It's Christmas Time and I am Happy

Well, it is Christmas eve and we have already had our Family Christmas gathering. It was so good to have all of my children and their families present. They've all left now and I trust have arrived safely at their homes where they are busy with final preparations for Christmas morning and all the surprises it may hold for the children.

Truth is, that while we do a good bit of gift giving and eating the thing that Christmas does more for me than anything else is that it bring family together. There is nothing that brings more joy to me than to have my family gathered in one place and interacting with one another. I just sit back and enjoy the time together and thank God for His blessing.

Sadly, I recently read a post from someone who just could not get into the spirit of Christmas because it reminded him of his father who had passed away. I thought, "How sad." Now don't miss understand me. I too have my moments of melancholy as I miss the faces of Christmases past. Too be sure I'd love to gather once more with my parents and their brothers and sisters for a Christmas celebration. But that is not to be.

However, rather than diminishing my celebration their memory enhances my Christmas experience. In some ways they are here. Not physically but their presence is real none-the-less. The memories of them and the experiences we shared are always a part of my Christmas.
In my mind their absence is not much different than when my father was away from home at Christmas fighting a war in Europe from 1942-1945. He was far from home with the danger of never returning but was not forgotten. He was remembered with the expectation that he would one day return and celebrate with his family this most wonderful of occasions.

My Mom and Dad are gone now and have been for many years and yet they are as fresh in my heart and mind as if I had just seen them yesterday. In some mysteriously spiritual way I have.

Do I miss their physical presence? Certainly I do! I miss them more than words can express. Do allow their physical absence to rob me of my present joy? Absolutely not! . . . nor would they want me to do so. They spent a very large portion of their earthly journey securing my happiness and well being and would want nothing less for me even though they are not here physically. And, like I said, in some mysterious and spiritual way they are here and they are contributing to the occasion.

Besides, as a Christian I know that he who believes in the Jesus whose birth we celebrate at Christmas will live, even though he dies; and everyone who lives and believes in him will never die.

You see, we are sad because they are physically not present. However, we are made glad in our sorrow knowing that being absent from the body does not mean dead it means they have relocated. They are alive and well in the presence of God. This is why I rarely speak of my loved ones who have departed this life in the past tense. They are not dead nor are they lost. They are more alive than ever and I know exactly where they are. And the glorious part of all this is I will some day join them and it will be as though we'd never been parted.

So I celebrate Christmas by enjoying my family and loved ones who gather around warmed by the memories of those with whom I have celebrated it in the past and buoyed by the expectation of a wonderful family reunion where together we assemble to celebrate the Lord of Christmas, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, in His Father's house.

Strangely as it may seem this is probably why my favorite Christmas song is not a carol or even a religious song but rather a song recorded by Bing Crosby in 1943 entitled, I'll be home for Christmas. You see, wherever I am I'll be with the people I love at Christmas time.

Merry Christmas to All and to all Goodnight!