Christmas is my absolute favorite season of the year. It always has been and always will be. I love putting up the tree and decorating it with the unmatching ornaments. The ones made by my kids, the ones I just thought were to cute to pass up, and of course it would not be complete without my Precious Moments ornaments.
But now, that Christmas day has come and the evening settles in, I get a little melancholy. Christmas always comes and goes so fast. This year as it comes to an end, however, I am filled with new thoughts. As a believer does Christmas really ever end? Doesn't the meaning live on in my heart? Shouldn't the joy I feel the urge to spread at Christmas continue on? It really should. The message of my Savior should not stop with the end of Christmas. His story goes on. It doesn't end at His birth. If it did, it wouldn't be so amazing.
What really makes Christmas amazing is the whole story. How my God came down one day and became a baby. He crawled, cried, and felt the touch of a mother's hand. He was rocked to sleep at night, and saw the same stars that I do now. He felt the warmth of the sun upon His skin and walked miles on hard dirt. Then He taught of His Father's love, and how to live life. He showed the way to everlasting life. He went through hard times, and had to say goodbye to loved ones. He saw the pain that this world brings. Then He paid the ultimate price and gave up His life for me. He willingly died so that I don't have, too. He paid the price for all my sins and set me free.
His life should be celebrated everyday. Songs should fill the air of His love all the time. Joy should ring out from sea to sea all year long. Christmas is just the beginning of the story, and it is not the end. So this Christmas even as I take down the decorations and pack them to be put away, Christmas will stay in my heart the whole year through. Joy will come each day, with each new dawn. I will celebrate my Savior's life each and every day. Won't you join with me and let Christmas live on. Have a blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
