but it can be like Christmas. You see, that Child who was born more than 2,000 years ago made it possible for it to be Christmas in our hearts all the time—for our hearts to be filled with peace, love, joy, and generosity not just during one season but throughout the year.
Why wait for December 25th? Let it be Christmas now.
Luke 2:14—Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (KJV)
