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So this is Christmas–the day everyone’s been hollering about; scurrying around and shopping for; putting up decorations and spending their last ounce of energy for! This it the day that some thought would never come–and others wished never would; the day that some sleep in on, eat plates filled with food on, and stuff garbage bags full of colored paper on!

What is Christmas for? Is it for the kids? The merchants? The religious people? The party-goers? Who knows?

Before Bethlehem, what did the world do on December 25? What did they do without shopping malls, candy canes and chestnuts? What did they do before the First Noel–before Scrooge and the little elves? Before Santa Clause?

Before Mary fell writhing in pain onto a pile of hay in a dark stable corner–shaking and shuttering as new life squeezed through her loins, were there any silent nights? Did Christmas really start with blood and tears? With the smell of fresh dung? With a sense of disappointment and fear? With uncertainty? Did Joseph and Mary know it was Christmas?

How did we get from there to here? Who added the lights and tinsel? The, dashing through the snow? Perhaps we’ll never know. But one thing we do know is that everyone knows about shopping and spending money. At least they know about the Christmas they’ve been shown.

For me, the only Christmas that matters is the one we often forget. We may not call it Christmas, but it is that seed of hope that’s nestled next to despair–when your best friend dies; when life turns sour; when worries blot out the sun; when you’ve just learned that you have six months to live; when hope bleeds all over the floor and you feel like the dung in the stable–it’s then that you’re ready to believe and wonder! It is then that the baby, the blood and the star make the most sense!

This is Christmas!

Read more at the source: This is Christmas

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.