Christmas Past and Present

Tonight I find myself a bit nostalgic. I'm remembering past Christmases and giving silent thanks to my God for all He has given me through the years.

I remember Christmas in Minnesota when I was young. My eldest sister came over with my brother in law, their car overflowing with presents. I always obsessed by ordering them beneath the tree in bunches as to whom they were for and I was always in charge of handing them out after dinner. 

As like many families, my parents made a huge DELICIOUS dinner and after tasting tidbits here and there all afternoon, I was barely hungry when dinnertime came, but stuffed myself in spite of it.

This year, will be our first with Caleb, and I am so, SO excited. My family has never been much of the present-y kind, at least not much since we grew up and learned Santa didn't exist. Which is, by the way, one of the BIGGEST disappointments in my life. 

Last year my husband and I didn't even put up a tree. Caleb has changed so many things. It's so wonderful.

So this year, our Tree is up, the presents are wrapped and under the tree. Christmas dinner will be at my parents' house and it'll be the first with 2 babies at home. 

All the while, I'm missing my other three sisters that still live in the U.S.A., their husbands and my niece and nephews. 

But God is so good. And we have SO MUCH to be thankful for. 

First and foremost, the birth of my savior, Jesus Christ.

Between all the food, lights, music, presents and family, we MUSTN'T forget the REAL meaning of Christmas. 

A beautiful blog I follow, wrote about this Bible Verse:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 

but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, 

he humbled himself 

and became obedient to death -

even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:5-7

Quoting Mandy's blog, she says:

"When God became flesh, He wasn't welcomed into the world with much fanfare.  Instead, the Creator began His dwelling among His created as a tiny baby born in a stable.  It was a humble beginning, followed by a humble life and a humble death.  And, it was that willingness to be broken...to be killed...by the ones He made that made eternal life possible for us. "

Let us not forget this. EVER. Christmas is the celebration of Jesus's birth. That He made himself man. He made himself NOTHING, so that we could live by eternal life. 

Many non-believers (and even some believers) say that we shouldn't celebrate because it isn't the actual date Christ was born. To them I say, well no, because we don't have and exact date. But if YOU celebrate your birthday (or any other occasion) at another date than the actual one, does this disregard the meaning of the celebration? No.  

Please celebrate Him. Please remember what He is (our Savior), who He is (GOD), and why He died for you (LOVE), and rejoice in Him. 

Look around at what you have. Health, home, family, food etc. And remember that if He had not come. NONE of what you have, would have meaning. Your life would have began and ended here on earth. But it is BECAUSE He came, BECAUSE He was born, that life is not shackled to this earth, but we have the hope of an eternal life. 

Merry Christmas everyone. =) 

You can check out more of Mandy's blog HERE.