It's that time once again - the Christmas Season

I must admit that Christmas is my favorite holiday. It's not because of the gifts - though I must admit I get such a kick out of Em's delight in opening her presents! It's because everything seems to have a softer, gentler glow about it. Bright lights lining the houses and streets, the delight of kids as they see Santa in the malls, the soft hush of a cold winter's night as a new blanket of snow covers the landscape, the quiet lull of a Christmas carol, the snap and pop of the logs in the fireplace and the glow of the firelight.

Last year I was incredibly disenchanted with Christmas. Probably because I was at the beginning of my divorce and everything seemed brittle and bitter and broken at that time. This year, it's the same commercialization out there, the same greed, but this year, it's also different. People are starting to fight back and take back Christmas from the politically correct naysayers and telling them to back off and just shut up already b/c we're sick and tired of you telling us what we can and can not do to celebrate Christmas (See my sidebar to the right under Nic's Christmas Corner to find out what your rights are at Christmas). For some reason, this Christmas just seems different to me and I can't really put my finger on it. Maybe it's because this Christmas, I'm not looking at the end of something, but rather the beginning of something else - my life. Maybe it's because this year I have hope again. Hope that the next year will be better than this past year has been.

I love this time of the year because instead of singing the regular night time songs and hymns to Em, she loves it when I sing Christmas carols and Christmas hymns to her. She asks for Silent Night, I'll Be Home for Christmas, O Holy Night, White Christmas, Oh Come All Ye Faithful and on and on. Christmas is the time of year when people, in general are kinder to each other, more generous in spirit and in giving. There are more acts of kindness to others, acts of selfless giving and sharing. Why can't it be like this year 'round instead of just Christmastime? If only people would look to the REAL Reason for the season instead of the materialistic ones, I believe that the world would be a lot better off. Christ is in CHRISTmas for a reason because without Christ all that is left is "mas" which means "more" and when we take Christ out of Christmas, all that we're left with is the greedy commercialization and expectation of bigger, better and more and that's not what Christmas - or life - is all about. You should want "Christ more" instead of just "more".

In honor of the start to the Christmas season, I recorded the first verse to Silent Night. I hope that you enjoy it and remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season: CHRISTmas.