Some years Christmas comes and goes with a sigh of relief. One more year you held it together and prevented a catastrophe of holiday proportions because you determined that no matter what, things went as planned. Conversations were controlled, everyone got what was on their wish list and a payment plan was set up.

 It can feel like a relief because the stuff we think makes Christmas can be put away and life can get back to normal again. Messes cleaned up, tree and trimmings put away and “who” got you “what” is a memory at best, but usually forgotten. There needs to be a better Christmas than this. Don’t you think?

 One of my favorite Christmas decorations is this little ceramic heart that says “Keep Christmas in Your Heart All Year Long.” A reminder that what Christmas can mean to us is a constant celebration of God’s love. Love that sent a Gift Who gave to us all we needed or could possibly want. A wish on the wish list that our soul craved but couldn’t satisfy with anything this world had to offer.

 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3: 16-17

 Stuart Briscoe wrote “The spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the difference in the world.”

 Whether you sense relief when all of this season is over or whether you feel downhearted that a special time of giving seems to be coming to its annual ending, you are not judged by me. I have experienced both, I confess. This is why I love this plaque all the more. I need the reminder that my Christmas is based on the Spirit of Christ – celebrating His coming as a baby, remembering His sacrifice to save me, rejoicing in the victory of His resurrection and watching for the second Advent, where He comes as King of Kings. All this is enough to make all days of the year worth celebrating.

 Have a Merry Christmas, everyone.  All. Year. Long.