Everyone has their favorite time of year.
Some love the blooming beauty of spring, when the air is crisp and clean and seems to inspire fresh ideas, exciting goals…even new romance.
Others are summer people who relish being at the beach or by a pool, soaking up sunrays and the unparalleled feeling of cool water flowing over hot skin.
And of course, there are those most fond of the crunch of colorful autumn leaves underfoot, and seasonal foods and flavors that somehow taste richer and more delicious than they do at other times of year.
Finally, there are the winter people (I personally don’t know any, being a Texan, but I’m told they exist), and I suppose they enjoy shoveling boat loads of snow, constantly scraping off ice from their windshields, and wearing twenty pounds of clothing. (I’m only half kidding; my personal distaste for the season prevents me from thinking of a single positive quality pertaining to it.)
When it comes to climate, hands down, my favorite season is summer. My mom has been calling me a “water baby” for as long as I can remember, because as a kid, when it wasn’t warm enough for me to be in the pool, I was literally snorkeling alongside my mermaid dolls in her bathtub! I’ve always been most comfortable in tank tops, shorts, and flip-flops, and will proudly wear such an outfit well into November if it’s warm enough out, fall fashionistas with their cute scarves and trendy boots be darned.
I love long, lazy summer days.
And backyard cookouts.
And summer thunderstorms.
And the memories I’ll forever carry of playing tennis late into the night with my dad, competing in horse shows every Saturday, going to camp, counting fireflies, eating exorbitant amounts of vanilla Blue Bell ice cream, diving head first into the pool with my clothes on, just to cool off, playing in the creek behind my house, tubing at the lake…
Yet despite my love for summer, it’s not my favorite time of year. Because as much as it stirs my soul by awakening past memories and providing more than a few precious déjà vu moments, and as much as I appreciate the heat and all the aforementioned bits of summery goodness, it pales in comparison with the spiritual rush, for lack of a better word, that I feel throughout the Christmas season.
Right now, my dear friend Ann is playing with Isaiah as I write this, and I can hear “The First Noel” streaming through the living room speakers. It’s a song, along with so many others, that conjures in my mind images of bright-shining angels appearing to lowly, awestruck shepherds, of the kings from the east following that famous star, of farm animals gathered around a teenaged mother and her newborn baby boy. Just one measure of a classic Christmas hymn is enough to melt away my stress and refocus my heart on the things that truly matter, and on the countless blessings God has given me.
Ben and I have been taking Isaiah, who will be three in three months (gasp!), to quite a few Christmassy events lately: a charming Dickensian market in a German town just north of us, an Old West-themed light show, Sea World with its festive Beluga whale and sea lion shows, and this weekend, we’ll be visiting the San Antonio Botanical Gardens’ Lightscape and hosting a Christmas party at our gym.
All that to say that Christmas is a time of gathering, of slowing down enough to enjoy something as simple and sublime as admiring Christmas lights, big, beautiful garlands and wreaths and towering Christmas trees, of getting reacquainted with the child within each one of us and letting kindness and wonder replace every shred of bitterness and anxiety. Above all, it’s a time that reminds us that the Light of the world came to earth, as an innocent baby, to dwell among us, exactly as was prophesized centuries before his birth (Isaiah 9:6).
When we look at a nativity and hear the Christmas story, the focus is always on baby Jesus, and for good reason; after all, Christmas celebrates the night he was born. But seldom do Christmas songs, sermons and the like make mention of his second coming, when he’ll visit this world not as a helpless baby destined for death on a cross, but as victorious warrior, described this way in Revelation 19:
- He will ride a white horse.
- He will be called Faithful and True.
- His eyes will be like flames of fire.
- He will where many crowns.
- He will have a name written on him only he understands.
- He will have a robe dripped in blood.
- He will be called the Word of God.
- He will lead heaven’s armies.
- He will have a sharp sword in his mouth.
- He will release God’s wrath.
- His robe will say King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
Christmas is a fantastic time to ponder and reflect not just on the baby who grew to become the ultimate hero of humanity, but also on the coming king who will overcome evil once and for all (Romans 16:20; Revelation 17:14).
I know many Christians do not condone celebrating Christmas due to its pagan roots and secular emphasis on things like Santa, snowmen, and excessive spending. In the past, I struggled with the question of whether to celebrate Christmas, but, long story short, I settled on the conclusion that one’s heart determines whether celebrating Christmas is acceptable and pleasing in God’s sight.
Turning to a different holiday for a moment, which Christ himself celebrated, I’d like to share the following from jewsforjesus.org:
“The Jews of Jesus’ day were well aware of the events that had led to the Feast of Dedication [Hanukkah] when they approached Him in the holy Temple on Hanukkah. It was in the context of that recent history that they said to Jesus, ‘If you are the Christ, tell us plainly’ (John 10:24). If Jesus really was the Messiah, they reasoned, He had the power to preserve the Jewish people from the tyranny of the Romans, just as God had preserved them from evil Antiochus. Jesus answered them with a rebuke,
‘I told you, and you do not believe.’”[1]
This is “the most wonderful time of the year,” and in my opinion, the most wonderful time to open the door of our hearts to Immanuel, “God with us.” He has told us who he is, and who he’ll forever be as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. It’s time to ask yourself, “Do I truly believe?”
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” – Revelation 3:20
[1] https://jewsforjesus.org/publications/newsletter/newsletter-dec-1998/jesus-celebration-of-hanukkah