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Christmas is a day that is meant to be shared.  My earliest memories of Christmas as a child are of a house full of family (about 15 people from my Dad’s side), a huge dinner with turkey and all the trimmings, and enough good conversation and card games to carry us into the evening, when we would go to my Grandmother’s (mom’s side) house for more good Christmas cheer.

This would all take place on Christmas Eve.   Later it would be off to bed because bright and early the next morning (usually 6am) we’d be right back up to open the gifts that had appeared under the tree.

Now, my cousins next door used to open their gifts on Christmas Eve and I decided one year that this idea would work well in the Baker house, too.  So I plotted to convince my parents to go along with it.  I woke up at 1:45am on Christmas Day morning, went into the bathroom and set my watch ahead to 6am.  Then I went in and woke up my parents and showed them the time.

Looking back across the years and reflecting on this dastardly plot I have no idea why they didn’t look at the clock radio in their bedroom, because had they done this, my plan would have been foiled.  I do remember my Dad saying “Already?  It seems like we just got to bed!”

But downstairs we went (my brother was still sleeping!) and I got two or three gifts opened before my father looked at his watch and saw the real time.  He and my mom exchanged looks and just smiled and shook their heads.  They let me finish the job before we went back to bed.  One year later, we were opening our gifts on Christmas Eve.

Mission accomplished!

As I got older though, and life’s natural cycle started reducing the size of our family (we’ve now lost everyone on my father’s side including my dad and a whole generation on my mom’s side), the annual Christmas Eve dinner party began shrinking from a bustling house full of adults (and my brother and me), to a much smaller and more intimate gathering.

That’s when I realized the true meaning and spirit of Christmas.  The day is still special in its own way, but it’s not the same.  I miss the controlled chaos of all the people being around the house, talking and sharing the day with each other. The memories are priceless though.

I have learned from that to never take people in my life for granted and to appreciate giving much more than receiving.

When you’re young, you just assume your family and friends are always going to be a part of your life.  As time goes on and reality sets in, you start to understand how important it is to spend as much time with those you love as possible and to always remind them of how you feel about them because you never know how long you’re going to have them around.

Christmas time for me now carries a much deeper meaning.  I have taken some major steps in my spiritual walk over the past couple of years, rededicating my life to Jesus Christ and being baptized in my Christian church.

I have always understood the true meaning of the day to the extent that my Catholic upbringing instilled in me and I have always loved the old hymns of faith more than the “Santa songs”.  I will treasure the memories of My Dad and I listening and singing to Connie Francis’ Christmas album when I was young.  I am moved to this day by the choir in the background and her amazing voice.

I still have that on CD, and it brings me back to the old days of snow coming down outside my house and all the decorations we had being lit.  I now enjoy many of the more contemporary singers and Christmas songs and I really enjoy hearing our worship band at church as they lead us each and every Sunday.

This year though, I believe my heart, soul, and mind are more right with what December 25^th signifies than ever, and I am humbled daily by God’s power and his love for us.  The pastors and my church family at Christ Community Church mean everything to me, and my eyes have been truly opened to the awesome wonder of the journey that God takes us on if we simply believe and activate our faith on a daily basis.

I thank God every day for his blessings, and for the lessons he teaches me through my trials and tough times in life.  I thank him for my family and for my church family.  I thank him for giving me the talents and skills to make a difference for others and put a smile on their faces.

I thank him for the opportunities to help others throughout the year, especially at Christmas time.  It’s hard to put into the words the feeling that I get knowing I’ve given someone else the chance to feel as loved and blessed as I do in this time of joy and celebration.

Material things mean little without people in your life who love and care about you.  You will be judged not on what you have, but on who you are and what you’ve done in service to others…in service to God.

I have a long way still to go in the growth of my faith, but I will take that journey one day at a time, one step at a time.

O Holy Night!  The stars are brightly shining!  It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!