What is Christmas?

I had the privilege (insert sarcasm) of spending 4 hours in a tire store on Christmas Eve morning, waiting for brakes to get done. But, during that time I struck up conversations with different ones waiting and as always Preston was able to wow them. One man told me he's excited about Christmas this year because both of his sons will be with him, one of them in remission after a fight with leukemia. Another lady had a different story. She came in the shop with what she thought was a minor problem and was still there when I left, devastated that the repairs would cost well over $1000 and that she was going to have to miss work later. She talked about the stress that Christmas would be this year after her car repairs. I left in a reflective mood, thinking about Christmas and what it means to people. For some people it means money being spent that they don't necessarily have. Others think of crowds and hours of waiting in long lines. Some of my friends think of days in the kitchen, baking treats. Others think of the hours of decorating and putting everything away afterwards. I think of all these things but with a positive attitude because ultimately this special day is not about us but about Jesus' birth and spending time with loved ones. I look forward to Christmas every year.....listening to Christmas music all day every day for a month, putting a lot of thought into each gift I buy, talking to people as I wait in lines, spending hours sending out Christmas cards and then the clean up and putting away after Christmas is over. Each one of these tasks brings me joy in one way or another. I get frustrated with the "Ba Humbug" attitude that so many have because this is a time of year that is supposed to be filled with love, giving, and memories to last through the next year. It breaks my heart when people say they hate Christmas for one reason or another. This Christmas I urge you to think about all the great things that Christmas means instead of getting down because of money issues or because there are crowds. Use it as an opportunity to be thankful for what Christmas really means....Jesus and family and friends and traditions and wonderful lifelong memories!