I heard a story about a grandmother who was tired of Christmas shopping for all of her grandchildren, so she did something different. Instead of buying them a gift, she just wrote each one a check. She sent each grandchild a Christmas card with a note inside that said: “Buy your own Christmas presents this year.”
But she forgot to put her check in the cards, so the grandchildren opened an empty envelope that said, “Buy your own Christmas presents this year.” Oops. The children were a little miffed at their grandmother until she found out about her mistake and sent the checks to them.
Unfortunately, we sometimes forget important things. During this season of the year, we sometimes forget what the celebration of Christmas is all about. We sometimes forget who it is all about.
I remember hearing a commercial some time ago that cried out, “Get into the Christmas spirit, come to Joe’s Lounge.” Seriously? To find the Christmas spirit we must go to a lounge?
As we celebrate Christmas this year, I want to encourage us to try to keep our focus on the One the holiday is really all about: Jesus of Nazareth. The birth of this baby in Bethlehem changed the history of the world. Let’s not forget who the celebration is about!