Unlike many, the holiday season doesn’t officially begin at Halloween, since for me, this season holds a very sacred place. Thanksgiving opens the season by causing us to pause, in gratitude for all of God’s blessings. We then enter the season of waiting and preparation for the coming of the holy child, Jesus Christ. This season of Advent, the first season on the Christian calendar, is four weeks in which we focus on the four themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy and love. The twelve days of Christmas then follows, after which the season of Christmastide enters in.
By the time you read this message, the gratitude, preparation, celebration and cleanup of Thanksgiving will have already occurred. Let’s settle ourselves now and begin to prepare in a deeper way, to absorb the real meaning of what Christmas should mean to us. I hope you will join my family in reading the book of Luke for the month of December so that by Christmas Eve, the decorations, wrappings, tinsel and other accoutrements that accompany the pagan roots of Christmas to take a back seat to the true meaning of this sacred season. From our home to yours, may you and your family be blessed beyond measure, during this most sacred season.