What Christmas means to me....

The season of Christmas has begun and the expectation to celebrate the day and the hearts filled with anticipation for gifts can be found everywhere. The season is upon us when many people view the day we call Christmas as a special time to celebrate the last holiday of the year.

Just weeks ahead for this wonderful day, you can find people shopping in malls for a perfect gift for their loved ones. Even if the mall is crowded or if they have to wait in queues taking a lot of their time, you still can see nothing but happiness in their face.

You can see the families decorating their homes with Christmas tree and lights. Some might plan for an extraordinary lunch or dinner for this special day and some families might plan for a trip to travel to have a family celebration. Even children would wait for the day with expectation for surprise they will get to unwrap.

But what does Christmas really mean to you? What is the celebration really about? Is it more about an outer celebration or is it more inner and close to you?

I'm sure that each individual will have a different aspect to the questions asked. And I guarantee there is no right or wrong answer because it all depends on where in life one is as to how they will respond.

For me, I see Christmas far different today than I did ten years ago, even five years ago. I admit I went the traditional route for a long time decorating the house and giving gifts in order to give my family the special day that was expected.

Now, years later, after I started to live away from home, I now have found myself to have a deeper and inner celebration. Its not just the things that you give makes people happy. But the smallest of the small things that you do for someone shows the real love for them. For instance the star I lit up this Christmas buy for my daughter (because it her favorite) glitters a thousand stars in her eyes every time she sees it. When you do things that make people feel happy at its best, you have the inner celebration. For me, not just on this day but everyday is special to me.

Still, somehow Christmas remains a bit more special because it marks the birth date of my Lord and Savior. I will continue to look at this day as spirit filled and to be exceedingly grateful that Christ was born. This day called Christmas has taught me how much more to be happy and to make others happy for all things and all people.

“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” - 1 John 4 : 9-10