True Meaning of Christmas

Recently, during an email exchange with a co-worker, we were discussing the upcoming holidays and how we were excited, but at the same time not so excited about them. We started talking about Thanksgiving recipes and what we were planning to make, how much we were going to eat and how bad we would feel after eating so much.  After that, the topic of Christmas came up.  I told my friend that out of all of the holidays, “X-mas” is the one that I look forward to the least. I shared that I am actually dreading that the holiday is right around the corner.  I am not looking forward to all the rushing, the stress and, of course, spending money.  First, she corrected me that it is not “X-Mas,” it is Christmas.  She then wrote me the following email:

“To me, Christmas is about hope, a light shining in the dark, the birth of a Savior.  If you focus on the true meaning of Christmas, it’s always good.  J We’ve just gotten so far away from the true meaning of Christmas, it’s become something else not even close to what it is supposed to be.  It’s really about God making a way for sinful people to come back into fellowship with Him.  After the sin of Adam and Eve, all generations that followed (including us) were separated from God because of sin.  When Christ came, He became the sacrifice God required to forgive our sin.  So, Christ made it possible for us to be forgiven and to have fellowship with God again.”

I almost cried after I read this email.  It made me think and think hard.  I immediately felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  I began to think of Christmas for the right reasons.  Most of us, I think, get all wrapped up in the spending and the gifts so much that we lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas.  I thanked my friend for this true gift.  It is most certainly the best gift that I will receive this holiday season.