With ever day that passes, the excitement grows.
The anticipation is almost overwhelming and I’m struggling to contain it.
I can’t seem to sit still; my mind roams in a thousand different directions; my heart swells to almost overflowing with the sights, the sounds, the smells.
CHRISTMAS!
Oh sure, it feels crazy and we can get lost in the craziness. Lost in the never ending barrage of TV commercials, ringing of bells, running here and there to find just the right gift, and yet…
And yet, somewhere among all the madness there’s a little something that continues to tug on our heart strings.
Listen
Do you hear it?
It’s the whisper of what is to come. What has come. What is yet to be.
This time of year the hustle and bustle can shuffle us into getting caught up in our heads. I know it happens to me. My mind pushes me towards all I need to do, gifts I need to buy, places I need to get to and so much more, and yet…
And yet, my heart hears the whisper.
The whisper of hope.
Hope.
Not in what Christmas has become but in the hope of who.
Not in where I need to be, what I need to do, what I want to give.
No, a hope in a gift so long ago.
A gift like no other.
A gift that tells me I am free. I am forgiven. I am loved.
Christmas.
Listen
Do you hear it?
It’s the coming of the Messiah….he’s waiting for you
Just Bits and Pieces 
When I lived abroad the was a feeling of Christmas.I guess the cold and snow of London helped but in South Africa it is not so much so.I miss those Christmas memories.
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I can relate to the weather playing a part in how we experience Christmas. It has been unseasonably warm here in Ohio and it has made it difficult to ‘get in the spirit’.
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Thank you for this lovely post. I love Christmas. It’s definitely a time of hope. I am blessed to have a wonderful family to spend this special time with and for that I am forever grateful.
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I am thankful you have family to spend Christmas with too! I would love to hear how you celebrate together.
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I finally came to a place where I could separate the commercialism from the true meaning. Now they go hand in hand, to a degree, what with Santa Claus obligations and such… But, I really get your meaning. You are on a good path.
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Thanks for the words of encouragement! I think I too am finding the balance between Santa and the true meaning I long for!
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Even though I am not really religious, your writing touches emotions^^…I guess for me Christmas is simply all about family and love, a reason to spent time with our loved ones and just forget our daily struggles for a short time…I celebrate Christmas maybe for other reasons, but the message never changes…it’s a time of peace and love (well at least that is what it should be)..thanks for the post =)
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Sabine, I think it’s okay that you’re not religious. I’m a firm believer that it isn’t about religion but about relationship. Sounds like you have that down pat! 🙂
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