What is Christmas really about?

   Is it about the gifts?

Lights?

Santa?

Food?

How about none of the above. I’ve been trying to think of a way to express to you all what Christmas means to me. Recently, I was listening to a Christmas song called “You’re Here” by Francesca Battistelli. If you haven’t heard it, here it is:

Did you listen to it? I mean really listen? I believe it is written to be from the perspective of Mary. But the lyrics give us a beautiful picture of what Christmas really is. While Mary was the mother of Jesus; she’s a lot like us. She wasn’t perfect…she wasn’t God…she was human. She was a human that was called to do something extraordinary. Can you imagine Mary singing this song over Jesus? I can.

One of my favorite parts is the heartbeat of Christmas:

            “You could have left us on our own, but You’re Here”

Jesus could have not come down to Earth. God didn’t need us, we need Him. God could have decided not to deal with us but He sent Jesus down to be born of a virgin and in a lowly manger. He could have left us. He could have left us alone and on our own with no hope. But, He’s here. Because He is here, we have Christmas. We celebrate Christmas because God didn’t leave us alone. Because God is here, we celebrate and rejoice. Those tiny hands in the manger were later stretched out to save us all.

This Christmas, I am so thankful that God didn’t leave us on our own. I’m thankful I have a real reason to celebrate during the season. I’m thankful that we have a God that is here and present in our lives.

Wishing you a merry day, XO Hilary