Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! The stockings are hung carefully over the fireplace; the presents are neatly wrapped and complete with a bow; the tree is decorated with an array of childhood memories and expired cookie ornaments. Everyone seems to be in a rush to make everything just perfect for the holidays. People are traveling, the houses are streamed with Christmas lights, and smiles appear from the most random of places.

…But then, you get this deep pit-like feeling in your stomach that something just isn’t quite right. It does not matter how many presents you bought, how many people you have over, or how beautiful Santa’s cookies are, the satisfaction of Christmas does not seem existent. That pure happiness that came with the holidays as a child seems to be dissipating.

What changed? Maybe not everyone is home for Christmas this year. Maybe you lost a loved one and Christmas just reminds you of that missing link. Maybe you are dealing with family strife. Maybe you are feeling alone and are saddened by everyone else’s ‘perfect’ holiday.

Or maybe, just maybe, you have forgotten what Christmas is really about. Or maybe, you never knew what it was about in the first place…

Isaiah 9:6-7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end” 

Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Whatever the source of your discontentment this holiday season, remember that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our Savior: the one who brings everlasting peace and the ONLY one from whom we will find contentment.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. But not because of the stockings or presents, or beautifully decorated tree. Instead, it is because of the birth of our saving grace: the one who casts out fear (1 John 4:18), the one who conquers the “impossible,” and the one who cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Christ came to Earth in the form of man to be with us and to be our salvation!! He overcame the impossible because he loves us.

Your pain is real. Your hurt matters. And it is okay to be sad when the Christmas season does not match your perfect picture. But all those heartaches can be redeemed in the love of Jesus Christ. No matter what your holiday season looks like this year, you have EVERY reason to be filled with joy as we remember the true meaning of Christmas: Jesus’ birth.

The JOY of CHRISTMAS is not in the things or decorations or even the people you share it with, but it is in the being of Jesus Christ and the relationship he offers us! 

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a very merry Christmas!! God loves you more than you could ever know, and we see that perfect love in the gift of his Son.

It may not always feel like the perfect holiday, but the fact of Jesus will never change. Therefore, there is always something to be celebrated and always a reason to find joy in the true meaning of Christmas.

-Megan Beck