Merry Christmas to you all!
What a privilege to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
This will be my third Christmas since Terry died. Do the holidays get easier? For me the answer is a definite, "yes." My first Christmas without him was undoubtedly the most difficult. For one thing, the days leading up to Christmas felt uncertain because I wasn't sure how I was going to feel when Christmas actually did arrive. To be sure, I had my moments of tears and sadness as I looked at the tree and saw our family-picture ornaments from years gone by. And nobody could clean the Christmas turkey like Terry; he always peeled the potatoes too. And I remember how much he enjoyed filling the Christmas stockings. That was always his job and although I have taken over that responsibility, I know that I am lacking in originality and quantity. I think my family understands though. Once I made it through that first Christmas, I knew I would be okay; I could face the future.
My focus is not really on the gifts but the giver, Jesus Christ, who came in a very humble fashion to live a perfect life and then to die to redeem us from sin. Because of Him, we can have eternal life if we choose to say "Yes" to Jesus. He is absolutely our greatest gift. And that is something to celebrate!