The Reason for THIS Season

When it came to Christmas morning and the opening of the presents, my mother wanted us to go slowly. She wanted to keep an accurate record of who gave what to whom. That way, within the week, she could sit me down at the dining room table to write thank-you notes to various grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and god-parents. Even if I had seen them and said thank-you to their face, I was still expected to write a thank-you note.

The point of the list was to make the thank-you note seem sincere. I could say thank-you for this or that think (probably an ill-fitting shirt), rather than saying thank-you for “the gift” (a term meaning, I forgot what you gave me).

As a parent, I too wanted to make the list for exactly the same reason as my mother, but something even better revealed itself. I got to see their faces filled with joy, and sometimes indifference to be honest, as they opened their gifts. It was nice to slow down and just enjoy the moment.

It is nice to slow down and just enjoy the moment. Sometimes we are so eager to get somewhere we forget to just be where we are. We move so fast through this festive time that we forget why we are celebrating at all.

People say, “Jesus is the reason for the season,” and some numb-skull added that, “he is the reason for every season.” Well true, but the point is that amidst all the clatter and glitter, Jesus is the reason for THIS season. And what Jesus does for us has little to do with Santa, sales or snow. What Jesus does for us is he brings the world salvation and he does so because of God’s tremendous, overflowing love for each and every one.