Christmas Babies

I was a Christmas Eve baby.

I turn another year older, every year, on December 24.

If I had a dime for every time someone commented about my Christmas Eve birth date while looking at my driver's license, I could go ahead and retire right now.

It is a unique thing. Most people are not born on Christmas Eve. I am part of a small circle of people when it comes to the date of my birth. And, in a way, that is one of the fun things about having a birthday that starts with the numbers 12/24.

On the other hand, after awhile, it isn't so much fun when the day which is supposed to be all about you is, instead, all about something else entirely...every single year.

Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas Eve.

I would love Christmas Eve even if it wasn't my birthday. Christmas Eve should always be a special day. It should always be a meaningful day. Many of my most wonderful childhood memories revolve around Christmas Eve.

I just wish that my own special and meaningful day was a little farther removed from it, that's all. I think, if I had the choice, I would like my birthday to be in June instead.

Why?

Well, let's just say, it is hard to compete.

When I grew up, our Christmas Eve celebration was HUGE. Everyone on my Dad's side of the family gathered at Aunt Margaret's house, and after a delicious dinner, we would start opening presents...and opening presents...and opening presents...one-by-one...everyone taking their own individual turn. By the time it was over, the house looked like it had been hit by a bomb.

Then, everyone (and I mean everyone) would drive over to our house, where we would start all over again...opening more presents.

After that, everyone (yes, everyone) would drive to my grandparent's house, where we would all open still more presents.

Sometime after midnight, Mom, Dad, and my sister and I would wind our way back home, with a trunk full of toys and dreams of what Santa Claus would put under our tree the next morning.

I wish everyone could have the kind of Christmas Eve experiences I had as a child.

There was just one little thing that always sort of nagged at me during all of the eating, and driving, and gift opening, and laughing, and talking, and celebrating...

...in the midst of all of that Christmas Eve frenzy, what happened to my birthday? Basically, it just got lost.

Not that it was forgotten. My family never forgot my birthday. It was more like it just got blown away in the swirl of Christmas, like a new-fallen snowflake that lands for just a moment on your window pane before a blast of winter wind sweeps it away.

My birthday would land for just a moment on Christmas Eve, before getting blasted by the hustle and bustle of Christmas.

As I look around today, I think Jesus knows exactly how I felt back then.

Because His birthday is getting lost in the craziness of Christmas too.

It goes something like this...

...you start shopping early to get the best bargains; get the outdoor lights up before the weather turns bad; buy the cards and the stamps, write the cards and address the envelopes and don't forget to put them in the mail; get the tree, put it up, decorate it and decorate the inside of the house too, wrap the gifts and get them in the mail, go see the Nutcracker or "A Christmas Carol" or at least a Christmas movie and besuretobuythegroceriesandmakethecookiesandbakethe piesandgoseeSantaandhisreindeerandtakeadrivetolookatlightsandcleancleancleanthehousefor
companyandtrytogettochurchandcookamealthatwon'tsoonbeforgottenandopenthepresentsand
thencleanitallupandputitallawayforanotheryear!

That is a lot of competition for Jesus.

The day which is supposed to be all about Him has become, instead, all about something else entirely...every single year.

He even gets lost at the stores right now. Go out and try to find an outdoor Nativity display in a major chain store this year. We have been looking for one and cannot find it at any of the "big" stores.

According to a clerk at K-mart, they just "didn't get any in this year."

Interesting. You can buy plenty of snowmen, and reindeer, and carolers by the dozen. No problem finding trees, or candy canes, or even stars.

But, try to get your hands on a Nativity scene. You know, the one with the baby Jesus who was born on the day after Christmas Eve. You will probably find, as we have, that they just "didn't get any in this year."

Actually, I think we should move Jesus' birthday to sometime in June. Keep Christmas Eve on December 24 and Christmas Day on December 25 with all of the same fantastic frenzy surrounding them.

But, let's commemorate the day when God came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem in June, when He won't get lost and blown away by the arctic blast that has become Christmas.

Maybe then, people will pay more attention to this message that was meant to change the world by changing human hearts...


...I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)


The amazing thing is that the baby of Bethlehem grew up to become the Christ on the cross.

Don't let Him get lost and swept away in your Christmas this year.


May love and joy be yours at Christmas and always,


Pastor Greg