The Real Christmas Gift

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas Eve tonight, I am mindful of the preparations that have most likely gone into making Christmas as beautiful and meaningful as we humanly can. What a special night! Families gather around the World to celebrate such a significant event!

If I’m honest, I am sometimes overwhelmed and puzzled as to what to get for whom. Does that happen to you, too? And yet, in all our pursuits of the perfect gifts, I am reminded that Christmas isn’t about just that. It’s more about recognizing and remembering the Real Gift that was given to us from Heaven. A gift of Love, Hope, Redemption, and, most of all, of Peace.

I am always amazed at the simplicity of Our Savior Jesus’ birth, Mary’s humility to be a vessel for such a Gift, and Joseph’s faith. Even the Wise Men search for the New King and the Shepherds who come to worship the newborn.

What does Christmas mean to you today?

For me, it’s remembering that Mary believed even if she didn’t have all the answers. Even if Joseph doubted how everything would pan out, he stayed on the path as the wise men sought the new King.

That’s such an excellent example at least for me. Sometimes, we don’t have all the answers, yet we believe. We don’t know how things will turn out, but we can stay on the path. And what a privilege to still seek God -each one in our own way.

Today, I was listening to the Priest say in mass: “Have you made room for Christmas in your heart?” And I was caught off guard because all the time, I thought I had Christmas down already. What a good question. Are you ready for Christmas to receive the Real Gift of Jesus’ love, mercy, Peace, and redemption?

I am so grateful for the good and the not-so-good times this year. For chances to learn, do good, grow, and share love, laughter, and dinners with our family and friends. And for what made me grow as well.

What about you? What are you grateful for this Christmas? What are you hoping for in your life as we close out this year and start the new one in a week? Let it be a great year in 2024. But let’s not forget the miracle of this one that, at any rate, brought us all the way to today.

Merry Xmas and a very Happy New Year

Maria A. Mansfield, Author