The Night Before Christmas

As a child, I remember waiting each year for the classic Christmas story, The Night Before Christmas to be read to me. Mom always tucked the book away after Christmas, not bringing it out until mid-December. I sat on one side of Mom, and my sister on the other, and we listened to the story night after night.

Then in a flash of time, I found myself in adulthood reading it to my children. My voice had the same intonation as my mom’s when she’d read it to me.


My grandson was next as I read the famous story. Now he’s almost an adult.


I just read it to my granddaughter this year. Her great-grandmother’s voice came through my own as I recited the familiar words.




There is a perfect season in a child’s life when the hardest things to deal with are eating vegetables and having play time end. Children are the reason we do so much of what we do. We know that they depend on us, and even when it can be thankless, it’s purposeful. They are the next generation—the lives that will carry on after our own. 


So, as you celebrate in the ways you enjoy, I’ll tell you about my reason for celebrating this season. For me, it isn’t about Santa, or the gifts, it’s about Jesus, and the love and life he came to offer. In a world like ours, it’s not always easy to see the love. But it’s there.



When I think of that first Christmas, I can imagine those frightened shepherds when they were visited by a multitude of angels announcing the birth of Jesus. The angels didn’t visit the wealthy or the super religious—they came to the shepherds—the discriminated ones in their society. 


“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:9

The announcement was brought to the lowest—but it was good news for ALL the people.

And it still is good news.

That is the best story I can ever share. Merry Christmas, my friends.



Popular posts from this blog

Counting the Cost

Image
Something big is missing in this photo. Let me explain. Here in my hometown, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe prepared a parcel of land for a new hotel. Plenty of planning and architectural designs were evaluated. A gemstone of a hotel would be built across from the waterfront—a beautiful, restful place welcoming travelers. A true four-star facility.   They cleared the aging brick structures that had been fading away between Front Street and Railroad Avenue. Then the pandemic hit, shortages of labor and supplies, add in the costly inflation that followed. Everything stopped.   But this is what I admire about the Elwha Tribe: they have counted the cost. They didn’t want to move forward and take on tremendous debt. They would rather move slowly and be financially ready, rather than begin building and then letting it sit unfinished.   Counting the cost is something I should have done earlier in life when I didn’t know what high interest rates would do to our farming cost...
Read more

Summertime Music

Image
During the summer months, in an outside seating area, a delightfully painted piano sits with a sign that says, “Play me”.   It was just before 8 pm as I walked past the piano. My bus would be arriving soon, and I still have another ten minutes to walk before reaching my bus stop. But no one is around. It’s a beautiful warm evening. I pulled out the piano bench and sat down. The sun was behind me, and the piano keys reflected its glow. I had no music in front of me, only the songs within me. Notes drifted into the air.  In those brief moments, the magic of music and summer came together. Isn’t that how it is? Summertime music has a way of lingering in our minds and lasting a lifetime. As I stood and grabbed my things, I heard distant clapping—I guess I wasn’t alone, after all.
Read more

Planting Good Seeds

Image
Harvest will always depend on what we plant and how well we care for our crop.    Looking over my seed packets, I notice they’re different than the ones I planted before. One package is called Word seeds. The directions say that each of my words is a seed, so it cautions me to think before I speak. Harsh words don’t produce sweet, nourishing fruit. These seeds will require thoughtful care in the garden. I see some Volunteer seeds. Those extra hours I tend to fritter away are going to be planted in a useful project.   It looks like time isn’t wasted in this garden plot. Next are some Love seeds—the directions are interesting: get up each day and love others. No specifics are given—just do something for someone every day. The seed package shows pictures of smiling faces. I smile back. As I’m ready to head to the garden with my seeds, a package falls to the ground. I open it. Inside are the tiniest seeds I’ve ever seen—but the directions s...
Read more