A Curious Christmas

Well, here it is, Christmas Day. And it really is a different kind of Christmas. For one thing, it is warm, very warm for Christmas (no complaints here!). Gotta love South Carolina in December. Secondly, no kids. Sad, really, that they are so far away. But it helps to know that they are having a good day, a really good day, opening gifts and enjoying all that Christmas has to offer in the eyes of a child. No worries for them about the economy, or having to go back to work, nothing that would diminish the excitement of the day. No gifts under the tree. We had decided last month that some cosmetic work to the kitchen would be our gift to each other, we both complied...no gifts. Sort of sad, really. Quiet day, laid back, kind of nice, but something missing. But then I begin, in the quiet, to think about the real, I mean the REAL, meaning of Christmas and enjoy the ability to think about what I really do have that all of the hustle and bustle of the "normal" Christmas would have taken away. I have the simplicity of knowing that I have the greatest gift of all. I have the presence of an almighty God that came to earth as one of us....I can almost hear the clip-clop of camels, smell the fragrance of the gifts, feel the rough surface of the manger, hear Mary softly singing a lullaby. There is something to be said for such a curious Christmas. One that takes me to the Word and to the Christmas story. I will soon be seeing the kids, sharing their excitement and complaining about the cold weather. I love Christmas and all that it brings, but I

give thanks this year, to God, that is is just Him and me, unwrapping the Greatest Gift of All...