White Christmas

This is about the most snow that we've had so far...and it's already melted. I've heard that as of right now it doesn't look like it'll be a white Christmas for us. It doesn't feel quite like the middle of December when the ground it bare and it's 35 degrees out!

I feel that sometimes I let things other than the real meaning define Christmas. A light and fluffy layer of snow. Presents under the tree. Christmas decorations. Baking sweet treats. Time of fellowship with family and friends. While all of these things are fun and are a part of the Christmas season, they really aren't what defines it. The true meaning of Christmas was found lying in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. The true meaning is God's precious gift to us - His Son.

If someone handed me a prettily wrapped present, what would you think if I thanked them for it, admired the beautiful wrapping paper, and then set it on a shelf where I could look at it? You would probably think that I had forgotten about the actual present! But how often do we do the same thing with Christmas? I think that sometimes we forget that decorations, snow, and presents are only glitter and glamor of the wrapping paper. We get so caught up in the wrapping paper that we miss the real gift.

It may seem a little bit different if we don't have a white Christmas, but that's ok. It's not the reason we celebrate. I don't want to get so caught up in the things that are simply a layer of wrapping that I miss the true present.