While I was grocery shopping today, I heard the song “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! But why?
Is it because of the delicious food we eat and the extra pounds we add?
Is it because of family and friends we spend time with?
Is it because of the gifts we give and receive, or the festive decorations, or the beautiful Christmas music?
If those are the things that make Christmas the most wonderful time of the year, then what about the years when some of those things are absent? What about the Christmas that you have to spend alone, away from family because of circumstances out of your control? Or the first Christmas you spend after the death of a loved one and he or she is not there and your heart aches? What about the Christmas when finances are so tight that you don’t have the money to give gifts or cook a special Christmas dinner? Or the Christmas when you have received a diagnosis and you’re not sure you’ll be able to celebrate another Christmas on this earth?
Is it still the most wonderful time of the year?
Yes, it is—because the joy of Christmas is not dependent on the circumstances around us. The joy of Christmas comes from knowing the One whose name we say every time we repeat the word “Christmas” – Jesus Christ.
At Christmas we celebrate His birth—the birth of our Savior who came to this earth to die on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. It is the greatest gift that anyone has ever given. It never wears out; it lasts forever and becomes more precious every year. 
For all who have accepted this gift, Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year—because of Him, not our circumstances.
May this Christmas be the most wonderful time of the year for you because you know the One whose birth we celebrate.
Merry Christmas!
I’d love to hear from you: What is your favorite Christmas song?
